PACE believes that civic engagement and civic education are central to the health of our democracy and worthy of philanthropic investment. Therein, we seek to support funders in fellowship, learning, and action that can inform current and future investments in civic learning that are equitable and effective for all students.
PACE leads a funder affinity group for funders interested in civic learning (those currently investing and those considering investments). The group:
- Supports relationship-building and peer learning between and among funders (both established and emerging) of civic learning and across K-12, higher education, and out-of-school/community-based civic learning efforts
- Aggregates resources and provides a platform for discussion of grantmaking strategies that support sustainable and scalable civic learning policies, programs, and practices
- Helps assess the current “ecosystem” or landscape of the civic learning field to help funders understand strengths, needs, and opportunities to develop strategies and target investments based on best practices
If you are interested in joining the group, know of another funder who might be, or have any questions, please contact Kristen Cambell at Kristen@PACEFunders.org.
Key Civic Learning Resources
PACE coordinates a monthly email with the latest civic education resources and reports and affinity group members are invited to share resources with the group as well. To join that email list, contact Kristen@PACEFunders.org.
Below is a starter list of organizations and evergreen related resources many see as central to the field of civic learning, primarily at the K-12 level. This list might be a good place to start for those who are interested in exploring this field for the first time; more information and resources are available upon request. While these are intended to be high-level and “evergreen” resources to understand “the field” overall, PACE also writes about timely topics and shares what we’re learning about civic education on a more regular basis at our Medium channel, “Office of Citizen.”
Networks and Organizations PACE also collaborates with peer organizations that organize groups of funders related to various aspects of civic education, including the Institute for Citizens and Scholars, Grantmakers for Education, and the Philanthropy Roundtable. Reports and Resources Additional resource hubs are curated and managed by our peer/partner institutions, including: Case Making Policy Resources For resources specific to how funders are playing a role in supporting civic education state policy, please learn more.