C&S

What C&S does

C&S (legally the Institute for Citizens & Scholars) is a Princeton, New Jersey-based nonprofit founded in 1945 that develops civic skills and engagement among young Americans aged 14-24. The organization was originally established as the Woodrow Wilson Fellowships at Princeton University, became an independent foundation in the 1950s, and rebranded in November 2020 from the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation to its current name in response to concerns about Woodrow Wilson's legacy. C&S operates through three environments—on campuses, in communities, and at workplaces—delivering programs rather than technology products. Its core programmatic portfolio includes the College Presidents for Civic Preparedness coalition (125+ college presidents) and its Campuswide Immersion and Faculty Institute subprograms; the Mellon-funded Career Enhancement Fellowship for junior faculty in the humanities (500+ fellows supported since 2001); the Carnegie Young Leaders program launched in 2025 (500 inaugural fellows from 27 states and DC, ages 14-24, with up to $7,500 team stipends); the Youth Advisory Council (formed 2025, 10 members with governance authority); and youth-facing fellowships including Civic Spring and Youth Civic Impact. The DIY Civics video series with Baratunde Thurston and the Andrew Carnegie Foundation extends reach through media.

C&S makes no revenue from program participants—programs are free, and Campuswide Immersion is offered at no cost to member campuses. The revenue model relies on three streams: foundation grants (Carnegie Corporation of New York anchored Carnegie Young Leaders with a $2.05M initial grant; the Mellon Foundation anchors the Career Enhancement Fellowship), individual donations (one-time, recurring, and planned giving via secure.qgiv.com and a gift-planning portal), and corporate/employer partnerships (25+ companies, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation for workplace delivery). Go-to-market is community- and coalition-led rather than sales-led: distribution occurs through the College Presidents coalition (enterprise field motion), employer and industry partnerships (enterprise direct), and community nonprofits (channel/reseller-style co-creation), with content marketing via the website blog, YouTube, Facebook, X, LinkedIn, and email newsletter driving top-of-funnel awareness.

Leadership is a professional staff team of approximately 25-30 named individuals reporting to President Rajiv Vinnakota, with a C-suite comprising an EVP/COO (Christine Winston), EVP/Chief Program & Fellowships Officer (Beverly Sanford), Chief Development Officer (Steve Haddad), Chief Communications & Engagement Officer (Jay Geneske), Chief People Officer (Indira Lar-Moore), Chief Technology Officer (Bernard Laryea), and Chief of Youth Civic Programs (Audra Watson). The Board Chair is Stefanie Sanford of Civic Ventures. The organization has set a public 2029 commitment to engage 20 million young people as civic problem-solvers and invest $25M in participation infrastructure, operating nationally across all major U.S. regions from a Princeton headquarters and a remote staff footprint.

Name

C&S

Legal name

Institute for Citizens & Scholars

Website

https://cands.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1945

Operating status

Operating

Short description

C&S (Institute for Citizens & Scholars) is a Princeton-based nonprofit, founded in 1945, that develops civic skills among American youth aged 14-24 through campus coalitions, community programs, and workplace partnerships, serving college presidents, employers, young leaders, and foundation funders.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Civic Education and Youth Development

NAICS

Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Civic and Social Organizations (81341), Educational Services (611), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Leadership, Civic Education & Service-Learning Nonprofits (BPAGADAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Democracy, Voting Rights & Civic Participation Advocacy (BPAGAFAJ), Civic Education & Community Engagement (Voting, Local Government) (EDAAAFAC), Civic, Citizenship & Community Engagement Education (EDAAAEAI)

Keywords

• Civic education programs
• Youth leadership development
• Higher education fellowship
• Nonprofit community engagement
• Workforce civic training

Headquarters

HQ city

Princeton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Foundation Grants: Primary funding from foundations including Carnegie Corporation of New York ($2.05M initial investment for Carnegie Young Leaders) and Mellon Foundation (Career Enhancement Fellowship funding).
2. Individual Donations: Donations from individuals who believe in the power of young people to move the country forward. The organization offers multiple giving options including one-time donations, recurring giving, and gift planning.
3. Corporate/Employer Partnerships: Partnerships with employers and industry organizations to develop young leaders in workplaces.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

C&S develops and delivers civic education programs that build three core civic skills—productive conversation, use of credible information, and collaborative problem-solving—among young Americans ages 14-24. Its offerings are organized around three delivery environments: on campus (College Presidents for Civic Preparedness coalition, Campuswide Immersion, Faculty Institute), in communities (Carnegie Young Leaders, Youth Advisory Council, Youth Civic Impact and Civic Spring Fellowships), and at workplaces (partnerships with employers such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation). All programs are offered free of charge to participants, with funding drawn from foundation grants, individual donations, and corporate partnerships.

