iCivics
For General Operating Support
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Amount$250,000
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Program
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Date Awarded7/11/2016
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Term12 Months
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Type of SupportGeneral Support/Organization
Overview
In 2014, only 23% of students tested "proficient" on the Nation’s Report Card 8th grade civics exam, and only 1 in 5 youth voted. To help address this, in 2009 Justice Sandra Day O'Connor founded iCivics, a digital educational gaming nonprofit, to help "prepare young people for citizenship." With the help of education experts, the group has released 19 free online games, along with accompanying lesson plans. In six years, iCivics has become "the largest civic education provider in the nation, reaching over 3 million students last year. Over 50% of middle school social studies teachers and almost a quarter of high school government and history teachers, 110,000 educators in all," use iCivics’ resources across all 50 states. This grant for general operating support would help iCivics to continue its strong work, while also developing a new and adapted curriculum to expand its reach to high school teachers.
About the Grantee
Grantee Website
https://www.icivics.org/
Address
1035 Cambridge Street
Suite 21B
Cambridge, MA 02141
Suite 21B
Cambridge, MA 02141
Grants to this Grantee
for engaging young people in the improvement of civics education
Founded by former Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, iCivics’ goal is to transform civic education in the U.S. Through virtual learning opportunities for children and youth, the development and sharing of high-quality content and lesson plans for teachers, and initiatives to organize the civic education community, iCivics has been working to foster civic learning in the nation’s schools. It is this civic empowerment gap that iCivics will address through this grant. As one of the largest civic education organizations in the country, iCivics will, through a variety of activities, focus on putting youth and equity at the center of a new movement to prioritize civics in schools. (Substrategies: Content, Tools, and Services; and Student and Community Voice)
for support of the planning of the Democracy at the Crossroads: Moving Forward project
iCivics is at the forefront of the growing momentum in the United States for comprehensive, innovative, and equitable civics learning. To move the field forward, iCivics will continue to work on state policy while initiating efforts at the school district level to bring policy ideas to life in schools and classrooms. This grant supports iCivics’ efforts to integrate deeper learning in civics education.
