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SNF Agora Institute

We are looking forward to providing an open and welcoming space that fosters the kind of conversations and convenings that are at the very heart of SNF Agora’s mission ― and that are fundamental to democracy itself.

Hahrie Han Inaugural Director, Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) Agora Institute

The building will be immersed in a forest-like landscape featuring native trees and other plant species, creating a natural wooded environment that connects to existing forested areas of Homewood campus along San Martin Drive.

The institute's twin structures feature a glass exterior that showcases the work happening within and bolsters the SNF Agora’s commitment to inclusivity and openness to the broader world.

In addition to Hopkins faculty, the SNF Agora Institute will be home to visiting scholars, journalists, policy makers, and practitioners in other disciplines.

Year-round programming will include conferences, speakers, art exhibitions, and community events,

The SNF Agora Institute's building shined on a recent spring day. Construction is well underway for the new building, which will open in 2025. Photo by Will Kirk, Johns Hopkins University

SNF Agora Institute: Realizing the promise of the ancient agora in modern times

Since 2017, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) Agora Institute has brought together scholars and practitioners from a variety of disciplines to help strengthen global democracy through improved and expanded civic engagement and informed, inclusive dialogue. The Institute draws its name from the ancient Athenian Agora, a central space in the city that was a place of open conversation and debate for all citizens.

Opening in 2025 and designed by world-renowned architect Renzo Piano, the SNF Agora Institute’s building on the Homewood campus will be home to a community of thought leaders, bringing together Krieger faculty from across the humanities and social sciences as well as visiting scholars, practitioners, policy makers, and others.

The building’s glass exterior will showcase the work happening within and bolster a commitment to inclusivity and openness to the broader world through conferences, speakers, art exhibitions, and community events.

Building highlights:

  • Collaborative workspaces, where scholars and practitioners work together to solve real-world problems
  • Small and large research labs, where faculty and fellows create and test ideas
  • Community convening spaces for conversation with a variety of audiences, including scholars, practitioners,  students, and the broader public
  • Classroom spaces, where JHU students learn the skills they need to become engaged citizens

In the news:

SNF Agora Institute Hosts Symposium on Mental Health and Democratic Agency — Hundreds gathered on June 20, 2023, in Athens, Greece, for Power and Purpose: A Symposium on Mental Health and Democratic Agency, hosted by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Agora Institute of Johns Hopkins University

SNF Agora Names New Visiting Fellows — The incoming cohort of journalists, artists, scholars, a poet, policy consultants, entrepreneurs, and nonprofit leaders will engage with issues around democracy through a variety of lenses during the 2023-24 academic year

SNF Agora Hosts Elijah E. Cummings Freedom and Democracy Festival — The two-day event, held on Feb. 7-8, 2023, brought together scholars, practitioners, artists, and the local community to grapple with democratic challenges and celebrate democratic resilience

What We Learned from the Midterm Elections — Scholars from the SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins convened to discuss the influence of factors such as ‘Dobbs,’ the war in Ukraine, and the specter of the 2024 presidential race on this year’s midterm elections

SNF Agora Hosts Symposium on Civic Health — Scholars, innovators, health officials spoke in Athens, Greece to discuss the ways that health and democracy are linked

SNF Agora Institute Welcomes New Cohort of Fellows — New fellows include the first Dissident in Residence, will explore social media algorithms, political corruption, campus discourse, Black voter mobilization, and other topics

Building the Agora — The SNF Agora Institute formally installed its first cohort of endowed professors Nov. 15, marking a significant moment in the university’s endeavors to foster democracy

Revised Design Unveiled for SNF Agora Institute Building at Johns Hopkins — Modified plans bolster connectivity, both within the building and to nearby spaces on the Homewood campus and within the community