Product overview

C&S (Institute for Citizens & Scholars) operates as a multi-program organization focused on civic education and youth development. The portfolio includes the College Presidents for Civic Preparedness coalition with its Campuswide Immersion and Faculty Institute initiatives, the Mellon-funded Career Enhancement Fellowship for junior faculty, the Carnegie Young Leaders program for youth ages 14-24, the Youth Advisory Council for intergenerational collaboration, and youth fellowships (Civic Spring, Youth Civic Impact). The programs are connected through C&S's 'Power of &' philosophy, which emphasizes bridge-building and civic skill development across campuses, communities, and workplaces.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Carnegie Young Leaders: Program empowering young people ages 14-24 to create bold, fresh civic solutions in their own communities with funding up to $7,500, coaching, and a national peer network
• College Presidents for Civic Preparedness
• Campuswide Immersion
• Faculty Institute
• Youth Advisory Council
• Career Enhancement Fellowship
• Youth Civic Impact Fellowship
• Civic Spring Fellowship

Products and services

• College Presidents for Civic Preparedness

Quantifiable outcome

• 68% of students feel highly confident using evidence to support arguments after campus civic programs
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 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, flagship, key and minor.

• College Presidents for Civic PreparednesscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition of 125+ college presidents committed to strengthening civic culture on their campuses. Members access Campuswide Immersion program and collaborate on evidence-based civic skill development initiatives.
• Andrew Carnegie FoundationflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in DIY Civics video series featuring Carnegie Young Leaders. Series showcases young changemakers in action, highlighting practical lessons from Gen Z civic leaders and how anyone can get started on civic action.
• Baratunde ThurstonflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborator on DIY Civics series with Andrew Carnegie Foundation, featuring Carnegie Young Leaders and showcasing youth civic solutions.
• U.S. Chamber of Commerce FoundationkeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry partner working with C&S to bring civic development expertise into the workplace. Collaboration focuses on co-designed training and initiatives for young professionals.
• BoldEmberminorOthersPartner organization appearing on C&S homepage, nature of partnership not detailed in available sources.
• Youth Advisory CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCouncil of young people ages 14-24 who advise C&S leadership and help guide programs. Formed in 2025, members set their own bylaws and help shape programs, priorities, and overall direction. Members include 10 young people serving 2-year terms.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Interfaith America (formerly IFYC): Nonprofit building interfaith leadership on college campuses through faculty, president, and student programming. Closely comparable as a coalition-based campus civic/leadership organization with foundation funding and multi-institutional coalition structure.
• BridgeUSA: Student-led organization building bridges across political and identity divides on college campuses through structured dialogue. Closely comparable as a campus-focused dialogue/civic preparedness coalition complementing C&S's College Presidents coalition.
• National Civic League: Nonpartisan nonprofit advancing inclusive civic engagement, deliberation, and community problem-solving across U.S. cities. Comparable as a long-standing civic engagement organization working at the intersection of local democracy and community practice.
• More in Common: Nonprofit focused on reducing polarization and building cross-partisan connection through research, storytelling, and dialogue programs. Directly comparable as a bridging-divides civic organization working across communities and campuses.
• Aspen Institute: Nonprofit focused on values-based leadership, dialogue across differences, and civic engagement across multiple program areas. Highly comparable as a multi-program civic leadership organization working across campuses, communities, and policy arenas.
• iCivics: Founded by Justice Sandra Day O'Connor to provide civics education, games, and curricula to U.S. students. Directly comparable as a civic education nonprofit targeting young Americans with measurable learning outcomes.
• Mikva Challenge: Chicago-based nonprofit that develops youth as informed citizens, civic leaders, and community problem-solvers through action civics programs in schools. Directly comparable in youth civic skill development and community-action-project model.
• Generation Citizen: Nonprofit working to bring action civics to schools and universities, placing college-aged mentors with younger students. Closely comparable as a youth-focused civic skill-building organization operating in both campus and community environments.
• CIRCLE (Tufts University): Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement at Tufts, focused on youth civic engagement research and evaluation. Comparable as a research-driven youth civic engagement organization, with stronger evaluation focus complementing C&S's programmatic emphasis.

Broad incumbents

• Points of Light: Large-scale nonprofit focused on volunteer service and civic engagement across the U.S. Comparable mission on civic participation, but operates at significantly larger scale and broader scope than C&S's specialized civic-skill focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 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

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about C&S