Release: Center for Civic Education Receives $1 Million Grant from the Andrew Carnegie Foundation to Expand Access to Constitutional Education Nationwide

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 10, 2026

Media Contacts:
Patrice N. Snow — This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Senior Director of Marketing and Communications
Center for Civic Education

Angely Montilla - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Program Communications Specialist
Andrew Carnegie Foundation

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Center for Civic Education today announced it has received a $1 million grant from the Andrew Carnegie Foundation, formerly Carnegie Corporation of New York to strengthen and expand We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution, one of the nation’s leading constitutional education programs.

The two-year investment will help the Center strengthen its existing We the People national network by expanding in states where the program already serves students and teachers, reaching states where We the People does not currently have programming, training a new generation of teachers and increasing opportunities at the We the People National Finals for schools reaching underserved populations.

This grant comes as the Center for Civic Education prepares to celebrate the 40th anniversary of its flagship We the People competition in 2027. For four decades, the program has helped students develop a deep understanding of the U.S. Constitution and the institutions of American democracy through inquiry-based instruction, civil discourse and simulated congressional hearings. Having reached more than 40 million students nationwide and currently serving over 30,000 students annually, We the People remains one of the nation’s most enduring and impactful civic education programs. Support from Carnegie will help the Center expand its reach to more educators and students, ensuring future generations are prepared for the responsibilities of citizenship and self-government.

“As our nation prepares to celebrate its 250th birthday next month, this investment reflects a shared commitment to preparing our young citizens,” said Dr. Donna Phillips, president and CEO of the Center for Civic Education. “The Andrew Carnegie Foundation's support means that more students from across the country have opportunities for rich, effective civic learning in the principles and practice of democracy.”

Over the next two years, the Center will accomplish the following:

• Strengthen We the People programs in seven states, providing partnership support for professional learning, mentorship for teachers and state-level competition experiences for students.
• Fund two intensive We the People professional learning institutes, preparing teachers from across the nation to implement the program in their classrooms for years to come.
• Extend participation in the We the People National Finals, reducing barriers that can prevent schools from attending the nation’s premier civic education competition.
• Expand opportunities through team scholarships, increasing the number of under-resourced classes able to participate in the National Finals.

The initiative is expected to strengthen and expand We the People programming in seven states over two years and engage approximately 1,440 additional students in the full constitutional curriculum and the simulated congressional hearing experience, with that number increasing year over year.

The grant will also help strengthen the We the People National Finals, the largest civic education event in the nation. Held annually in the Washington, D.C., area, the National Finals bring together students from across the country to demonstrate their understanding of constitutional principles through simulated congressional hearings before panels of volunteer judges that include attorneys, educators, law professors and public officials.

“Students learn democracy by practicing it,” said Aruna Patel, Vice President and Chief Program Officer at the Center for Civic Education. “By expanding opportunities for high-quality civic learning, we are helping prepare more young people for informed and engaged participation in constitutional democracy.”

"Andrew Carnegie believed that an informed, engaged citizenry was the foundation of a functioning democracy — and that conviction still guides our work today. We the People gives students the chance to practice democracy, building the constitutional knowledge and habits of civil discourse that meaningful participation requires. We're delighted to support the Center in extending that opportunity to more classrooms across the country," said Ambika Kapur, a Program Director for Education at the Andrew Carnegie Foundation.

Independent research conducted by Georgetown University’s Civic Education Research Lab has found that students who participate in We the People demonstrate 31% civic knowledge gains for high school students compared to control groups, stronger collaboration and civic dialogue skills than control groups, and students exceeding national benchmarks in reading, writing, and argumentation. The strongest gains are often observed among students who have historically had less opportunities for high-quality civic learning opportunities including English learners, students with disabilities, and students of color.

The Center for Civic Education is a national, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to cultivating an informed and thoughtful citizenry committed to democratic principles and actively engaged in the practice of democracy. We do this primarily through our flagship programs, We the People and Project Citizen, but we also provide high-quality, inquiry-driven curricular programs that bring civic learning to life. The Center additionally equips educators with professional learning that builds confidence and capacity to teach civics with depth and relevance, unlocks students’ civic agency by creating opportunities to demonstrate their knowledge and skills, and share their voices through simulated hearings and other public forums. These initiatives build a national community committed to strengthening civic understanding and participation for all and root everything in decades of research and evidence.

The Andrew Carnegie Foundation works to reduce political polarization through grants that support ladders of opportunity and a more peaceful world. Its funding provides individuals with the knowledge and tools needed to improve their lives, participate fully in society, and advance peace. Carnegie.org