The Foundation for Civic Leadership is an incubator for left-leaning voter engagement programs. Its founder and president is Ian Simmons, a longtime Democratic donor and a co-founder of Blue Haven Initiative, an investment firm which uses returns to fund left-leaning social policy. ¹²

Programming

The Foundation for Civic Leadership works to increase voter engagement, especially among young voters. ³

The SoCon Votes initiative was launched in 2016 to create voter excitement and registration through sports competition at Big 10 schools. Mercer University was the test case location for the initiative. ⁴

The ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge was launched in 2016; it challenges colleges to accomplish voter engagement, participation, and education. ⁵

The Students Learn Students Vote Coalition was launched in 2015 to incorporate the issue of student voting as part of a broader education reform agenda. ⁶ The official partner is Young Invincibles, a youth-focused advocacy group which supports Obamacare, especially the law’s controversial Medicaid expansion. ⁷

The National Study of Learning, Voting, and Engagement was launched in 2011 to help colleges know student voter registration and participation rates. Its over 850 members provide data on over 7.4 million students, which has allowed the program to assess data on college students’ political actions and education. Tufts University is the official partner for the program. ⁸ Tufts also received funding from the Foundation for an interactive map which shows voter rates and voter actions at 1,000 colleges and universities. ⁹

The Summer Democracy Fellowship was launched in 2014. It funds paid internships at a number of left-leaning political and voter advocacy groups such as Common Cause and Democracy Matters. ¹⁰

The Foundation also funds a Harvard-based hub for left-wing political advocacy and activism groups. ¹¹

Leadership

Ian Simmons is the founder of the Foundation for Civic Leadership and is the president of the organization as of 2020. He is an investor and left-wing activist who serves on a variety of mostly political-based boards. ²

Aaron Bartley is treasurer of the Foundation and co-founder of environmental and affordable housing-focused group People United for Sustainable Housing. He was then appointed to lead a $1 billion New York State-funded effort to revitalize the economy in and around Buffalo, New York. ²

Aaron Tanaka is a clerk for the Foundation for Civic Leadership as of 2020. A liberal activist based in Boston, Massachusetts, Tanaka’s background includes financial investing and community organizing. He was listed as a director of the Center for Economic Democracy. ²

Funding

The Foundation for Civic Leadership raised $1.279 million in 2017, spent over $1.6 million, and had negative value for its assets which totaled $1.7 million. ¹²

The Foundation’s funding has fluctuated throughout its history. Its revenue in 2016 totaled over $2.5 million, and 2014 revenues were over $2.3 million. However, its revenue totals were lower than $100,000 in most years prior to 2014, and in 2015 it grossed under $1 million. The Foundation has had negative assets in every year except for 2009. ¹³

Almost all of its 2017 expenses — $1.548 million – came from its programs and grants related to its five major initiatives. The same was true in 2016, when its programs and grants totaled $2.175 million. ¹⁴

According to its 2020 990 form, the organization reported $3,718,020 in revenue, $3,640,172 in expenses, and $2,419,879 in total assets. ¹⁵

1. Blue Haven Initiative, Ian Simmons, Accessed September 3, 2019. http://www.bluehaveninitiative.com/team/executives/ian-simmons/
2. Foundation for Civic Leadership, Team, Accessed September 3, 2019. http://fcleadership.org/team
3. Foundation for Civic Leadership, Welcome, Accessed September 3, 2019. http://fcleadership.org/welcome
4. Foundation for Civic Leadership, SoCon Votes, Accessed September 3, 2019. http://fcleadership.org/case1
5. Foundation for Civic Leadership, ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge, Accessed September 3, 2019. http://fcleadership.org/case1-1
6. Foundation for Civic Leadership, Students Learn Students Vote Coalition, Accessed September 3, 2019. http://fcleadership.org/case1-1-1
7. Young Invincibles, Civic Learning Certification Program, Accessed September 3, 2019. https://younginvincibles.org/civic-learning-certification-program/
8. Foundation for Civic Leadership, National Study of Learning, Voting, and Engagement, Accessed September 3, 2019. http://fcleadership.org/nslve
9. Tufts University, Institute for Democracy & Higher Education, Interactive Map, Accessed September 3, 2019. https://idhe.tufts.edu/resource/interactive-map-placing-political-learning-context
10. Foundation for Civic Leadership, The Summer Democracy Fellowship, Accessed September 3, 2019. http://fcleadership.org/the-summer-democracy-fellowship
11. Natalie Handy, “Cambridge’s Democracy Center transforms into social justice hub,” February 26, 2016. Accessed September 3, 2019. https://cambridge.wickedlocal.com/article/20160226/NEWS/160228410
12. ProPublica, Foundation for Civic Leadership 2017 990, Accessed September 3, 2019. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/320020584/201831359349304093/IRS990
13. ProPublica, Foundation for Civic Leadership main page, Accessed September 3, 2019. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/320020584
14. ProPublica, Foundation for Civic Leadership 2016 990, Accessed September 3, 2019. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/320020584/201741349349301259/IRS990
15. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Foundation for Civic Leadership. 2019. Part I. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/320020584/202101349349307080/full