What Generation Citizen does

Generation Citizen is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2008 at Brown University and headquartered at 1460 Broadway, New York, that delivers community-based civics education to middle and high school students. The organization's core product is a project-based learning curriculum that engages students in identifying local community issues, developing action plans, and presenting their work at Civics Day showcase events to community advisors including peers, business leaders, and public officials. Supporting products include the Youth Leadership Programs (Youth Voice Fellowship and Youth Research Fellowships), the RISE Vote 2026 nonpartisan voter registration initiative, the Equity in Civics research and advocacy initiative, and a Resources & Toolkits library featuring the Digital Media Literacy Unit and state-specific civics readiness toolkits.

The underlying delivery model relies on direct partnerships with schools and districts across eight U.S. states (California, Washington, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Vermont, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Oklahoma, Texas, North Carolina, Arkansas, Kentucky) served through four regional teams (New England, Mid-Atlantic, South, West). Each school engagement includes professional development, ongoing coaching, curriculum access, and custom implementation support, positioning teachers as facilitators of student-led action civics rather than traditional lecturers. The organization convenes community coalitions including the Rhode Island Civic Learning Coalition and the RISE Vote 2026 coalition with The Civics Center and New Voters.

Revenue is generated through three streams: individual donations and contributions, institutional grants managed by a dedicated Associate Director of Grants, and school/district partnership services. No public pricing tiers are disclosed; schools engage through partnership inquiries on an annual cadence. The organization employs 51-100 staff with 57% BIPOC representation, is governed by an independent Board of Directors, and does not have any parent company or external equity ownership.

Name

Generation Citizen

Legal name

Generation Citizen

Website

https://generationcitizen.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Generation Citizen is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers project-based civics curriculum and civic engagement programming to middle and high school students through direct partnerships with 150+ schools across eight U.S. states, funded by donations, grants, and school partnership services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

K-12 Civic Education Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Social Studies & Civics Instruction (School-Delivered) (EDAJAFAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Civic Literacy (Voting, Rights, Community Participation) (EDAAAAAH), Civic Education & Community Engagement (Voting, Local Government) (EDAAAFAC), Civic Participation & Leadership Development (Voting, Advocacy, Community Leadership) (EDAAADAL)

Keywords

• Civic education programs
• Youth leadership development
• Project-based learning
• K-12 civics curriculum
• Voter registration initiatives

Headquarters

HQ city

Boston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Donations and Contributions: Individual donations, employer matching, stock donations, and check donations from supporters. Tax ID: 27-2039522. EIN confirmed on donation page.
2. Institutional Grants: Grants from foundations and institutional funders managed by the Associate Director, Grants team.
3. School and District Partnerships: Partnership model with schools and districts to implement community-based civics education during the school day, supported by professional development, coaching, and curriculum materials.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Generation Citizen delivers a community-based, project-based civics curriculum to middle and high schools, supported by teacher professional development, ongoing coaching, and Civics Day showcase events. The offering is implemented through direct partnerships with schools and districts and is anchored by proprietary curriculum assets including the Equity in Civics framework and the Digital Media Literacy Unit.

Product overview

Generation Citizen offers a unified community-based civics education platform consisting of a core curriculum delivered in middle and high schools, complemented by Civics Day showcase events, youth leadership fellowships, and advocacy initiatives. The product portfolio includes the Community-Based Civics Curriculum as the primary educational offering, the Civics Day event platform for student project presentations, Youth Leadership Programs with fellowship and alumni components, a Resources & Toolkits library, the RISE Vote 2026 voter registration initiative, and the Equity in Civics research and advocacy program. The ecosystem integrates program delivery through school partnerships with ongoing teacher support via professional development and coaching.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Equity in Civics (EIC): A GC-led cross-organizational, field-building initiative that builds commitment to culturally relevant, K-12 democracy education. EIC produces research, resources, and toolkits for educators, students, parents, and community members seeking to advance education equity in K-12 education.
• RISE Vote 2026

Products and services

• Community-Based Civics Curriculum Equity-rooted, project-based civics curriculum for middle and high school students that engages students in addressing real community issues through action civics projects, delivered in partnership with schools and districts.
• Civics Day End-of-semester showcase event where student representatives present their community-based civics projects to Community Advisors including peers, community members, business leaders, and public officials.
• Youth Leadership Programs Fellowship programs including the Rhode Island Youth Voice Fellowship and Youth Research Fellowships, plus alumni engagement and leadership opportunities for former Generation Citizen students.
• Resources & Toolkits Library of downloadable reports, toolkits, and educational resources including the Digital Media Literacy Unit, Program Impact Reports, and the New York State Seal of Civic Readiness Toolkit.
• RISE Vote 2026 Voter registration and civic engagement initiative (Registering, Informing, Supporting, and Empowering) partnering with The Civics Center and New Voters to register and pre-register high school students in a nonpartisan, youth-centered approach.
• Equity in Civics Cross-organizational, field-building initiative that builds commitment to culturally relevant, K-12 democracy education, producing research, resources, and toolkits for educators, students, and community members.

