Advocacy and Lobbying for Nonprofits

Alliance for Justice (AFJ) is a national association of environmental, civil rights, mental health, women's, children’s, and consumer advocacy organizations. AFJ has worked to advance the cause of justice for all Americans, strengthen the public interest community's ability to influence public policy, and foster the next generation of advocates.

Center for Lobbying in the Public Interest (CLPI) promotes, supports and protects 501(c)(3) nonprofit advocacy and lobbying in order to strengthen participation in our democratic society and advance charitable missions.

Civic Policy Resource Centers

The Center for Civil Society Studies is engaged in a wide variety of research and capacity-building activities designed to improve understanding of the role that philanthropy and nonprofit organizations play in modern society and to strengthen the capacity of these organizations to carry out their missions.

Civic Practices Network (CPN) is a collaborative and nonpartisan project bringing together a diverse array of organizations and perspectives within the civic renewal movement.

The John Glenn Institute for Public Service works to improve democracy by cultivating the three ingredients essential to self government: citizens, leaders, and ideas. Through service-learning, the Institute gives students the skills, ideas, and inspiration to serve as the next generation of citizens and leaders.

THE SAGUARO SEMINAR: CIVIC ENGAGEMENT IN AMERICA is an ongoing initiative focusing on expanding what we know about our levels of trust and community engagement and on developing strategies and efforts to increase this engagement.

Tisch College of Citizenship and Public Service, a national leader in preparing students to become engaged public citizens and community leaders who will help build a more equitable world, was established to support the core Tufts mission of promoting civic engagement.

Tisch College Civic Engagement Research Group

The Civic Engagement Research Group provides opportunities for the Tufts community, local community organization partners, and interested Boston area researchers to share ideas, present work in progress, develop intellectual community, conduct joint projects, and increase the scholarly research on civic engagement.

The Center for Democracy and Citizenship develops citizenship initiatives around the concept of public work.

The Barbara and Edward Netter Center for Community Partnerships is UPenn’s primary vehicle for bringing to bear the broad range of human knowledge needed to solve the complex problems of the American city, so that Philadelphia, the University, and society benefit.

General Civic Engagement

The premise of Care2 is simple: One person can make a difference. Care2 puts the tools for change in your hands by harnessing the power of market forces to support social and environmental causes.

Civic Enterprises is a public policy firm that helps corporations, nonprofits, foundations, universities and governments develop and spearhead innovative public policies to strengthen our communities and country.

Civic Ventures is reframing the debate about aging in America and redefining the second half of life as a source of social and individual renewal, bringing together older adults with a passion for service and helps stimulate opportunities for using their talents to advance the greater good.

Close Up has been the nation’s leading civic education provider since 1971. Its mission is to educate, inspire, and empower individuals to become active citizens in our democracy through nonpartisan approach

The Coalition for Civic Engagement and Leadership (CCEL) is comprised of university programs that have joined in common purpose to promote the integration of civic engagement and leadership into the educational experience of the university’s students.

The Harwood Institute for Public Innovation is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that works within a long tradition of small, catalytic, and public-spirited organizations in American history that have sought to improve public life and politics.

The Kettering Foundation is a nonpartisan, nonpolitical research organization that focuses on "What does it take to make democracy work as it should?".

The McCormick Tribune Freedom Museum , the nation’s first museum dedicated to freedom and the First Amendment, inspires future generations to value and protect their First Amendment Rights: religion, speech, press, assembly and petition and teaches visitors to gain a greater understanding of the ongoing struggle for freedom in the United States and around the world.

National Civic League

The National Civic League (NCL), America's original advocate for community democracy, is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, membership organization dedicated to strengthening citizen democracy by transforming democratic institutions. NCL brings together all sectors of our society - public, private, and nonprofit - to address our common needs and build a thriving democracy.

The National Conference on Citizenship (NCoC) is a federally chartered corporation whose mission is to encourage a more active, engaged citizenry.

November 5th Coalition

The Aspen Institute, founded in 1950, is an international nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering enlightened leadership and open-minded dialogue. Through seminars, policy programs, conferences and leadership development initiatives, the Institute and its international partners seek to promote nonpartisan inquiry and an appreciation for timeless values.

The Case Foundation's mission is to achieve sustainable solutions to complex social problems by investing in collaboration, leadership, and entrepreneurship.

