$13 million gift from David and Michelle Baldacci aims to heal divides

David Baldacci has spent a career weaving thrillers where human motives clash and moral lines blur. Now, the Richmond-born novelist is confronting one of America’s deepest real-life tensions: the breakdown of civil discourse.

This week, Baldacci and his wife, Michelle, announced a $13 million joint donation—made in partnership with Virginia Commonwealth University and the Library of Virginia—to launch the Civil Discourse and Collaboration Initiative.

The effort is designed to create new spaces, both on campus and in the community, for nonpartisan, civic dialogue that encourages listening, empathy, and understanding across the political divide.

Baldacci said the idea grew out of his frustration with the country’s escalating hostility. “Each side is hurling insults at the other, convinced that if the other wins it’s the apocalypse,” he said.

“Then, the election happens, and we’re told to move forward as a country—but not to work with the other side. It’s a years-long tailgate without the fun.”

He believes most people are hungry for something different. “In my heart, I don’t believe people want to be mad all the time,” he said. “People want to talk things through peacefully and rationally.”

The initiative will combine academic programming, public events, and community engagement to reintroduce the art of dialogue. According to VCU, its core components will include experiential learning through civic simulations; new university curriculum emphasizing active listening and deliberative thinking; and public lectures, moderated forums, and symposia about pressing issues of the day.

The Library of Virginia will also create physical and digital spaces for conversation and reflection, drawing on its historical archives to ground discussions in the lived experiences of Virginians across generations.

Dennis Clark, the Librarian of Virginia, described the project as a chance to restore the library’s historic role as a gathering place for democratic exchange. “It’s about thinking of the library as a modern public square,” he said.

“We’re creating high-profile lecture series where difficult conversations can happen—spaces where disagreement isn’t shouted down but examined. It’s a classroom for democracy.”

Clark said the rise of social media has distorted how people engage with differing views. “So much of the noise today is about scoring a social media moment,” he said.

“But most Virginians, and most Americans, are trying to find that balance point—to have honest conversations about how we move forward together, not just how to beat each other up with talking points.”

For Baldacci, the project reflects the conviction that citizenship is an active duty, not a passive label.

“Citizenship isn’t a free ride or a free lunch—it’s a job,” he said. “If people approached it that way, I think they’d work harder at it.”

He envisions the initiative helping Americans move beyond the combative tone that dominates online discourse.

“We may change their minds, they may change ours—but the key is to have the conversation,” he said. “That’s what we used to do, and we can do it again.”

The Library of Virginia expects to launch the first public speaker series this winter, featuring historians, authors, and civic leaders in dialogue about the practice of democracy.

Baldacci hopes the lessons learned in Richmond can ripple outward, inspiring a national reawakening of civility and cooperation.

“The rest of the world isn’t waiting for us to get our house in order,” he said. “They’re moving on. If we can’t learn to work together again, we risk being left behind.”

Still, the novelist remains optimistic that change is possible. “I write stories about resilience and redemption,” Baldacci said.

“This, to me, is America’s next great story—if we’re willing to write it together.”