In this installment of our Defend Nonprofits Defend Democracy Series, you’ll get a deep dive into one of the least-discussed but most important democracy issues facing nonprofits and philanthropy today: attacks on ballot initiatives and direct democracy. Elizabeth DiLauro of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation joins Rusty Stahl to discuss how ballot measures have become critical tools for advancing health equity and why efforts to restrict citizen-led initiatives threaten both democracy and the nonprofit sector.

Liz shares how RWJF is funding organizations defending ballot access in multiple states, helping other funders understand the legal pathways for engagement, and why funders using their public voice matters as much as their grantmaking right now. The conversation also explores democratic backsliding, gerrymandering, philanthropy’s role in this moment, and why protecting democratic participation is foundational to every social justice mission.

Download the edited transcript as a .pdf

Guest Bio:

Elizabeth DiLauro serves as a Senior Policy Officer with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, where she shapes strategy and grantmaking at the state level to advance long-term change in the social policies that impact our nation’s health and well-being.

Previously, Liz served as the senior director of advocacy at ZERO TO THREE, where she led the organization’s advocacy strategy to advance a policy agenda for young children and families. Earlier in her career, Liz worked with the Pew Charitable Trusts where she crafted state campaigns to increase access to children’s dental care, and the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry where she advanced strategies to support children’s mental health policy. She has also worked in federal and state advocacy with Home Instruction for Parents of Preschool Youngsters (HIPPY) USA.

Liz holds a Master of Public Administration from the Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service at New York University, with a specialization in public and non-profit policy and management.

Links to Resources Mentioned in the Episode

Organizations:

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF)

Ballot Initiative Strategy Center Foundation

Fairness Project Education Fund

Bolder Advocacy (program of Alliance for Justice)

Fund the People

Reports, Publications, Events, and Tools:

Rules of the Game Podcast⁠ (Bolder Advocacy, a program of Alliance for Justice)

Foundations on the Hill (policy conference and Capitol Hill visits for the foundations and philanthropy infrastructure organizations)

Answering the Call for a Healthy, Inclusive Democracy - Annual Letter (April 2026) by Dr. Rich Besser, President, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

All By April (a 501c3 campaign hosted by Democracy Fund)