About

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.

Join or Renew

AAPI Civic Engagement Fund Open Society Foundations
Access Strategies Fund Panta Rhea Foundation
Agua Fund Pennsylvania Alliance Foundation
AL Advising Peter E. Haas Jr. Family Fund
Amalgamated Foundation Piece by Piece Strategies
AFSCME Piper Fund, a Proteus Fund initiative
Arabella Advisors Prentice Foundation
Arca Foundation Progress Alliance of Washington
Arkay Foundation Progressive Multiplier Fund
Butler Family Fund Rockefeller Brothers Fund
California Donor Table Fund Rockefeller Family Fund
Carnegie Corporation of New York Rural Democracy Initiative
Chambers Initiative San Francisco Foundation
Chan Zuckerberg Initiative Seattle Foundation
Colorado Health Foundation Silicon Valley Community Foundation
Cypress Fund Skoll Foundation
Dancing Hearts Consulting, LLC Solidago Foundation
Democracy Alliance State Infrastructure Fund
Democracy Fund Stoneman Family Foundations
Denise Whinnen Summer Fund II
East Bay Community Foundation Surdna Foundation
Fetzer Institute Susan Sandler Fund
Ford Foundation Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation
Foundation for Civic Leadership The Annie E. Casey Foundation
Four Freedoms Fund The California Endowment
Gaia Fund The California Wellness Foundation
Gina Gallo The Collins Foundation
Groundswell Fund The Educational Foundation of America
Guy Cammilleri The Fund for New Jersey
Heising-Simons Foundation The George Gund Foundation
Houston Endowment The Grove Foundation
Hull Family Foundation The Hyams Foundation
Inatai Foundation The James Irvine Foundation
Irving Harris Foundation The Joyce Foundation
Kaphan Foundation The JPB Foundation
Katz-Amsterdam Foundation The Kresge Foundation
Kerrie Blevins Consulting The Moriah Fund
Kornfeld Foundation The New York Women’s Foundation
Leland Fikes Foundation The Overbrook Foundation
Libra Foundation The Partnership Funds
Lisa and Douglas Goldman Fund The Sapelo Foundation
Long Island Community Foundation The Scherman Foundation
Marguerite Casey Foundation Thornburg Foundation
Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation Tides Advocacy
McKnight Foundation Trusted Elections Fund
Media Democracy Fund Unbound Philanthropy
Merle Chambers Fund Unitarian Universalist Veatch Program at Shelter Rock
Mertz Gilmore Foundation Ventus Charitable Foundation
Meyer Foundation Vitalyst Health Foundation
Meyer Memorial Trust Voqal
Michigan Civic Education Fund Wallace Global Fund
Michigan Donor Alliance Wellspring Philanthropic Fund
More Equitable Democracy WhyNot Initiative
Movement Voter Project William Penn Foundation
National Education Association WIN Minnesota
Needmor Fund Woodbury Fund
NEO Philanthropy Youth Engagement Fund
Norman Foundation Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation
Northwest Health Foundation

 

Staff

LaShanda A Jackson Headshot

LaShanda A. Jackson

Executive Director
LaShanda Jackson is a social justice activist, defender of democracy, and advocate for racial equity whose career in philanthropy and organizing spans nearly two decades. Read More…
Paul Seamus Ryan Headshot

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…
Brittany Bowens Headshot

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…

Tiffany Neilly

Operations Manager
Hi there, I’m Tiffany, the newest member of the fabulous FCCP work family – great to virtually meet you all! Read More…
Jenna Patel Headshot

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…

FCCP Advisory Board

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…
Headshot: Julie Fernandes

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…
Keely Monroe Headshot

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…
Ted Wang Headshot

Ted Wang

Unbound Philanthropy
Ted Wang is the US Program Director at Unbound Philanthropy, a private foundation that seeks to contribute to a vibrant, welcoming society and an immigration system rooted in justice. Read More…
Headshot: Trevor Ostbye

Trevor Ostbye

Cities Forward
Trevor Ostbye is the Executive Director of Cities Forward. He leads efforts to support local government in prioritizing public outreach and civic engagement. Read More…