The Horizons Project is a networking initiative for left-of-center activists and advocacy groups. The project presents itself as a counter to perceived “times of increasing political violence” and growing opposition to establishment political institutions. Horizons claims that its goal is to protect democracy while also stating its intent to “reimagine” the system of democratic governance in America in its current form. The project also advances the narrative that increased ethnic and cultural diversity is a necessary component to a “just” and “peaceful” democracy. To achieve this, Horizons brings together activists for collaboration and identifies priorities for grantmakers. ¹

The Horizons Project was conceived in 2021 and was initially a 12-month trial project of the PartnersGlobal Institute, a philanthropic organization that backs democratic left-leaning governance around the world. The following year, PartnersGlobal transferred control of the project to the New Venture Fund, a leading incubator for left-of-center activist initiatives. ² The Ford Foundation, one of the largest left-of-center grantmaking institutions in the United States, provided substantial launch funding to Horizons. ³ The project has also received funding from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, which has a track record of backing anti-fossil fuel and pro-population control initiatives. ⁴

Parent Organizations

The PartnersGlobal Institute positions itself as a promoter of civil society and democratic processes. At the same time, the institute identifies promoting diversity and generating equality of outcome as some if its “inherent principles.” ⁵ PartnersGlobal first launched the initiative that became the Horizons Project in 2021. ⁶

The New Venture Fund is a leading left-of-center activism incubator that provides financial support and fiscal sponsorship to new and growing advocacy groups and which serves as a pass-through entity for confidential grants from liberal donors. The fund is managed by Arabella Advisors, a major philanthropic consulting firm based in Washington, D.C. The New Venture Fund took over and helped launch the Horizons Project in 2022. ⁷

Activities

The leadership of the Horizons Project describe themselves as “organizers, conveners, and facilitators” of left-leaning activist networking. The project claims to draw on examples of “peacebuilding” and “civil resistance” around the world for guidance. ⁸ It also hosts seminars presenting conclusions and recommendations to activists based on these examples. ⁹

Leadership

Julia Roig is the founder of the Horizons Project. She spent more than a decade as the president and chief executive officer of the PartnersGlobal Institute, the project’s original parent entity, before leaving to establish the project in 2022. ¹⁰ Roig previously worked for the American Bar Association as the director of a legal activism program in Belgrade, Serbia, but started her career in Washington, D.C. After graduating from the George Washington University Law School in 1997, she worked in employee mediator at the District Superior Court and later in dispute resolution at the United States Office of the Special Counsel. ¹¹

Tabatha Thompson is the director of strategic partnerships and initiatives at the Horizons Project. She previously worked for the United States Institute of Peace, where she coordinated with United States government agencies and the United Nations on backing protest movements around the world. She also helped support such movements directly in countries such as Afghanistan and Ukraine. Prior to that, she worked for the United Nations directly as a researcher at the Department of Peacekeeping Operations. ¹²

Maria Stephan is the chief organizer for Horizons Project. Like her colleague strategic partnerships director Tabatha Thompson, she previously worked for the United States Institute of Peace. Prior to that, she was a foreign affairs officer at the United States Department of State, where her work included supporting Syrian opposition activists in Turkey. She is also a lifetime member of the Council on Foreign Relations, an influential world-affairs think tank with extensive ties to the United States diplomatic and global policymaking establishment. ^{13 14}

Financials

In 2021, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation issued a $500,000 grant to the Horizons Project through its fiscal sponsor, the New Venture Fund. ¹⁵ In 2022, the Ford Foundation awarded the project a $600,000 grant, also through the fund. ¹⁶

1. “Mission, Vision & Values.” Horizons Project. Accessed August 12, 2023. https://horizonsproject.us/about-us/
2. “Horizons Project.” PartnersGlobal. Accessed August 12, 2023. https://www.partnersglobal.org/horizons-project/
3. “Core support for the Horizons Project to build bridges and connect US and global movements to counter toxic polarization.” Ford Foundation. Accessed August 12, 2023. https://www.fordfound.org/work/our-grants/awarded-grants/awarded-grant/core-support-for-the-horizons-project-to-build-bridges-and-connect-us-and-global-movements-to-counte/144052
4. ^[1]“Kicking Off the Horizons Project.” Horizons Project. Accessed August 12, 2023. https://horizonsproject.us/a-news/kicking-off-the-horizons-project/
5. “Mission & Vision.” PartnersGlobal. Accessed August 12, 2023. https://www.partnersglobal.org/who-we-are/about-partnersglobal/mission-vision/
6. “Horizons Project.” PartnersGlobal. Accessed August 12, 2023. https://www.partnersglobal.org/horizons-project/
7. “Horizons Project.” PartnersGlobal. Accessed August 12, 2023. https://www.partnersglobal.org/horizons-project/
8. “Overview.” Horizons Project. Accessed August 12, 2023. https://horizonsproject.us/wd/overview/
9. “How Civic Mobilizations Grow in Authoritarian Contexts.” Horizons Project. December 6, 2022. Accessed August 12, 2023. https://horizonsproject.us/event/how-civic-mobilizations-grow-in-authoritarian-contexts-a-comparative-study-of-21-recent-mobilization-episodes/
10. “Julia Roig.” Horizons Project. Accessed August 12, 2023. https://horizonsproject.us/team/julia-roig/
11. Julia Roig. LinkedIn. Accessed August 12, 2023. https://www.linkedin.com/in/roigjulia
12. “Tabatha Pilgrim Thompson.” Horizons Project. Accessed August 12, 2023. https://horizonsproject.us/team/tabatha-pilgrim-thompson/
13. “Maria J. Stephan.” Horizons Project. Accessed August 12, 2023. https://horizonsproject.us/team/maria-j-stephan/
14. “Tabatha Pilgrim Thompson.” Horizons Project. Accessed August 12, 2023. https://horizonsproject.us/team/tabatha-pilgrim-thompson/
15. “For core support of the Horizons Project.” The David & Lucile Packard Foundation. Accessed August 12, 2023. https://www.packard.org/grants-and-investments/grants-database/new-venture-fund-41/
16. ^[1]“Core support for the Horizons Project to build bridges and connect US and global movements to counter toxic polarization.” Ford Foundation. Accessed August 12, 2023. https://www.fordfound.org/work/our-grants/awarded-grants/awarded-grant/core-support-for-the-horizons-project-to-build-bridges-and-connect-us-and-global-movements-to-counte/144052