The Reynolds Foundation Invests in Democracy Initiatives at the Brooks School

The Reynolds Foundation, established by Tim MBA '94 and Caroline Reynolds, and led by Dr. Álvaro Salas Castro MPA '14 as President and CEO, has committed an additional $2.1M to support democracy-focused initiatives at Cornell University's Jeb E. Brooks School of Public Policy. This most recent investment includes renewed support for the School's Center on Global Democracy as well as an expanded commitment to the Reynolds Leadership Scholarships.

The Foundation's multi-year gift builds on its growing partnership with the Brooks School and reflects a shared commitment to strengthening democratic institutions and developing the next generation of civic leaders. The Reynolds Foundation's total giving to the School now approaches $4M, with prior support also co-funding a Brooks School Tech Policy Institute research project exploring financial freedom and virtual currency.

"Democracy is at an inflection point globally, and I am truly grateful to Tim and Caroline Reynolds and Dr. Salas Castro for supporting initiatives at Cornell that work to strengthen democratic institutions and invest in the next generation of democracy builders," said Brooks School Dean Colleen Barry.

The Reynolds Leadership Scholarships provide graduate financial assistance to outstanding Master of Public Administration (MPA) students who have demonstrated leadership and a deep commitment to advancing democracy, public service, and human rights worldwide. Scholarship recipients, known as Reynolds Scholars, receive both financial support and opportunities for engagement with the Center on Global Democracy's civic education and research initiatives.

The Center on Global Democracy was launched to explore and address the most urgent challenges facing democracies worldwide. Through targeted research and public engagement, including policy analysis, data collection, and message testing, the Center identifies threats to democracy and builds high-impact partnerships to advance civic education and democratic resilience.

"We have made excellent progress in building the research infrastructure to tackle one of the world's most pressing global problems- the erosion of democracy- and this investment from the Reynolds Foundation comes at a crucial moment as we look to expand the breadth of our work," said Rachel Beatty Riedl, the Peggy Koenig '78 Director of the Brooks School's Center on Global Democracy and Professor in the Department of Government and the Brooks School of Public Policy. "We will use this support to strengthen our research and innovate new ways to connect our findings to solutions that move the needle."

The recent funding continues the Reynolds Foundation's strategic investment in democratic renewal at Cornell. It will enhance research and outreach through the new Global Democracy Project Fund; expand access to public policy education through the Reynolds Leadership Scholarships; and support the Center on Global Democracy's growing civic education efforts - including the Freedom Academies developed in partnership with DemoLab.

Over the past year, the Center on Global Democracy has hosted a series of high-profile public events and advanced research efforts to expand understanding of how democracies can thrive. Highlights have included a campus visit from former President of Costa Rica, Laura Chinchilla, to address threats to democracy in Latin America and around the worldas well as a series of new initiatives such as the Democratic Attacks and Resistance Events (DARE) dataset, the Financial Freedom Index, and public opinion research concerning the trade-offs citizens make between democratic values and other priorities.

"We are very happy with the progress at the Center, and our team at the Reynolds Foundation is laser-focused on creating solutions that have a real impact in the public sphere, whether that is expanding the empirical knowledge of policy and decision-makers or educating and empowering the next generation to defend and uphold democratic principles and ideals," said Dr. Salas-Castro. "There is no way to do this work well without strong partnerships and we appreciate the partnership of the Brooks School."

A major focus of the Foundation's support is the Freedom Academies, a civic education initiative developed by DemoLabto expand access to democratic skill-building and civic leadership training. The pilot was led by Center fellows, including Reynolds Scholar Nia Demming (MPA '26), whose graduate work focuses on democracy building and civic engagement. Reynolds Scholars, selected for their commitment to public service and democratic values, are emerging leaders who will advance this work and amplify the Center's impact in communities worldwide.

"There is no more relevant work that we can be doing right now than building the research framework and educational and outreach platforms that expand awareness of threats to democracy, build skills and habits that support healthy democracy, and create partnerships between institutions capable of moving democracy forward," said Demming. "I'm proud and grateful to be a Reynolds Scholar and to be part of the Center on Global Democracy and the Brooks School."