Giving

GuideStar's mission is to revolutionize philanthropy and nonprofit practice by providing information that advances transparency, enables users to make better decisions, and encourages charitable giving.

Network for Good, a technology-based Internet-nonprofit where consumers can search for donation and volunteer opportunities, is an organization that leverages social entrepreneurship and business acumen to meet the ever-growing philanthropic needs of individuals and nonprofit organizations.

International

The Choices for the 21st Century Education Program seeks to empower young people with the skills, knowledge, and participatory habits to be engaged citizens who are capable of addressing international issues through thoughtful public discourse and informed decision making.

NetAid 's innovative programs educate young people about global poverty and international development, and provide opportunities for them to take concrete actions that make a difference in the lives of the world's poor.

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Nonprofit Sector

Independent Sector is the leadership forum for charities, foundations, and corporate giving programs committed to advancing the common good in America and around the world.

The National Council of Nonprofit Associations (NCNA) advances the vital role and capacity of the nonprofit sector in civil society and supports and gives voice to state and regional associations of nonprofit organizations. The NCNA logo and tagline articulate our "national voice, state focus, and local impact."

The Building Movement Project supports nonprofit organizations to work towards social change by integrating movement building strategies into their work.. Its motto is inspiring activism in the nonprofit community.

The Hauser Center for Nonprofit Organizations pursues dispassionate research and education, promoting critical thinking about the importance, roles and performance of nonprofit organizations.

The NonprofitCenters Network is a community of Multi-tenant Nonprofit Centers and their philanthropic, government, academic and real estate partners. Through conferences, peer networking, mentoring and the internet, The Network provides education and resources for the creation and operation of quality nonprofit office and program space.

Philanthropy and Civic Engagement

Bradley Center for Philanthropy and Civic Renewal aims to explore the usually unexamined intellectual assumptions underlying the grantmaking practices of America’s foundations and provide practical advice and guidance to grantmakers who seek to support smaller, grassroots institutions in the name of civic renewal.

The Funders Committee for Civic Participation is a recognized affinity group of the Council on Foundations. It holds discussions and convenings for foundations and donors on supporting elections, advocacy and other issues related to voter and civic engagement.

Grassroots Grantmakers, formerly the Neighborhood Small Grants Network, is a membership organization formed by funders for funders. Its purpose is to connect and support funders who are engaged in grassroots grantmaking.

Philanthropy for Active Civic Engagement (PACE), formerly known as the Grantmakers Forum on Community and National Service, is a community of grantmakers and donors committed to strengthening democracy by using the power, influence and resources of philanthropy to open pathways to participation.

Public Dialogue and Deliberative Democracy

America Speaks designs and facilitates large-scale town meetings on public policy issues. Their webiste features history, design, projects and articles.

The Center for Deliberative Democracy (CDD) is devoted to research about democracy and public opinion obtained through Deliberative Polling.

Common Sense California seeks to strengthen civic engagement in order to solve public problems and strengthen citizen participation in and ownership of state and local government.

The Deliberative Democracy Consortium (DDC) is a network of researchers and practitioners working together to strengthen the field of deliberative democracy. The Consortium seeks to support research activities and to advance practice at all levels of government, in North America and around the world.

Everyday Democracy (formerly The Study Circles Resource Center) is a national organization that helps local communities find ways for all kinds of people to think, talk and work together to solve problems. We work with neighborhoods, cities and towns, regions, and states, helping them pay particular attention to how race and ethnic differences affect the problems they address.

The National Coalition for Dialogue and Deliberation (NCDD) is a loose-knit community of practitioners, researchers, activists, artists, students, and others who are committed to giving people a voice and making sure that voice counts. NCDD provides the infrastructure needed in this community so we can work together to increase both our individual and our collective impact.

National Issues Forums (NIF) is a network of civic, educational, and other organizations, and individuals, whose common interest is to promote public deliberation in America.

Public Agenda is a nonpartisan and nonprofit opinion research and civic engagement organization helping Americans explore and understand critical issues.

Public Journalism

The International Media and Democracy Project serves as an online research database, featuring articles and research materials on the role of the media in creating engaged citizens and in making democracy function as it should.

The Public Journalism Network is a global professional association of journalists and educators interested in exploring and strengthening the relationship between journalism and democracy.

