Maryland Civic Education Coalition

What Maryland Civic Education Coalition does

The Maryland Civic Education Coalition (MDCEC) is a cross-partisan nonprofit coalition founded in 2020 under the fiscal sponsorship of Maryland Youth & The Law (MyLaw), a 501(c)(3) organization. It convenes over 180 member organizations — including school districts, civic nonprofits, higher education institutions, and state agencies — across all 23 Maryland counties plus Baltimore City to advance civic education and service-learning for K-12 students. The coalition operates through four working groups (Education, Government Relations, Membership, Communications), a Youth Advisory Council, and an annual Maryland Civic Education & Engagement Leadership Summit that drew 300+ educators from 22 districts at its 2021 virtual inaugural event.

MDCEC's core products are programmatic rather than technological: the annual Leadership Summit, the Youth Advisory Council platform, working group convenings, the Civic Seals advocacy campaign, and educational resources including the "10 Practices of Effective Civic Education" framework. The coalition has no proprietary software, API, or technology platform; its operational backbone is its website (mdcivics.org), email newsletter, monthly virtual meetings, and in-person summit events. Distribution occurs through direct membership, school system partnerships, and event-based engagement.

The coalition's business model is nonprofit membership-driven, with free membership for qualifying Maryland organizations and individuals. Revenue derives from organizational sponsorships (national partners include CivXNow, iCivics, and Youth Service America), fiscal sponsorship routing through MyLaw, and ad hoc grants. The coalition has achieved policy milestones including a civic seals bill that secured unanimous approval in the Maryland Senate in 2023 and briefings to the Senate Budget & Taxation Committee in 2022. No revenue figures, funding rounds, or headcount data are publicly disclosed.

Name

Maryland Civic Education Coalition

Legal name

Maryland Civic Education Coalition

Website

https://mdcivics.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Maryland Civic Education Coalition is a cross-partisan nonprofit coalition that convenes 180+ member organizations across Maryland to advance K-12 civic education through annual summits, working groups, youth advisory programs, and state-level policy advocacy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Civic Education Advocacy

NAICS

Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Civic and Social Organizations (81341)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGAFAJ

Democracy, Voting Rights & Civic Participation Advocacy

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Civil Rights, Advocacy & Public Policy Organizations

SECONDARYEDAAADAL

Civic Participation & Leadership Development (Voting, Advocacy, Community Leadership)

Education/Adult & Continuing Education/Citizenship & Immigrant Integration Education

SECONDARYBPAGADAI

Youth Leadership, Civic Education & Service-Learning Nonprofits

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Education & Youth Development Nonprofits

SECONDARYEDAAAEAI

Civic, Citizenship & Community Engagement Education

Education/Adult & Continuing Education/Continuing Education (Noncredit) & Lifelong Learning Programs

Keywords

• Civic education advocacy
• Nonprofit coalition organizing
• Education policy advocacy
• Professional development education
• Youth civic engagement

Headquarters

HQ city

Maryland

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership and Organizational Support: The coalition operates as a nonprofit organization under the fiscal sponsorship of Maryland Youth & The Law (MyLaw), a 501(c)(3) organization. Revenue appears to come from membership contributions, sponsorships, and organizational partnerships rather than product or service sales.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Maryland Civic Education Coalition convenes Maryland educators, students, civic organizations, and policymakers through an annual leadership summit, four standing working groups, a Youth Advisory Council, and grassroots advocacy campaigns. It advances civic education policy and practice statewide by connecting 180+ member organizations, delivering professional development, and lobbying the Maryland General Assembly on issues such as civic seals legislation.

Product overview

The Maryland Civic Education Coalition is a cross-partisan organization that serves as a convening and advocacy network rather than a traditional product company. Its core offerings include the annual Maryland Civic Education & Engagement Leadership Summit, the Youth Advisory Council platform for student leadership, and four working groups (Education, Membership, Government Relations, Communications) that connect educators, civic organizations, and community members. The Coalition also provides advocacy campaigns for civic seals legislation and educational resources including the 10 Practices of Effective Civic Education framework. Membership programs include monthly coalition meetings and new member orientations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Maryland Civic Education & Engagement Leadership Summit
• Youth Advisory Council (YAC)

