Overview
Generation Citizen is a nonprofit that strengthens civics education in U.S. public and charter middle and high schools. It runs an Action Civics program, a semester-long, project-based curriculum where students identify local problems, research root causes, and design and carry out action plans that involve real engagement with local government and community leaders. The program is supported by curriculum materials, teacher professional development, and trained college volunteers called Democracy Coaches who mentor students. Revenue comes from grants, donations, and school partnership fees scaled by ability to pay, with additional funding through foundations and advocacy work to secure public support for civics education. The organization targets students in low-income communities to close the civic engagement gap and aims to equip youth with civic knowledge, skills, and confidence to effect change in their communities.
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Simplify's take
What believers are saying
- RISE Vote 2026 targets 200 voter-registration drives across 15 states before November 2026.
- GC added News Literacy Project support, strengthening its digital media literacy curriculum.
- Over 250,000 students have completed GC programming, proving repeatable district demand.
What critics are saying
- GC depends on philanthropy; one grant cycle can destabilize staffing and school commitments.
- Action civics faces partisan attacks; critics frame GC as progressive activism, not civics.
- If states restrict student political activity, RISE Vote and school partnerships collapse quickly.
What makes Generation Citizen unique
- Generation Citizen sells action civics, pairing classroom learning with real community projects.
- March 12, 2026 More Perfect funded digital media literacy and RISE Vote 2026.
- Mar. 6, 2025 Carnegie granted $500,000 for 8,000-student expansion across four states.
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