Institute for Citizens & Scholars

What Institute for Citizens & Scholars does

Institute for Citizens & Scholars (C&S) is a US-based nonprofit civic engagement organization founded in 1945 and headquartered in Princeton, New Jersey. Operating with a headcount of 11-50 employees, C&S delivers programs designed to develop three core civic skills among young people: having productive conversations anchored in curiosity and active listening, using credible information, and collaborating to create solutions. Programming is structured across three platforms — On Campus (College Presidents for Civic Preparedness, Faculty Institute), In Community (Youth Civic Leaders, DIY Civics, Carnegie Young Leaders partnerships), and At Work (employer civic development with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation) — reaching thousands of young leaders, college presidents, employers, community leaders, and donors nationwide.

The organization's core "technology" is human capability development rather than software: proprietary civic skills measurement frameworks, co-designed curriculum integration support, faculty professional development, and a "Power of &" brand framework that promotes collaborative problem-solving across ideological differences. It does not sell software, charge for programs, or operate commercial products; instead, it provides free civic training, summits, and curriculum resources to participating institutions and individuals.

C&S is funded primarily through donations and grants from individual donors, foundations (Carnegie Corporation of New York, William and Flora Hewlett Foundation), and corporate partners, and it accepts one-time, recurring, and planned gifts. Distribution is entirely direct, through on-campus engagements, community partnerships, and employer partnerships, with no commercial resellers or app-based channels. The organization has publicly committed $25 million to enable civic participation and set a bold goal of engaging 20 million young people as civic problem-solvers by 2029. Leadership includes President Rajiv Vinnakota.

Name

Institute for Citizens & Scholars

Legal name

Institute for Citizens & Scholars

Website

https://citizensandscholars.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1945

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Institute for Citizens & Scholars (C&S) is a US nonprofit civic engagement organization that builds civic skills among young people through programs on college campuses, in communities, and at workplaces, funded by donations and foundation grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Civic Engagement and Civic Education Services

NAICS

Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Civic and Social Organizations (813410)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Democracy, Voting Rights & Civic Participation Advocacy (BPAGAFAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Civic, Citizenship & Community Engagement Education (EDAAAEAI), Youth Leadership, Civic Education & Service-Learning Nonprofits (BPAGADAI)

Keywords

• Civic engagement programs
• Youth leadership development
• Civic education
• Democratic participation
• Higher education partnerships

Headquarters

HQ city

Princeton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Grants: C&S operates as a nonprofit organization that relies on donations from individual donors and grants from foundations to fund its civic engagement programs. The organization encourages donations through its website with options for one-time giving, recurring donations, and gift planning.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Institute for Citizens & Scholars (C&S) delivers civic engagement programs that develop three essential civic skills in young people: having productive conversations, using credible information, and collaborating to create solutions. Programs operate across three platforms—On Campus (colleges and universities through College Presidents for Civic Preparedness and the Faculty Institute), In Community (nonprofits and youth organizations through Youth Civic Leaders, DIY Civics, and Carnegie Young Leaders partnerships), and At Work (employers and industry partners such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation). All programming is delivered free of charge as part of a 501(c)(3) nonprofit funded by donations and grants.

Product overview

Institute for Citizens & Scholars (C&S) is a civic engagement organization operating as a unified platform with multiple interconnected programs. The core offering centers on three essential civic skills development: productive conversations, credible information usage, and collaborative problem-solving. Programs span three platforms—On Campus (College Presidents for Civic Preparedness, Faculty Institute), In Community (Youth Civic Leaders, DIY Civics, Carnegie Young Leaders partnerships), and At Work (workplace civic development training). The Power of & brand philosophy unifies these initiatives, which are delivered through co-designed training, summits, and curriculum support rather than software products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• College Presidents for Civic Preparedness

Quantifiable outcome

• 20 Million young people to be engaged as civic problem-solvers by 2029
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• U.S. Chamber of Commerce FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerC&S works with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation as an industry partner to bring civic development expertise into the workplace. Through co-designed training and initiatives, C&S helps workplaces develop young professionals' collaboration and communication skills.
• BoldEmberminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBoldEmber is listed as a partner organization, collaborating with C&S on civic initiatives and solutions.
• New York University (NYU)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNYU President Linda G. Mills is featured prominently as a community advocate, stating C&S prepares young people to lead with integrity. NYU is a key partner in the College Presidents for Civic Preparedness initiative.
• Dartmouth CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPresident Sian Leah Beilock serves as member of College Presidents for Civic Preparedness, actively promoting C&S's mission to promote dialogue across differences in higher education.
• Carnegie Young LeaderscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerC&S partners with Carnegie Young Leaders to help the next generation channel their passion and ideas into real civic solutions. Community-based projects are led by Carnegie Young Leaders working with C&S.
• Ohio Wesleyan UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOhio Wesleyan University is listed as a partner institution, participating in C&S's campus civic engagement initiatives.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Braver Angels: Braver Angels runs cross-partisan dialogue workshops and depolarization programs—highly comparable to C&S's 'Power of &' framework that brings together liberal and conservative perspectives for civic problem-solving.
• More in Common: More in Common is a nonprofit that works to reduce polarization and build cross-group connection in the U.S. and other democracies, closely aligned with C&S's cross-ideological civic-engagement mission.
• iCivics: iCivics is the leading civic-education nonprofit for K-12 and young adults, founded by Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. It directly overlaps with C&S's mission of building civic skills and democratic participation among young Americans.
• Mikva Challenge: Mikva Challenge develops youth civic leadership through action civics programs in schools and communities. It competes for similar foundation funding and works on the same Gen Z civic-skill development mission.
• Generation Citizen: Generation Citizen works with college students to bring action-oriented civics into K-12 classrooms. It overlaps with C&S in the higher-education-to-community civic engagement pipeline targeting Gen Z.
• Civic Nation: Civic Nation designs and runs civic engagement and youth-vote programs, sharing C&S's goal of increasing young Americans' civic participation and collaboration across differences.
• Close Up Foundation: Close Up Foundation delivers civic-education programs, student visits to government institutions, and youth leadership development—closely aligned with C&S's On Campus and In Community youth civic-skills work.

Broad incumbents

• The Aspen Institute: The Aspen Institute runs multiple civic-dialogue, leadership, and education programs (e.g., Citizenship & American Identity). It is a much larger incumbent operating broadly in the same civic-renewal space as C&S.

Emerging players

• National Conference on Citizenship: The National Conference on Citizenship tracks civic participation trends and convenes civic-engagement practitioners. It operates in the same civic-health measurement and convening space as C&S's Civic Skills Framework.
• BridgeUSA: BridgeUSA is a student-led organization promoting free expression and viewpoint diversity on college campuses—an emerging player in the same campus civic-dialogue niche where C&S runs College Presidents for Civic Preparedness.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/helloCandS
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCPBrugurRVUqMrygELMvPhQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/hellocands
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hellocands

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Institute for Citizens & Scholars