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 300 educators from 22 districts participated in the inaugural 2021 summit
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Maryland Youth & The Law (MyLaw)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMyLaw serves as the fiscal sponsor for the Maryland Civic Education Coalition under its 501(c)(3) status. This partnership enables the coalition to operate as a nonprofit organization and receive tax-deductible contributions. MyLaw is described as a respected 501(c)(3) organization championing civic understanding statewide.
• University of Maryland College of EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe University of Maryland College of Education is a key institutional partner, with Chair Lena Morreale Scott serving as Director of the Civic Education & Engagement Initiative. The university collaborated on the inaugural summit in 2021 and co-published the first coalition agenda with the School of Public Policy.
• CivXNow CoalitioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCivXNow is a national coalition partner that provides strategic guidance and advocacy support. The MDCEC has collaborated with CivXNow's strategic guidance to bolster grassroots advocacy efforts, and CivXNow is a sponsor of MDCEC summits.
• iCivicscoreStrategic or Co-development PartneriCivics is a nonpartisan national organization founded by Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, dedicated to advancing civic learning. The coalition connects members to iCivics resources and hosts iCivics staff as summit speakers and workshop presenters.
• Youth Service America (YSA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerYSA is a national nonprofit partner that collaborates with the coalition on youth engagement initiatives. YSA Vice President Scott Ganske serves as coordinator for the Youth Advisory Council. YSA is a sponsor of MDCEC summits.
• Generation CitizencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGeneration Citizen is represented on the MDCEC Steering Committee through Andrew Wilkes, Chief Policy and Advocacy Officer, who chairs the Government Relations Working Group. Generation Citizen provides policy and advocacy expertise to the coalition.
• The Giving SquarecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Giving Square is represented on the Steering Committee through Amy Neugebauer, Executive Director, who serves as the Civic Organization Representative. The organization focuses on youth philanthropy and civic engagement programs.
• Maryland HumanitiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMaryland Humanities is represented on the Steering Committee through Stephanie Boyle, Program Officer - History, who chairs the Membership Working Group. Maryland Humanities provides resources and programs supporting civic education through the humanities.
• Maryland Department of Service and Civic InnovationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe state department collaborated with MDCEC to host the 3rd Annual Summit in 2023 and works with the coalition on service year and civic engagement programs. Deputy Secretary Sarah Flammang has participated as a keynote speaker at summits.
• Maryland State Department of EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe state education department is a key partner for curriculum alignment and the development of civic seals programs. Leah Renzi from MSDE presented on civic seals at the 2023 summit.
• League of Women Voters of MarylandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe League of Women Voters of Maryland is an active member organization that collaborates on voter education, civic engagement events, and advocacy campaigns. Genie Massey represents the League on coalition programs.
• The Civic CircleminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Civic Circle, founded by Eliza Newlin Carney, uses music and arts to teach civic education. Founder participates as a speaker and resource provider for coalition events.
• Maryland Public Television (MPT)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMPT partnered with MDCEC for Civic Learning Week 2025 events including 'Empowering a Nation of Student Civic Leaders' featuring Congressman Jamie Raskin. MPT's Center for Media Literacy provides resources for civic education.
• St. John's CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSt. John's College in Annapolis hosted the 2025 Maryland Civic Education & Engagement Leadership Summit, providing venue and institutional support for the event.
• Salisbury UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSalisbury University hosts Girls State programs and has participated in summits through its Center for Public Affairs & Civic Engagement. Dr. Sandy Pope serves as a presenter on civic engagement topics.
• Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCCBC is hosting the 2026 Maryland Civic Education & Engagement Leadership Summit at its Dundalk Campus. President Sandra L. Kurtinitis welcomed summit attendees.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• CivXNow Coalition: National cross-partisan coalition advocating for federal investment in civic education. CivXNow provides strategic guidance to MDCEC and sponsors its summits, operating the same federal/state advocacy model at the national level that MDCEC runs for Maryland.
• Generation Citizen: National nonprofit focused on action civics and youth civic engagement. Generation Citizen provides policy and advocacy expertise to MDCEC through Steering Committee representation, sharing a similar constituency of educators, students, and state-level advocacy.
• Youth Service America (YSA): National nonprofit mobilizing youth through service and civic engagement. YSA coordinates MDCEC's Youth Advisory Council and sponsors its summits, with parallel youth-led service-learning and civic engagement programming.

Regional players

• League of Women Voters of Maryland: State chapter of the League of Women Voters focused on voter education and civic engagement. Active MDCEC member organization collaborating on voter education and civic engagement events within Maryland.
• Maryland Humanities: State humanities council supporting civic education through programs and resources. Maryland Humanities chairs MDCEC's Membership Working Group and is a member organization, with overlapping K-12 civic and humanities programming across Maryland.

Broad incumbents

• iCivics: National nonpartisan civic education organization founded by Justice Sandra Day O'Connor. iCivics provides curriculum, games, and resources that MDCEC promotes and integrates into its member programming for Maryland educators.
• National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS): National professional association for social studies educators. NCSS provides position statements and resources that MDCEC curates for its educator members, serving as a counterpart professional organization at the national level.

Emerging players

• The Giving Square: Regional nonprofit focused on youth philanthropy and civic engagement. The Giving Square's Executive Director serves as MDCEC's Civic Organization Representative, sharing a youth civic engagement focus in the Maryland/DC region.
• CIRCLE (Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement) at Tufts University: Leading academic research center on youth civic engagement. CIRCLE is a research resource featured on MDCEC's site and contributes evidence base to the coalition's civic education advocacy.

Others

• Maryland Youth & The Law (MyLaw): MyLaw is MDCEC's fiscal sponsor and a 501(c)(3) championing civic understanding statewide. It is the structural parent organization that provides legal and tax-exempt infrastructure, sharing deep overlap in Maryland civic education mission.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/maryland-civic-education-coalition

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Maryland Civic Education Coalition