Renew Democracy Initiative

In October 2018, RDI released its inaugural publication, Fight for Liberty. Taking inspiration from The Federalist Papers, the book features a collection of essays by contributors allied with RDI's mission and values. Kirkus Reviews wrote, "The strongest point of this useful collection is the depth and breadth of its opposition to our current illiberal atmosphere...A valuable addition to the literature of democratic resistance."[3]

On March 14, 2019, RDI hosted a conference entitled "Reawakening the Spirit of Democracy" at Johns Hopkins University. Featured speakers included Democratic Senators Ben Cardin and Heidi Heitkamp, former Republican House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, political strategist Donna Brazile, and journalist Bret Stephens.[4]

In October 2019, RDI hosted a second event at Hunter College titled "Democracy in America: Is Everyone In?".[5] The conference addressed the current state of political polarization and extremism in the US, and featured RDI Chairman Garry Kasparov and CEO of Generation Citizen, Scott Warren.[6]

With the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, RDI transitioned to hosting primarily virtual events including: a briefing on the war in Ukraine with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba in 2022, a joint event between RDI the online magazine Persuasion to celebrate citizen journalism in 2021, and a conversation on restoring civic duty & civility with Cindy McCain, Heidi Heitkamp, and Anne Applebaum in 2020.

In 2022, the group became known for releasing content rallying Western democratic nations to support Ukraine in light of Vladimir Putin's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. RDI entered the national conversation by countering Putin's disinformation, placing op-eds in media outlets, launching the Winter is Here podcast, developing a sanctions tracking website, hosting events with stakeholders including Ukrainian soldiers,  American experts, and the Ukrainian Foreign Minister, and partnering with General Ben Hodges, former commander of the U.S. Army in Europe, to produce a video series on the war in Ukraine.

In the fall of 2021, RDI partnered with CNN to create Voices of Freedom, a limited series featuring foreign political dissidents’ perspective on American democracy. The community featured in the series has grown to 119 dissidents from 39 countries. It is organized by RDI's director of education, Zimbabwean political activist Evan Mawarire.

Frontlines of Freedom initiatives include an intersession course taught at Johns Hopkins University in 2022 & 2023; dissident speaking engagements at the University of Pennsylvania, Purdue University, Dartmouth College, Johns Hopkins University, and Yale; dissidents-in-residence programs at universities;  a Global Democracy Ambassador Scholarship; and the creation of written and  video content amplifying dissident messages in mainstream discourse.

Since February 2022, RDI has been a leading organization supporting Ukraine's people.  Through its Gift of Warmth campaign, RDI has provided direct humanitarian aid  including over 100,000 Meals Ready-to-Eat (MREs) and 15,000 sleeping bags. RDI has also funded the construction of portable water filtration units that provide clean water for up to 30,000 people each day.