The Common Good

The Common Good is a United States-based non-profit, non-partisan membership organization whose stated mission is to inspire broad participation in democracy through the free exchange of ideas and civil dialogue. According to its own materials, it was founded in 2007 and consists of professionals with an interest in public policy and politics. Rather than functioning as a commercial product brand, it operates as a civic and educational platform that convenes thought leaders, innovators, and trendsetters from politics, business, and culture for candid discussions on pressing current issues. The organization describes its approach as trading "rancorous tirades for civil arguments," bringing together leading and often opposing activists for informal discussions rather than lectures. It states that it creates campaigns and initiatives intended to encourage vigorous participation in democracy and to bridge the divide between the country's political extremes, reaching out to what it calls "the great middle" of the nation. Its stated rationale is that civil discussion has too often been replaced by emotion and anger, an environment in which demagogues and hate-mongers thrive, and that it seeks to go beyond the shrill discussions of 24-hour news cycles and protect the truth from partisanship. Since its founding, The Common Good reports working to empower and protect democratic values through various actions. Its stated focus areas include protecting elections and voting rights and empowering individuals to vote; calling for government functionality and smart, bipartisan legislation that supports Americans; and supporting youth activism that betters the nation. Its published materials reference activities such as helping register voters at the Tribeca Film Festival Family Day, awarding a 2019 Changemaker Scholarship for Climate Change Action to Jamie Margolin and Alexandria Villaseñor, and marching at the 50th anniversary of the Selma to Montgomery marches. The organization presents itself as a membership body and encourages the public to join and participate in its initiatives. Its primary public presence is its website, thecommongoodus.org, which hosts descriptions of its mission, initiatives, and activities. The available evidence does not identify specific corporate ownership, headquarters location, or commercial product lines, and the entity is best understood as a civic membership organization rather than a conventional commercial brand.

The Common Good states that it was founded in 2007 as a non-profit, non-partisan membership organization made up of professionals with an interest in public policy and politics. From its own account, its founding purpose was to counter the deterioration of civil discussion in American public life and to encourage broad participation in democracy through the free exchange of ideas. The organization describes its method as convening the highest-caliber thought leaders, innovators, and trendsetters in politics, business, and culture for candid discussions on current pressing issues. It emphasizes informal discussion over lectures and deliberately brings together leading and often opposing activists, aiming to bridge the growing divisions it says threaten the nation and to reach out to "the great middle" of the country. Over the years covered by its published materials, The Common Good reports pursuing a range of initiatives. These include protecting elections and voting rights and empowering individuals to vote; calling for government functionality and smart, bipartisan legislation that supports Americans; and supporting youth activism. Its materials cite participation in voter registration at the Tribeca Film Festival Family Day, the awarding of a 2019 Changemaker Scholarship for Climate Change Action to Jamie Margolin and Alexandria Villaseñor, and its participation in the 50th anniversary of the Selma to Montgomery marches. The organization continues to present itself as an active membership body that invites the public to join and take part in its initiatives. The available evidence does not document corporate ownership, commercial product lines, or a headquarters location, and does not provide a detailed chronology beyond the founding year and the activities described on its website.

• 2019

  Changemaker Scholarship for Climate Change Action awarded to Jamie Margolin and Alexandria Villaseñor.

• 2007

  The Common Good is founded as a non-profit, non-partisan membership organization.

• The Common Good participates in voter registration at the Tribeca Film Festival Family Day.

• The Common Good marches at the 50th anniversary of the Selma to Montgomery marches.

Non-profit, non-partisan membership organization promoting civil dialogue and civic engagement.

1. 1The Common Goodthecommongoodus.org
2. 2What We Do — The Common Goodthecommongoodus.org
3. 3About — The Common Goodthecommongoodus.org
4. 4The Common Goodwikidata.org