The mission of Hewlett is to build an inclusive society where people, communities, and the planet flourish.

Our U.S. Democracy Program has two strategies. The first makes grants to ensure that U.S. elections are secure, accessible, and worthy of the public’s trust. The second focuses on our national governing institutions, making grants to strengthen our nation’s legislative and executive branches, making them more responsive, effective, and inclusive institutions.

At their core, both strategies aim to make sure that democracy, and government, are working for everyone; that all people can access government services and benefits equally and fairly; and that policy design and implementation is equitable.

What’s been most exciting to me is the work we’ve been doing with other funders to support the modernization of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). As an agency that touches literally everyone in the U.S., a modernized IRS can offer not only a better customer experience for members of the public but also, hopefully, show them how government can deliver.

It’s a once-in-a-generation opportunity that was set in motion by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) which provided $80 billion for the IRS.

Over the last 18 months, we’ve been working with experts and other funders to explore what the IRS could look like if it had the internal resources and external support to be better. This coalesced into a three-pillar funding strategy—talent and leadership, technology and delivery, and communications and advocacy. We’ve leveraged philanthropic dollars to fund an ecosystem of organizations across the political spectrum that have been exploring how each pillar could help ensure equity, while streamlining processes for paying taxes and receiving tax benefits through the agency.

The work has been far reaching—from supporting efforts to recruit and retain the managerial and technical talent necessary for the agency to modernize itself, to making sure that technology used to deliver services is effective and equitable. One outcome of that is the direct file pilot — the first free, public, online tax filing tool in U.S. history.

In this work, the focus has been on emphasizing the link between people’s lives and the governing institutions serving them. That is, if you want to pay your taxes without additional fees or are eligible for a tax credit, you have a vested interest in a well-functioning tax administration system. It’s been a great success and it provides a blueprint for what other efforts could look like in other agencies.

I believe that part of what made this successful is that we approached it as an experiment and we’re constantly iterating based on feedback from our peers in philanthropy and other stakeholders. It’s been a great experience and an opportunity to build community with funders who care about government working for everyone. Hewlett has now invested over $5 million, all going to organizations in the external ecosystem of IRS modernization—bringing expertise, information, and research so that decisions are robust and support implementation that is true to the vision of equity. The work also shows the importance of showing and not just telling the public that government can and does work for them.

Over the course of decades, Americans have been fed a narrative of federal government waste, abuse, and incompetence. Today, Americans are skeptical about government’s ability to work in their best interest, protect their rights, and serve as a decisive and effective agent in tackling urgent problems. That lack of trust limits government’s ability to take on the daunting challenges that lie ahead and ultimately undermines faith in democracy itself. This is the dynamic we’re working to change. We’ve got to take on the challenge of making the case to the public that effective, efficient, accountable national governing institutions are fundamental to civil society and the health of our democracy.

On top of this, we’re in an election year where the stakes feel really high to a lot of people. We try to stay focused on the longer-term prize: Regardless of what happens in November, strengthening our national governing institutions is critical to ensuring a healthy, thriving democracy.

I’m relatively new to philanthropy, but what seems clear to me is how siloed it can be. For me, EOF has been great for expanding my field of vision. I’ve had access to different perspectives, mental models, and strategies—all of which have impacted how I think about my work.

I have a few: Where do you see an opportunity for government to work better? What would this look like? Who else do you know who might be interested?

Something that inspires me to do this work is the people I grew up with back home in Brazil. I carry with me the history, the knowledge that democracy is fragile—that it needs to be tended to and nurtured, cared for. You have to show people that it works for them so they’ll buy into it and protect it. That’s why I do this work. You can’t take democracy for granted.