Braver Angels is a cross-partisan organization that hosts workshops, debates, and other events aimed at bringing people from diverse political perspectives together in discussion. Braver Angels seeks to move participants along a spectrum away from feelings of “hatred or disdain” for their opponents, and instead move them towards “respect and appreciation” for other points of view. ¹

Braver Angels was originally a doing-business-as name of Institute for American Values (IAV), a nonpartisan think tank founded in 1987. ² IAV ceased its research activities in 2016 after a meeting of supporters of then-presidential candidates Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton convinced IAV founder David Blankenhorn that grassroots efforts were more effective than academic research in bridging partisan divides. Blankenhorn, along with marriage therapist Bill Doherty and author David Lapp, founded Braver Angels as a continuation of the initial 2016 cross-political discussions. ³

Initially, Braver Angels was named Better Angels, derived from a quote by President Abraham Lincoln. In 2020, The Better Angels Society, an unrelated non-profit, sued IAV for trademark infringement. ⁴ IAV then changed its name to Braver Angels, and in 2021, IAV legally renamed the company Braver Angels. ⁵

Mission

Braver Angels has stated its mission is to “reduce political polarization” among Americans. Towards this end it has founded nationwide alliances, presented workshops and debates, and formed a presence in the corporate and academic spheres. ⁶ The organization’s work has been referenced and praised in major left-of-center outlets, including TIME Magazine and the New York Times. ^{7 8}

Braver Angels works on a paradigm of “patriotic-empathy” which involves emotional change within participants, leading to intellectual respect for the opposing side. ⁹ Workshops include discussions between Reds and Blues, finding common ground, and discussing differences of belief about race and its role in American society. ¹⁰ One-on-one listening sessions are encouraged, and the organization claims debates are conducted in a manner respectful of all viewpoints involved. ^{11 12}

As of 2022, Braver Angels has 28 registered Alliances, which are regional groups composed of dues-paying members who host events in line with Braver Angels’ mission. According to the Braver Angels website, this has included “inviting local politicians and media members,” to join the movement towards depolarization. ¹³

Leadership

David Blankenhorn founded the Institute for American Values in 1987 as a think tank focused on civil issues such as traditional marriage and cross-partisan discussion. ¹⁴ Blankenhorn attracted controversy when he began to support state recognition of same-sex marriages in 2012. ^{15 16} In 2016, Blankenhorn halted IAV’s research and pivoted the company toward engagement efforts, creating Braver Angels. ¹⁷

Bill Doherty is a co-founder of Braver Angels and a longtime marriage therapist who specializes in divorce cases. ^{18 19} He states that his experience with divorcing couples directly influences his current work at Braver Angels, as he seeks to “prevent a ‘civic divorce’ in the country.” ²⁰

David Lapp is a co-founder of Braver Angels and a research fellow at the Institute of Family Studies. ^{21 22} His writings focus on issues such as worker’s rights and traditional marriage; they have been featured in major publications such as the Wall Street Journal, among other places. ²³

April Lawson Kornfield is the director of debates at Braver Angels. ²⁴ Kornfield previously worked for the Aspen Institute, where she cofounded Weave: The Social Fabric Project and acted as associate director. ²⁵

Jonathan Haidt is a member of the Braver Angels board of directors and a social psychologist known for his work in the field of moral psychology, notably his paradigm of a “moral matrix” based on emotion and instinct which drives human social behavior. ^{26 27}

Glenn T. Stanton is a member of the Braver Angels board of directors and also serves as the director of Global Family Formation Studies for the conservative Christian ministry Focus on the Family. ²⁸

Funding

In 2019, Braver Angels’ total revenue was $1,129,322. Their expenses totaled $1,181,070, and their assets totaled $93,010. ²⁹ The organization received a number of sizable grants that year. The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, a leading left-of-center grantmaking organization with over $9 billion in assets, donated $75,000 to Braver Angels. ³⁰ The Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation, a libertarian-leaning organization known for its grants to right-leaning causes in higher education, donated $150,000. ^{31 32} The John E. Fetzer Institute, a non-denominational spiritual organization, donated $100,000 to Braver Angels. ^{33 34}