The Pew Center for Civic Journalism was created by The Pew Charitable Trusts to help stimulate citizen involvement in community issues. The project helps print and broadcast news organizations experiment with ways to reconnect to their communities and engage their citizens in dialogue and problem solving.

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Service Learning

Founded by General Colin Powell, the America’s Promise Alliance is the nation’s largest multi-sector collaborative dedicated to the well-being of children and youth.

Each year, AmeriCorps offers more than 70,000 opportunities for adults of all ages and backgrounds to serve through a network of partnerships with local and national nonprofit groups.

City Year unites young people of all backgrounds for a year of full-time service, giving them the skills and opportunities to change the world.

Constitutional Rights Foundation (CRF) is a non-profit, non-partisan, community-based organization dedicated to educating America's young people about the importance of civic participation in a democratic society.

Corporation for National and Community Service is the governmental agency supporting AmeriCorps, Senior Corps, Learn and Serve America, MLK Day of Service and other initiatives for national community service.

The International Partnership for Service-Learning and Leadership (IPSL) is a not-for-profit educational organization incorporated in New York State serving students, colleges, universities, service agencies and related organizations around the world by fostering programs that link volunteer service to the community with academic study.

The National Service-Learning Partnership , founded in 2001, is a national network of members dedicated to advancing service-learning as a core part of every young person's education.

National Student Partnerships (NSP) is the nation’s only year-round, student-led volunteer service organization that links people in need with the resources and opportunities necessary to become self-sufficient.

The Partnership for Public Service works to revitalize our federal government by inspiring a new generation to serve and by transforming the way government works.

Public Achievement is a youth civic engagement initiative focused on the most basic concepts of citizenship, democracy and public work.

Public Allies is an American non-profit organization dedicated to youth leadership development through its signature program, AmeriCorps. Our mission is to advance new leadership to strengthen communities, nonprofits and civic participation.

YouthBuildUSA is a youth and community development program that simultaneously addresses core issues facing low-income communities: housing, education, employment, crime prevention, and leadership development.

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Technology

E-Democracy.org is a non-profit, non-partisan, volunteer-based project whose mission is to expand participation and build stronger democracies and communities through the power of information and communication technologies and strategies.

Personal Democracy Forum is a hub for the exciting conversation underway between political professionals, technologists, and anyone else invigorated by the remarkable potential of technology to engage citizens in the democratic process.

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Volunteering

Hands On Network, which merged with Point of Light, is a national nonprofit whose core mission is to inspire, equip and mobilize people to take action that changes the world. By connecting ideas to people to projects, we’re enabling a nation to share ideas, practices, and stories, wherever they happen, and shaping a movement to re-imagine the notion of citizenship for the 21st century.

Idealist.org , a project of Action Without Borders, is an interactive site where people and organizations can exchange resources and ideas, locate opportunities and supporters, and take steps toward building a world where all people can lead free and dignified lives.

Volunteer Match is a leader in the nonprofit world dedicated to helping everyone find a great place to volunteer. The organization offers a variety of online services to support a community of nonprofit, volunteer and business leaders committed to civic engagement.

Youth

Campus Compact is a national coalition of more than 1,100 college and university presidents dedicated to promoting community service, civic engagement, and service-learning in higher education. Campus Compact educates college students to become active citizens who are well-equipped to develop creative solutions to society's most pressing issues.

CIRCLE (The Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement) promotes research on the civic and political engagement of Americans between the ages of 15 and 25.

Generation Change, a program of the Center for Community Change, recruits, trains and supports tomorrow's grassroots organizers and leaders to confront the challenges of poverty and justice in the 21st Century.

Generational Alliance (GA) is a national collaborative network bridging organizations across sectors and issues to build a long-term, strategic and integrated youth civic engagement field.

Mobilize.org, formerly Mobilizing America's Youth, is an all-partisan network dedicated to educating, empowering, and energizing young people to increase our civic engagement and political participation. Mobilize.org works to show young people how their lives are impacted by public policy and in turn, how they can impact public policy.

Rock the Vote engages youth in the political process by incorporating the entertainment community and youth culture into its activities.

The Student PIRGs are independent state-based student organizations that work to solve public interest problems related to the environment, consumer protection, and government reform.

Youth Noise is a social networking site for people under the age of 27 who like to find a cause, search for friends, and get involved. Youth Noise’s mission is to inspire and empower young people everywhere to catapult their passion and idealism into movements to sustain the planet.

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