Quantifiable outcome

• 63% gain in social studies learning (translating to five to six months of increased learning)
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• More PerfectcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 12 March 2026Partnership to incorporate digital media literacy into experiential civic education and expand high school voter registration efforts nationwide. Focuses on underserved communities and deepening civic participation ahead of 2026 midterm elections. Enhances the practical civic education model to prepare students for active democracy participation.
• The Civics CentercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2024Co-partner in RISE Vote 2026 initiative. RISE Vote stands for Registering, Informing, Supporting, and Empowering new and returning voters, especially high school students. Aims to welcome students into the political process in a nonpartisan, youth-centered approach.
• New VoterscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2024Co-partner in RISE Vote 2026 initiative focused on high school voter registration. Works with Generation Citizen and The Civics Center to provide culturally relevant voting preregistration and registration materials.
• Rhode Island Civic Learning Coalition (RICLC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMultiracial, multiethnic, and multigenerational coalition convened by Generation Citizen. Launched Rhode Island Youth Voice Fellowship and Youth Research Fellowship in 2021. Provides year-long cohort experience for students working with state civics policy.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Close Up Foundation: Close Up Foundation is a nonprofit civics education provider offering in-school curriculum, Washington D.C. student programs, and teacher professional development. It is a direct competitor in K-12 civic education, with overlapping audiences (students and teachers) and a similar nonprofit, partnership-driven business model.
• Facing History & Ourselves: Facing History & Ourselves is a nonprofit providing social studies and civics curriculum for K-12 classrooms with a strong equity-centered pedagogy. It is comparable to Generation Citizen in curriculum focus (social studies/civics), target customer (middle/high school teachers), and partnership-based delivery model.
• iCivics: iCivics is a leading nonprofit civics education organization founded by Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, offering free K-12 civics curriculum and games. It directly competes with Generation Citizen in the school-delivered civics curriculum category, with a similar target market of middle and high school students and teachers and a comparable nonprofit/grant funding model.
• Mikva Challenge: Mikva Challenge is a nonprofit that develops youth civic engagement through action civics projects in Chicago-area schools and beyond. It is highly comparable to Generation Citizen in mission (youth voice, community-based civics), audience (high school students), and delivery model (school partnerships plus youth-led civic action).
• Center for Civic Education (Project Citizen): Center for Civic Education runs Project Citizen, a K-12 civic education program that closely mirrors Generation Citizen's community-based, project-based civics approach. It competes directly in the same curriculum category with the same target audience and similar school-district partnership GTM.
• The Civics Center: The Civics Center is a nonpartisan nonprofit focused on high school voter registration and pre-registration, co-leading the RISE Vote 2026 initiative with Generation Citizen. It overlaps directly on the voter-registration component of GC's mission and shares the high school student and teacher audience, although it does not deliver full civics curriculum.
• New Voters: New Voters is a nonprofit working on culturally responsive high school voter pre-registration and registration, partnering with Generation Citizen on RISE Vote 2026. It shares GC's audience (high school students and social studies teachers) and mission (nonpartisan youth voter engagement), serving as both a partner and a near-overlapping peer.

Broad incumbents

• Learning for Justice (Southern Poverty Law Center): Learning for Justice (formerly Teaching Tolerance) is a larger, well-established nonprofit producing free K-12 social studies, civics, and equity-focused curriculum. It competes with Generation Citizen's curriculum resources and equity-centered framing, but operates as part of the broader SPLC portfolio rather than as a school-partnership specialist.
• Junior Achievement USA: Junior Achievement is a large, established K-12 education nonprofit delivering work-readiness, financial literacy, and entrepreneurship curriculum through school-district partnerships. It is comparable to Generation Citizen in operating model (nonprofit, school-based delivery, regional teams, donation/foundation funded) but serves adjacent rather than civics-specific content.
• National Constitution Center: The National Constitution Center is a major nonprofit constitutional-education institution offering K-12 civics curriculum, teacher PD, and student programs. It overlaps with Generation Citizen in the civics-education category and audience, but operates at broader national scale and includes a museum/physical-site component rather than a pure school-district partnership model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCgJA6SxCaUzTln_y8sA1M4w
• Facebookfacebook.com/generationcitizen
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/generation-citizen
• Instagraminstagram.com/Generationcitizen
• Xx.com/gencitizen

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles28 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors3 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Generation Citizen