1. Our Story. “Our Approach.” Braver Angels. Accessed April 29, 2022. https://braverangels.org/our-story/#our-approach
2. Archive. Institute for American Values. https://instituteforamericanvalues.org/
3. Our Story. “A Braver Beginning.” Braver Angels. Accessed April 30, 2022. https://braverangels.org/our-story/
4. “Joint Statement from Braver Angels and The Better Angels Society.” Braver Angels. April 10, 2020. Accessed April 29, 2022. https://braverangels.org/joint-statement-from-braver-angels-and-the-better-angels-society/
5. Archive. Institute for American Values. https://instituteforamericanvalues.org/
6. “What We Do.” Braver Angels. Accessed April 30, 2022. https://braverangels.org/what-we-do/
7. Belinda Luscombe. “Fighting With a Family Member Over Politics? Try These 4 Steps.” TIME. February 19, 2021. Accessed May 2, 2022.

   https://time.com/5937398/how-to-talk-to-family-members-about-politics/

8. Lisa Selin Davis “Can We Empathize With Our Enemies? One Author Wants Us to Try.” The New York Times. March 7, 2022. Accessed May 2, 2022. https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/07/books/review/i-never-thought-of-it-that-way-monica-guzman.html
9. Our Story. “Our Approach.” Braver Angels. Accessed April 29, 2022. https://braverangels.org/our-story/#our-approach
10. “What We Do.” Braver Angels. Accessed April 30, 2022. https://braverangels.org/what-we-do/
11. Online. “1:1 Conversations.” Braver Angels. Accessed May 2, 2022. https://braverangels.org/online/1-1-conversations/
12. What We Do. “Debates.” Braver Angels. Accessed May 2, 2022. https://braverangels.org/what-we-do/debates/
13. What We Do. “Alliances.” Braver Angels. Accessed May 2, 2022. https://braverangels.org/what-we-do/alliances/
14. Archive. Institute for American Values. https://instituteforamericanvalues.org/
15. David Blankenhorn, “How My View on Gay Marriage Changed.” The New York Times. June 22, 2012. Accessed April 29, 2022. https://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/23/opinion/how-my-view-on-gay-marriage-changed.html
16. Ethan Bronner. “Gay Marriage Gains Backer as Major Foe Revises Views.” The New York Times. June 22, 2012. Accessed April 30, 2022. https://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/23/us/david-blankenhorn-drops-opposition-to-gay-marriage.html
17. Archive. Institute for American Values. https://instituteforamericanvalues.org/
18. Our Story. “Our Leadership.” Braver Angels. Accessed April 30, 2022. https://braverangels.org/our-story/
19. “About.” Discernment Counseling. Accessed April 30, 2022. https://discernmentcounseling.com/about/
20. “About.” Discernment Counseling. Accessed April 30, 2022. https://discernmentcounseling.com/about/
21. Our Story. “Our Leadership.” Braver Angels. Accessed April 30, 2022. https://braverangels.org/our-story/
22. About. “Our People.” Institute for Family Studies. Accessed April 29, 2022. https://ifstudies.org/about/our-people
23. Author. “David Lapp.” Institute for Family Studies. Accessed April 29, 2022. https://ifstudies.org/blog/author/david-lapp
24. Our Story. “Our Leadership.” Braver Angels. Accessed April 30, 2022. https://braverangels.org/our-story/
25. Contributors. “April Lawson.” Comment. Accessed April 30, 2022. https://comment.org/contributors/april-lawson/
26. Our Story. “Board of Directors.” Braver Angels. Accessed April 30, 2022. https://braverangels.org/our-story/
27. Nathalia Gjersoe. “The moral matrix that influences the way people vote.” The Guardian. November 14, 2016. Accessed April 30, 2022. https://www.theguardian.com/science/head-quarters/2016/nov/14/the-moral-matrix-that-influences-the-way-people-vote
28. Contributors. “Glenn T. Stanton.” Focus on the Family. Accessed April 30, 2022. https://www.focusonthefamily.com/contributors/glenn-stanton/
29. Organizations. “Institute For American Values.” Pro Publica. Accessed May 2, 2022. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/133400377/202120089349301507/full
30. Braver Angels. 2019. Return of organization exempt from income tax [Form 990]. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1BXDXWpxqKKLCxcnL4pg9AJ5YS36aZaP5/view
31. Braver Angels. 2019. Return of organization exempt from income tax [Form 990]. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1BXDXWpxqKKLCxcnL4pg9AJ5YS36aZaP5/view
32. Non-Profits. “Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation.” Influence Watch. Accessed April 29, 2022. https://www.influencewatch.org/non-profit/charles-g-koch-charitable-foundation/
33. “About.” Fetzer Institute. Accessed April 29, 2022. https://fetzer.org/about
34. Braver Angels. 2019. Return of organization exempt from income tax [Form 990]. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1BXDXWpxqKKLCxcnL4pg9AJ5YS36aZaP5/view