Center for Democracy Innovation

A program of the National Civic League

The mission of the League’s Center for Democracy Innovation is to advance proven innovations and test new tools that make democracy more participatory, deliberative, equitable, and productive. We work to sustain democracy by helping people redesign the “civic infrastructure” of their communities, scale democracy through strategies for inclusive engagement, and measure the quality of democracy, particularly in ways that lift up the views and ratings of residents.

The core work of CDI leverages community-engaged research alongside in-person and digital forms of public decision-making. We work with residents, civic leaders, and community groups to strengthen their local democracy

Programs

Better Public Meetings
Most city council and school board meetings have used the same ‘three minutes at the microphone’ format for decades. The “Democracy Innovations for Better Public Meetings” project, supported by the AAA-ICDR and Luce Foundations, is helping local governments, school systems, neighborhood councils, and other institutions change their meetings so that citizens, staff, and officials all feel valued and heard. In seven communities across the country, CDI has conducted civic infrastructure scans, piloted first-of-their-kind participatory practices in city council meetings, and used our Engagement Scorecard to measure improvements.

Healthy Democracy Ecosystem Map
The Healthy Democracy Ecosystem Map is the first comprehensive look at the universe of organizations strengthening democracy in America. With 12,000+ entries across 14 categories of work, the Map can help local leaders build networks, identify civic strengths and weaknesses, and reach out to residents through the organizations they trust.

City Charter Revision Processes
The charter is the constitution of your city. When you engage citizens, staff, and officials in the process of revising your charter, you can reframe the relationship between government and residents. CDI was the first to introduce civic lotteries to assemble a diverse sample of the population for selecting charter commissioners, facilitate deliberative charter commission discussions, and offer potential charter provisions.

Community Foundations for Civic Health (CFCH)
CFCH is an initiative of CFLeads, the Rhode Island Foundation, and the National Civic League providing community foundations with the tools, expertise, and connections to confidently strengthen civic health in their local communities.

The initiative will help community foundations leverage community leadership to coordinate local efforts, build their own plans for civic health improvement, access resources to carry out this important work, and learn from one another.

Civic Health Action Plans
Civic health is the foundation of thriving communities, shaping how residents connect, trust institutions, and engage with their surroundings. Strong civic health leads to better physical health, higher employment, and greater resilience, while weak or unequal civic health deepens division and inequality. By strengthening civic infrastructure, communities can foster collaboration, overcome differences, and build a more inclusive and connected society.

CDI creates civic action guides tailored to the unique needs of each state. These guides are practical, user-friendly resources packed with actionable strategies to build and sustain strong civic infrastructure.

Action guides produced by CDI for the states of Rhode Island and Colorado illustrate the possible elements for comprehensive, cross-sector civic health plans.

Civic Health Measurement
It is difficult to improve something if you’re not measuring it – and giving people the opportunity measure something carries the idea that it can be improved. CDI offers an Engagement Scorecard and a range of other tools to understand whether citizens are informed, connected, and empowered.

Contact the Center to talk about your local challenges and how these offerings might help engage your community.

Additional Areas of Practice

Voter Activation
Working with our partners at ActiVote, and with fellow League programs Local Policy Lab, Civic Genius, and Spread the Vote, CDI is helping put voters at the center of our democracy.

Citizen Engagement
CDI uses a range of strategies, combining in-person, digital, and hybrid processes, to engage large, diverse numbers of people on issues of common concern.

Healthy Democracy in Communities
CDI works with local leaders and organizations to research barriers and opportunities to civic participation and facilitates large public conversations to prioritize actions for a healthier local democracy.

Staff and Community Training
CDI regularly develops curricula to train staff and the public on democratic innovations, ranging from community engagement strategies across the country to the finer details of cutting-edge democratic processes and how to leverage digital tools.

Research
CDI produces critical research on democratic practices ranging from institutionalizing public deliberation within charters to creating new resident-driven forms of governance, enhancing neighborhood councils, and democratizing economic governance.

Contact the Center for Democracy Innovation to talk about your local challenges and how these offerings might help engage your community.

The work of CDI complements the historic and current mission of the National Civic League. Strengthening civic infrastructure and supporting systemic change are central to both; while the League upholds valuable institutions like the All-America City Award, National Civic Review, and the Model City Charter, CDI pushes new practices and reforms through a combination of new technologies, applied civic research, and strategic convenings.

The fundamental question before us is not just “How can we save democracy?” but “What kind of democracy do we want?”