Democracy rests on the simple idea that everyone should have a voice in shaping our collective future. That same belief drove us to expand our years of support for civic engagement into a new grantmaking area: Democracy. We’ve recently awarded our first $10.5 million in grants.  

Now, we’re excited to begin sharing more about that work as we welcome our first Democracy team member: Senior Program Officer Mala Adiga.  

Throughout her 25-year career, Mala has worked at the intersection of policy, programming, and public service to expand opportunity for all. She’s advanced that goal through roles at the highest levels of government and nonprofit organizations. Building cross-sector partnerships has been a throughline of her career, bringing together public and private institutions to drive progress on issues like education and health.

“The Paul Angell Foundation ignites possibilities through partnership, and the government is one of the most influential partners philanthropy can have,” said Kim Van Horn, Chief Executive Officer, Paul Angell Foundation. “Mala brings a wealth of experience working across the nonprofit and public sectors to create positive change in people’s everyday lives. We’re eager to see how she shapes our Democracy work to ensure all people have a voice in building a government that works for them.”

Most recently, Mala has advised organizations on how to tackle complex policy issues; develop, implement, and refine their strategies; and design programs that advance their missions. She also served as the Deputy Assistant to the President and Policy Director to the First Lady for the Biden administration, developing and directing comprehensive strategies to advance education, women’s health research, the Cancer Moonshot initiative, and support for military families. Previously, Mala worked for the U.S. Department of Justice and U.S. Department of State, where she led prominent grantmaking initiatives like the Fulbright Program.  

“The Democracy portfolio has immense potential to expand possibilities for all people,” Mala said. “I’m excited about the impact we can create alongside our grantees and partners.”  

As the first member of our new Democracy team, Mala will take time to learn about the Foundation, our grantees and partners, and our work before developing a strategic framework to guide our grantmaking. We look forward to sharing more as our Democracy work takes shape.