Funders' Committee for Civic Participation

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.

Mission

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 our democratic process. We serve leaders in the philanthropic community working to further this vision with heightened attention to issues of equity and historically disenfranchised and underrepresented communities. Our members support non-partisan efforts to engage voters, eliminate structural barriers to voting, advance reforms to improve government and electoral systems, and inspire public involvement in civic life.

FCCP provides funders with a community in which to build connections, a stage for showcasing innovations, a forum for strategic dialogue and collaboration, and a resource for civic participation research and tools. We work to build a more effective network of grantmakers who are passionate about realizing our collective vision of a vibrant and inclusive democracy for all.

Values

FCCP has a particular focus on ensuring that traditionally marginalized communities have equal access to participation and decision-making in the democratic process. We value fairness and equal opportunity. We are inclusive and respect every member’s voice. FCCP models transparency and encourages a diversity of opinions. We base our work on sound research and encourage experimentation to prove impact.

Member Organizations

History

FCCP sprung from the visionary efforts of a small group of grantmakers that began gathering in the early 80s to discuss how to boost voting among America’s most disenfranchised communities. 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.

Since those early days, FCCP has served as a critical catalyst for philanthropy’s growing civic engagement community. Our network advanced effective voter registration efforts in the ‘80s; supported campaign finance reform in the ‘90s; and invested in new voting technologies and election-administration reforms in the 2000s, a time when it also popularized year-round “integrated voter engagement” as a winning strategy for building power and achieving policy impact. In the ‘10s FCCP mobilized funders around the census, redistricting and building state-based civic engagement infrastructure. Today, we serve a mature and diverse community of grantmakers committed to working more strategically together to address the systemic inequities that keep marginalized communities from having a lasting voice in our democracy.

Through our member-driven and field-informed programming, FCCP keeps its network of grantmakers educated, connected and equipped to make smart funding decisions. Always nonpartisan, our signature programs for grantmakers include an annual convening, monthly “First Monday” and other virtual discussions; working groups that focus on range of key issue topics; and member-only meetings. FCCP adapts its programming year-to-year to respond to the needs of its evolving network and the field, election cycles and trends in civic engagement.

Staff

Eric Marshall

Executive Director

emarshall@funderscommittee.orgEric is responsible for ensuring that FCCP is innovative, efficient and effective at achieving its goals of supporting a smarter, more connected and expanded field of nonpartisan civic engagement grantmakers. His work superpower is his ability to bring together diverse leaders in coalition to achieve mutual goals. Read More…

Alexis Anderson-Reed

Deputy Director + Program Director

aandersonreed@funderscommittee.orgAlexis leads FCCP’s efforts to deliver top-notch programming to help our members be more effective with their grantmaking. Her work superpower is “Empathy and Connection” – she wants to understand our members’ thoughts and feelings and create spaces to build a stronger community for our members. Read More…

Nanci Champlin

Communications Director

nchamplin@funderscommittee.orgNanci applies two decades of experience in public-interest advocacy to sharpening FCCP’s communications. She uses her “Polishing” superpower to continually refine FCCP’s practices, elevate the organization’s brand, and produce informative resources that help build the knowledge base of FCCP’s broad funder network. Read More…

Brigid Hall

Membership + Development Director

bhall@funderscommittee.orgBrigid is responsible for taking FCCP’s member engagement, recruitment and organizational fundraising to the next level. Her work super power? Being concise. Read More…

Ashish Sinha

Program Manager

asinha@funderscommittee.orgAshish is responsible for the development and implementation of programming to help support the network’s continued work in civic engagement. Ashish’s superpower is "Tech Wizardry." If he could spend all day talking to you about nonprofit technology, he would, but we’ve managed to remind him he has other work to do. Read More…

Alexandra Russell

Director, Money in Politics Working Group

As a "Connector," Alex unites funders and organizations doing work in the field of democracy reform and creates spaces for grantmakers to learn, network, strategize and collaborate. At FCCP, she applies this super power to digging in on hard conversations while having fun at the same time. Read More…

Alex Perez-Puelles

Operations Coordinator

aperezpuelles@funderscommittee.orgAlex provides support to the whole FCCP team to ensure the efficiency of internal processes. She is a rapid learner who will not quit until she fully masters the task at hand. Her superpower is ‘Adaptability’ which helps keep ever-changing deadlines from phasing her and allows Alex to switch from budgets to event planning in a moment’s notice. Read More…

Advisory Board

Evan Bacalao

Open Society Foundations

Evan Bacalao is a program officer with the Special Initiatives and Partnerships unit of the Open Society Foundations’ U.S. Read More…

Steven Cole-Schwartz, Co-chair

The Partnership Funds

The Partnership Funds are a funding collaborative that works with grantmakers and state leaders to build independent political power in order to win change in the lives of individuals, families and communities. Read More…

Connie Malloy, Co-chair

The James Irvine Foundation

Connie was appointed portfolio director at The James Irvine Foundation in February 2016 as part of its evolving focus. Read More…

Marcia Avner

Bauman Foundation

Marcia is a Consultant whose practice includes advocacy strategy, issue campaign design, organizing, lobbying, and media training, curriculum development, and facilitation. Read More…

Keesha Gaskins-Nathan

Rockefeller Brothers Fund

Keesha is the director for the Democratic Practice–United States program at the Rockefeller Brothers Fund. Read More…

Joy Vermillion Heinsohn

Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation

Joy is the assistant director for the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation. Read More…

Cuong P. Hoang

Mott Philanthropic

Cuong is the director of programs of Mott Philanthropic, a consultancy founded in 2008 that works with individuals and foundations to increase the impact of their giving. Read More…

Esther Nieves

W.K. Kellogg Foundation

Esther is director of Leadership Programs  at the W.K. Kellogg Foundation in Battle Creek, Michigan. Read More…

Ilona Prucha

Wellspring Advisors, LLC

Ilona is a Program Officer at Wellspring Advisors, LLC, a philanthropic advisory firm with offices in Washington, DC and New York, NY. Read More…

Anne Summers

The Brico Fund

Anne currently serves as the Executive Director of the Brico Fund in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Read More…

Employment + Internships

Program Internship

FCCP is seeking a responsible and motivated individual to join our small team in Austin, TX as the Program Assistant.  The candidate will have an excellent opportunity to learn about the inner workings of a non-profit, specifically related to FCCP’s programs and member activities.  Learn more about this exciting opportunity. This position will remain open until filled.

Operations + Development Internship

FCCP is seeking a responsible and motivated individual to join our small team in Austin, TX as the Operations + Development Assistant.  The chosen candidate will have an excellent opportunity to learn about the inner workings of a non-profit, specifically related to FCCP’s fundraising processes, donor cultivation activities and daily operations.  Learn more about this exciting opportunity.  This position will remain open until filled.

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