News | Academics
Columbia partners with Reynolds Foundation to create democracy and global development programs
The partnership aims to “strengthen democratic resilience, global leadership, and cross-partisan engagement.”
The foundation will help fund the Institute of Global Politics’ American Democracy Initiative.
By Theresa Cullen and Pedro Meerbaum • September 28, 2025 at 3:55 PM
Columbia is partnering with the Reynolds Foundation, a philanthropic organization connected to the co-founder of Jane Street Capital, to create programs that will promote democratic resilience, cross-partisan engagement, and global leader development, the University announced in a Sept. 19 news release.
The partnership will support the School of International and Public Affairs, the Journalism School, and Columbia Global.
The Reynolds Foundation is a philanthropic organization dedicated to medical research, education, and democratic protections. Tim Reynolds, a co-founder of the market trading firm Jane Street Capital, started the Foundation in 2010 after surviving a car accident that left him with a severe spinal cord injury.
During his recovery, Reynolds became aware of the deficit of resources dedicated to spinal cord injury treatment and created the foundation as a way to support laboratories and patients. He later expanded the foundation to advance and support education, freedom, and democracy.
“This strategic partnership with the Reynolds Foundation strengthens journalism’s essential role in democratic societies,” Journalism School Dean Jelani Cobb said in the news release.
The Reynolds Foundation will work with the Institute of Global Politics at SIPA to support existing initiatives on democratic resilience and encourage conversation between differing political and ideological perspectives. IGP organizes think tanks including the Women’s Initiative and the Technology & Democracy Initiative, which tackle issues in gender equality and technology, respectively.
SIPA Dean Keren Yarhi-Milo, GS ’03, and former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, a professor at SIPA, founded IGP in September 2023 during former University President Minouche Shafik’s tenure. The institute aims to bridge “the gap between scholars and policymakers, thinking locally as well as globally, and modeling civil discourse to reverse polarization,” according to the institute’s website.
Continue/Read Original Article: https://www.columbiaspectator.com/news/2025/09/28/columbia-partners-with-reynolds-foundation-to-create-democracy-and-global-development-programs/
Discover more from DrWeb's Domain
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
