Across the country, essential health and human service programs are being gutted. Authoritarian politics are reshaping public institutions and undermining basic rights. Climate disruption, housing crises, and rising inequality threaten the very communities nonprofits exist to serve.
In this moment of historic volatility, the nonprofit sector’s inability to fulfill its transformative potential isn’t just a missed opportunity; it’s a liability. The stakes for both the sector and society are high, yet our forums for renewal feel disconnected from the urgency of the times.
It’s not that nonprofits fail to deliver an invaluable public benefit. They are foundational to American civil society. Yet, in a rapidly changing environment, they are constrained — held back by the limitations of an outdated business model.
Read the entire commentary on Substack In The Center Lane With Herb Paine →
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Commentator Herb Paine examines a crucial but under-explored dimension of the current moment: How the Jewish community responds ethically when Jewish continuity intersects with political power in Israel. -
One piece of Arizona's property politics puzzle involves middle housing (sometimes referred to as missing middle housing to highlight the gap between single-family homes and large apartment buildings). Commentator Herb Paine examines the concept and its practical implications. -
From Arizona to New York, it appears that a "new housing economy" is emerging, shaped by short-term rentals and backyard units. Commentator Herb Paine explores how this development is testing the balance between personal profit and the public need for homes and stable communities. -
Commentator Herb Paine reflects on what’s truly at stake in Arizona’s 2026 elections — not just who wins, but whether the system that makes winning possible can endure. The elections may be a bellwether for the nation: a test of civic trust, political integrity, and the resilience of democracy in an age of disruption and division. -
Commentator Herb Paine highlights his observations about an all-too-common and increasingly frequent intrusion of extremism into the halls of local governance — from Scottsdale to Tampa.
