Another Year: For Better or for Worse?

January 2, 2026

“This is a time of rapid change in communities around the world. Never in our history have there been more massive demographic changes, differences in socioeconomic well-being, and such alarming...

Translation Technology Pilot: Early Lessons and Ethical Guidance from Rochester, MN 

January 2, 2026

 During a public forum in Rochester, Minnesota, on December 4, 2025, the Center for Democracy Innovation piloted a new accessibility tool to expand participation in civic conversations: live AI translation...

Community Colleges Partner with Civic Genius

January 2, 2026

Elite universities may dominate our picture of higher education, but behind them is a vast network of workhorse institutions across the country: community colleges. Community colleges serve nearly half of...

Jon Abercrombie, Civic Innovator (1947-2025)

January 2, 2026

Jon Abercrombie, who passed away last month, was an influential civic innovator who helped make Decatur, Georgia, a sterling example of participatory and deliberative democracy. After an already-accomplished career in...

Innovative Process Used to Revise Charter in Decatur

January 2, 2026

Some city leaders would be surprised to see hundreds of residents volunteer to spend dozens of hours poring over their city’s charter. “I was shocked by how willing these members...

What’s Next, Alabama and West Virginia?: Photo and Video Assets

December 19, 2025

The images and videos in the galleries below capture What’s Next, West Virginia? and What’s Next, Alabama? in action, showing people from different walks of life—across class, race, faith, education,...

Raleigh’s Civic Assembly 

December 1, 2025

What will Raleigh, NC look like in 20 years? A diverse cross-section of residents—selected through a lottery to reflect the city’s demographics—will help answer that question as part of Raleigh’s...

‘Tis the Season for Interdependence!

November 26, 2025

“The generation we’re in needs a Declaration of Interdependence, in which we’re all working together to build connections and achieve the Great American Dream.” This statement, from Maury Giles, the...

New Pro-Democracy Narrative Playbook Initiative

November 26, 2025

A major new national effort to strengthen democracy through shared, evidence-based narrative strategies will launch on December 8. Led by Metropolitan Group in partnership with Philanthropy for Active Civic Engagement...

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