Center for Civic Education is a nonprofit educational institution that promotes civics education, democratic principles, tolerance, civil discourse, and education on the Constitution and Bill of Rights to students and adult learners through curricula and other learning programs both within the United States and abroad. The Center claims to have reached more than 30 million students with its educational programming since 1965. ^{1 2 3 4 5 6}

Programs

Center for Civic Education is a nonprofit educational institution devoted to promoting civics education, democratic values, and learning about the Constitution and Bill of Rights in schools of all levels throughout the United States. According to the Center, it partners with other programs in all 50 states to interacts with thousands of teachers and tens of thousands of students each year. The Center claims to have reached more than 30 million students and teachers since 1965. ⁷

The Center for Civic Education has four main programs: We the People, Project Citizen, Civitas International Program, and Civil Discourse: An American Legacy. ⁸

We the People, also known as We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution, is a curriculum developed by the Center for Civic Education to increase students’ understanding of democratic processes to manage conflicts both publicly and privately. The curriculum covers the historical development of the Constitution from its creation to the present day. The program culminates with a simulated congressional hearing where students produce mock testimonies before a panel of judges acting as members of Congress. ^{9 10}

Project Citizen is a curriculum designed around students showcasing research and policy proposals to their classroom or community. The program helps teachers design simulated hearings to review and assess students’ policy proposals and how students defend their positions. Students with the top proposals are invited to attend a Project Citizen National Showcase. ¹¹

Civitas International Programs brings the Center for Civic Education’s curricula to students outside of the United States in 84 countries through a network of government agencies, educators, civil society organization, and educational institutions. ¹²

Civil Discourse: An American Legacy is a toolkit to promote civil discourse among adults. The toolkit includes lessons plans, a podcast series, long form videos with discussion questions, excerpts from primary source documents, worksheets, and assessment options. The Civil Discourse toolkit is supported by funding from Annenberg Public Policy Center and conducted in partnership with Anne Arundel Community College in Maryland. ¹³

People

On April 24, 2024, the Center for Civic Education announced Donna Phillips was appointed president of the organization by the board of directors. Phillips assumed the position on May 1, 2024. ¹⁴ Phillips previously worked as the vice president and chief program officer of the center for civic education. Prior to joining the Center, she was the director of academic innovations and social studies curriculum manager for D.C. Public Schools. ¹⁵

The former president of the Center is Christopher Riano. ¹⁶ Riano previously worked as the commissioner of the New York State Gaming Commission and a lecturer in constitutional law and government at Columbia University. ¹⁷

Funding and Expenses

According to tax filings, in 2021 the Center for Civic Education received $1,695,031 in government grants and $822,329 from other contributions, gifts, and grants. ¹⁸

According to tax filings, in 2021 the Center for Civic education spent $1,422,341 of a research grant from the U.S. Department of Education to offer professional development to middle and high school teachers on the Project Citizen Curriculum. The Center also $110,064 to disseminate curricular materials to public and private elementary, secondary, and post-secondary schools; $371,521 administering We the People, a civics education program designed to advances democratic values and tolerance, and Project Citizen. ¹⁹

1. “We the People in Your State.” Center for Civic Education. Accessed April 26, 2024. https://civiced.org/we-the-people/state-programs.
2. “We the People.” Center for Civic Education. Accessed April 26, 2024. https://civiced.org/we-the-people/faq.
3. “Hearings.” Center for Civic Education. Accessed April 26, 2024. https://civiced.org/we-the-people/hearings.
4. “Project Citizen.” Center for Civic Education. Accessed April 26, 2024. https://civiced.org/project-citizen.
5. “Civitas International Programs.” Center for Civic Education. Accessed April 26, 2024. https://civiced.org/civitas/program.
6. “Civil Discourse: An American Legacy Toolkit. Center for civic Education. Accessed April 26, 2024. https://civiced.org/civil-discourse.
7. “We the People in Your State.” Center for Civic Education. Accessed April 26, 2024. https://civiced.org/we-the-people/state-programs.
8. “Donna Phillips.” Center for Civic Education. Accessed April 26, 2024. https://www.civiced.org/staff/phillips.
9. “We the People.” Center for Civic Education. Accessed April 26, 2024. https://civiced.org/we-the-people/faq.
10. “Hearings.” Center for Civic Education. Accessed April 26, 2024. https://civiced.org/we-the-people/hearings.
11. “Project Citizen.” Center for Civic Education. Accessed April 26, 2024. https://civiced.org/project-citizen.
12. “Civitas International Programs.” Center for Civic Education. Accessed April 26, 2024. https://civiced.org/civitas/program.
13. “Civil Discourse: An American Legacy Toolkit. Center for civic Education. Accessed April 26, 2024. https://civiced.org/civil-discourse.
14. “Dr. Donna Phillips Appointed as President of the Center for Civic Education.” Center for Civic Education. April 24, 2024. Accessed April 26, 2024. https://civiced.org/release-donna-phillips-president.
15. “Donna Phillips.” Center for Civic Education.” Accessed April 26, 2024. https://www.civiced.org/staff/phillips.
16. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Center for Civic Education. 2021.
17. “Christopher Riano.” LinkedIn. Accessed April; 26, 2024. https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopherriano/.
18. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Center for Civic Education. 2021.
19. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Center for Civic Education. 2021.