Citizens Project

What Citizens Project does

Citizens Project is a Colorado Springs-based nonprofit civic engagement organization founded in 1992 that operates across the Pikes Peak region and El Paso County, Colorado. Its mission is to promote civic participation, equity, and informed decision-making at the ballot box, with a stated focus on addressing low voter turnout—El Paso County ranks in the bottom ten percent of Colorado counties for turnout, and BIPOC turnout is approximately half that of white voters in the county. The organization serves all eligible voters in its geography, with no commercial customers.

The organization's core products are content- and event-based rather than technology-based. They include the largest nonpartisan candidate survey in the Pikes Peak region (distributed for free), per-district voter guides covering nine school districts (Academy D-20, Cheyenne Mountain D-12, Colorado Springs D-11, Falcon D-49, Harrison D-2, Lewis Palmer D-38, Miami/Yoder 60 JT, Peyton JT-23, and Widefield D-3), annual Legislator Report Cards, co-hosted issue and candidate forums, the Peak Town Hall Podcast, and an email newsletter. Distribution is regional and direct-to-consumer via the citizensproject.org website, email newsletter, social channels (Facebook, Instagram, Bluesky, LinkedIn), and in-person community events.

As a 501(c)-style nonprofit with 1–10 employees, Citizens Project operates from a mailing-only PO Box in Colorado Springs and does not disclose commercial pricing, revenue figures, or a technology platform. Its funding is sourced from membership fees, donations, and sponsorships from a mix of local businesses and foundations (Colorado Trust, Kirkpatrick Bank, ENT, Poor Richard's Downtown, Colorado Record Show, Cambio Yoga, Carnelian Coffee, Whealthy Unlimited, Cheetah Printing, Ladyfingers Letterpress). The organization is currently recruiting for a new executive director, indicating an active leadership transition.

Name

Citizens Project

Legal name

Citizens Project

Website

https://citizensproject.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Citizens Project is a Colorado Springs nonprofit (founded 1992) that promotes civic engagement and equity through nonpartisan voter guides, candidate forums, legislator report cards, and a podcast, serving eligible voters across the Pikes Peak region and nine El Paso County school districts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Civic Engagement / Voter Education

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Civic and Social Organizations (81341)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Democracy, Voting Rights & Civic Participation Advocacy (BPAGAFAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Civic Education & Community Engagement (Voting, Local Government) (EDAAAFAC)

Keywords

• Civic engagement programs
• Nonpartisan voter education
• Candidate survey services
• Community advocacy services
• Legislator report cards

Headquarters

HQ city

Colorado Springs

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Citizens Project is a nonprofit civic engagement organization that produces and distributes free nonpartisan voter guides, the largest nonpartisan candidate survey in the Pikes Peak region, annual legislator report cards, and co-hosts issue and candidate forums. It serves eligible voters in El Paso County, Colorado to promote informed decision-making at the ballot box and increase civic participation, particularly among BIPOC communities whose turnout lags white voter turnout.

Product overview

Citizens Project operates as a single, unified civic engagement program rather than a multi-product platform. The organization centers its work around nonpartisan voter education and democratic participation, primarily offering Voter Guides (the largest free nonpartisan candidate survey distributed in the Pikes Peak region), Issue and Candidate Forums, and Legislator Report Cards. Additional offerings include a Peak Town Hall podcast and a newsletter for community engagement. All products work together to fulfill the organization's mission of informing, inspiring, and engaging the community around equity, inclusion, and justice.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Voter Guides Nonpartisan voter guides distributed for free to help all residents of El Paso County make informed decisions at the ballot box, covering candidates and ballot issues for various school districts and elections.
• Nonpartisan Candidate Survey The largest nonpartisan candidate survey in the Pikes Peak region, produced and distributed for free, providing voters with candidate responses on key issues.
• Legislator Report Cards Annual report cards evaluating state legislators on their actions and positions relevant to the organization's mission of equity, inclusion, and justice.
• Issue and Candidate Forums Community forums hosted throughout the Pikes Peak region in partnership with like-minded organizations, covering key issues and candidate meet-and-greets for residents of El Paso County.
• Peak Town Hall Podcast A podcast featuring recordings from community events and civic discussions held in the Pikes Peak region, distributed to inform and engage residents on civic topics.
• Citizens Project Newsletter Periodic email updates, calls to action, and invitations to community events to keep supporters and community members informed about civic engagement opportunities in the Pikes Peak region.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Like-minded OrganizationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organizations that co-host issue and candidate forums throughout the Pikes Peak region with Citizens Project

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• When We All Vote: Nonpartisan voter registration and turnout organization. Comparable mission to increase voter participation, particularly among historically underrepresented groups, which aligns with Citizens Project's BIPOC-turnout focus.
• Common Cause: Nonpartisan civic engagement and government accountability nonprofit that advocates for voting rights, equitable participation, and reform. Highly comparable mission focused on citizen engagement and democratic participation.
• Voto Latino: Civic engagement organization focused on Latinx voter registration, education, and turnout. Comparable to Citizens Project's stated focus on closing the BIPOC-voter-turnout gap in El Paso County.
• Rock the Vote: National nonprofit focused on registering and turning out young voters and BIPOC voters. Comparable mission and target demographic (BIPOC turnout gap cited by Citizens Project is a direct overlap with Rock the Vote's core mandate).
• Fair Elections Center: Nonpartisan voter access and election integrity organization. Comparable through its focus on voter education, voter guides, and civic engagement programs at the community level.
• All Voting is Local: Nonpartisan voting rights and access organization focused on removing barriers to voter participation at the state and local level. Comparable scope of work addressing turnout gaps in specific jurisdictions.
• League of Women Voters: National nonpartisan organization that produces voter guides, hosts candidate forums, and runs voter education programs. Directly comparable to Citizens Project's core offerings of free nonpartisan voter guides and candidate forums at the regional level.

Others

• Ballotpedia: Nonpartisan digital encyclopedia of American politics and elections. Adjacent rather than directly comparable: provides candidate and ballot information infrastructure that Citizens Project references for its voter guides, but does not run civic engagement programs.

Regional players

• League of Women Voters of Colorado: Colorado state chapter of the League of Women Voters. Directly competes for the same Colorado voter-education audience and produces similar voter guides and candidate forums across the state, including the Pikes Peak region.
• Common Cause Colorado: State-level chapter of Common Cause operating in Colorado. Most comparable geographic peer because it operates in the same state and pursues overlapping civic engagement priorities relevant to El Paso County voters.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/citizensproject
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/citizens-project
• Instagraminstagram.com/citizensproject
• Xx.com/citizensproject

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Citizens Project