Civic participation – the active engagement of people in the decision-making processes that shape their communities and their lives – is critical to a healthy society. In fact, we only realize the full promise of democracy when people participate; when all segments of a community have fair and equal access to institutions of government and meaningful opportunities to voice their opinions about important issues driving the public policy agenda.
About Us
The Funders’ Committee for Civic Participation (FCCP) is an innovative and thought-provoking network that shares an underlying conviction that all people deserve a voice in the democratic process. We serve leaders in the philanthropic community working to further this vision with heightened attention to sociopolitical inequity and the systemic disenfranchisement of underrepresented communities. FCCP values transparency, encourages a diversity of opinion, bases our work on sound research, and encourages experimentation to improve impact.
What began as the “Ad Hoc Funders’ Committee for Voter Registration and Education” soon crystallized into the Funders’ Committee for Civic Participation when the organization was officially founded in 1983. From advancing voter registration efforts in the 1980s, to supporting campaign finance reform in the 1990s, to investing in new voting technologies and election administration reform in the 2000s, FCCP has served as a catalyst for philanthropy’s growing civic engagement community. Today, we work to build an effective network of grantmakers who are passionate about realizing our collective vision of a vibrant and inclusive democracy for all.
Through member-driven and field-informed programming, FCCP provides funders with a community in which to build connections, exchange ideas, showcase innovations, and collaborate to make smart funding decisions. Our members support non-partisan efforts to engage voters, eliminate structural barriers to voting, advance reforms to improve government and electoral systems, and increase public involvement in civic life. Our signature programs for grantmakers include an annual convening, regular virtual discussions, working groups that focus on a range of key issue topics, and member-only meetings.
Theory of Impact
In February 2017, FCCP staff and Advisory Board came together to ask a critical question: how can FCCP be what the field needs at this moment? This prompt, which continued a common thread from previous strategic planning retreats, highlighted the need to both continue to provide high-quality educational content and outreach as well as move towards a more impact-oriented network strategy. After years of working from an implied theory, the organization went through an extensive process with the membership to develop an explicit and transparent theory of impact.
Now, as we develop our programming and structure our membership activity, we are guided by our theory and the vision: FCCP seeks a society where impacted communities have the POWER to make a difference on issues that affect their lives, a CULTURE OF PARTICIPATION that inspires their engagement, and an OPEN + EQUITABLE DEMOCRACY which offers meaningful opportunities to exercise their voice.
Learn more about our Theory of Impact here.
Member Organizations
FCCP is a Council on Foundations-recognized philanthropic affinity group with nearly 90 institutional members and dozens of additional philanthropic colleagues that regularly participate in its programming. We welcome all grantmaking institutions that are interested in democratic change issues or civic engagement strategies and who have demonstrated through their grantmaking that their values align with our mission.
Staff
Paul S. Ryan
Deputy Executive Director
Paul Seamus Ryan joined the Funders’ Committee for Civic Participation as Deputy Executive Director in April 2022. Read More…
Jocelyn Bissonnette
Special Projects Director
Jocelyn Bissonnette (she/her) is the Special Projects Director at FCCP, where she leads the organization’s Funders Census Initiative (FCI) and redistricting program. Read More…
Brittany Bowens
Events & Meetings Planner
Brittany Bowens (she/her) is FCCP’s Events & Meetings Planner. With over 8+ years in the hospitality and event industry & her diverse background in event logistics, she is excited to put her expertise to use with the Funders’ Committee. Read More…
Ariagna Cantoran
Special Assistant to the Executive Director
Ariagna Cantoran joined FCCP in October 2022 as a Special Assistant to the Executive Director. Read More…
Jenna Patel
Program Coordinator
Jenna Patel joined FCCP in April 2022 as a Program Coordinator and is extremely excited to work for an organization that centers their work around building an equitable democracy and achieving intersectional racial justice. Read More…
Elizabeth Shapiro
Membership and Development Director
Elizabeth Shapiro (she/her) is FCCP’s Membership and Development Director. She leads FCCP’s donor cultivation activities and develop member-engagement programs to deepen support for FCCP’s work and civic engagement grantmaking. Read More…
Aisha K. Staggers
Digital Communications Coordinator
Aisha K. Staggers joined FCCP in February 2023 as the Digital Communications Coordinator. Read More…FCCP Advisory Board
Jesse Beason, Co-Chair
Northwest Health Foundation
Jesse leads the Northwest Health Foundation in pursuit of its vision of health for everyone in Oregon and Southwest Washington. Read More…
Esperanza K. Tervalon, Co-Chair
Dancing Hearts Consulting, LLC
Esperanza K. Tervalon is a queer, Afro-Puerto Rican woman, and a native daughter of Oakland. Read More…
Sol Marie Alfonso-Jones
Long Island Community Foundation
Sol Marie has been with the Long Island Community Foundation (LICF) since Spring of 2009. Read More…
Evan Bacalao
Evan Bacalao previously served as a program officer with the Open Society Foundations, where he managed a range of civic participation and advocacy initiatives focused on the resilience and representativeness of U.S. Read More…
Denise Cardinal
WIN Minnesota
Denise Cardinal is the Executive Director of WIN Minnesota, a state-based donor collaborative that has been operating in the North Star for over a decade. Read More…
Julie Fernandes
Rockefeller Family Fund
Prior to joining the Rockefeller Family Fund, Julie served as Advocacy Director for Voting Rights and Democracy at the Open Society Foundations, as Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice in the Obama administration, and as Special Assistant for Domestic Policy to President Bill Clinton. Read More…
Anna Fink
Amalgamated Foundation
Anna joined Amalgamated Bank in 2016 as the First Vice President of Philanthropy after leading the Wyss Foundation’s Women’s Equality Program in the U.S. Read More…
Ethan Frey
Ethan Frey began his journey into philanthropy at a young age. Read More…
Keesha Gaskins-Nathan
Rockefeller Brothers Fund
Keesha Gaskins-Nathan is the director for the Democratic Practice–United States program and the Racial Justice Initiative at the Rockefeller Brothers Fund. Read More…
Keely Monroe
Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation
Keely Monroe (she/her) serves as Program Officer on the U.S. Programs Team at the Susan T. Read More…
Estevan Muñoz-Howard
Estevan Muñoz-Howard is a philanthropic and organizational consultant with over 15 years experience leading programs and coalitions in the nonprofit sector. Read More…
Domenico Romero
Unitarian Universalist Veatch Program at Shelter Rock
Domenico Romero is currently a senior program officer at the Unitarian Universalist Veatch Program at Shelter Rock. Read More…
Alejandra Ruiz
Youth Engagement Fund
A native of Colombia, Alejandra Ruiz was raised in Queens, NYC and became an immigrant rights advocate 18 years ago when she first shared her story as an undocumented youth. Read More…