Center For Responsible Citizenship

What Center For Responsible Citizenship does

The Center for Responsible Citizenship (CRC) is a non-profit civic education academic center founded in 2021 and housed at Lee University in Cleveland, Tennessee. It was established by Dr. Thomas Pope (Director) and Audrey Haley (Associate Program Director), with programming inspired by the intellectual legacy of Dr. Peter Augustine Lawler. The organization cultivates sustained inquiry into citizenship, virtue, and the common good through a portfolio of eight programs: a four-year Fellows Program with a $2,500 annual stipend; a weekly undergraduate Reading Group; an annual Summer Seminar; an intercollegiate Fall Symposium; the Constitution Bowl quiz bowl for regional high school students; the Founding Civics Institute for regional middle and high school teachers; an annual Essay Competition; and Discourse Dinners that bring together students, faculty, alumni, and community members. All programming is delivered free of charge to participants, with no proprietary technology platform — the center relies entirely on in-person dialogue, primary-source reading, and seminar-style discussion.

CRC's revenue model is a hybrid of individual donations (suggested at $25, $75, or $150), institutional funding from Lee University as host, and grants from supporting organizations including the Jack Miller Center, the Institute for Humane Studies, the Daughters of the American Revolution, and federal funding via a 2026 FIPSE grant. Go-to-market is community-led: the center recruits participants through Lee University channels, partner school networks, email newsletter sign-ups on its Squarespace-hosted website (leeucrc.com), and word-of-mouth within the Cleveland, Tennessee region. Geographic reach is currently regional (Southeast Tennessee and statewide Tennessee for high school outreach), and the organization operates with 1-10 employees. In 2022 it received Lee University's Moonshot Award, and recent multi-year grant awards (2025 civic education grant, 2026 FIPSE civil discourse grant) signal continued programmatic expansion within its niche.

Name

Center For Responsible Citizenship

Legal name

Center for Responsible Citizenship

Website

https://leeucrc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Center for Responsible Citizenship is a nonprofit civic education center at Lee University in Cleveland, Tennessee that runs reading groups, symposia, fellowships, and teacher institutes to cultivate dialogue on citizenship, virtue, and the American Founding among undergraduates, regional high school students, teachers, and community members.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Civic Education and Civil Discourse Programming

NAICS

Civic and Social Organizations (81341), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Civic, Citizenship & Community Engagement Education (EDAAAEAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

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

Keywords

• Civic education programs
• Civil discourse initiatives
• Community dialogue seminars
• Teacher professional development
• Constitution education

Headquarters

HQ city

Cleveland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations: Individual donations of $25, $75, or $150 are solicited from the public to support student programming. Donations are processed through Lee University's giving portal.
2. Institutional Funding: Core operational funding from Lee University as the host institution, supplemented by grants from the Jack Miller Center, Institute for Humane Studies, and other foundations supporting civic education.
3. Grants: Grant funding for specific initiatives including a year-long grant for civic education initiative (2025) and FIPSE Grant for civil discourse support (2026).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Center for Responsible Citizenship (CRC) provides civic education programs at Lee University in Cleveland, Tennessee. Its offerings include the four-year Fellows Program, Reading Group, Summer Seminar, Fall Symposium, Constitution Bowl (quiz competition), Founding Civics Institute (teacher professional development), Essay Competition, and Discourse Dinners. All programs are free to participants and center on reading primary texts, discussion seminars, and intergenerational dialogue on citizenship and the American Founding.

Product overview

The Center for Responsible Citizenship (CRC) offers a suite of educational programs focused on civic education and civil discourse, centered at Lee University. The portfolio includes the flagship Fellows Program (a four-year fellowship with $2,500 annual stipend), Weekly Reading Group (meets Tuesdays at 7pm), Summer Seminar (annual day-long reading discussion), Fall Symposium (intercollegiate multi-day event), Constitution Bowl (annual quiz bowl competition), Founding Civics Institute (professional development for teachers), Essay Competition (with $750 and $250 prizes), and Discourse Dinners (intergenerational meals). These programs collectively cultivate sustained inquiry into citizenship, virtue, and the common good through reading seminars, discussion groups, public lectures, and civic initiatives.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Fellows Program A four-year fellowship gathering a small cohort of Lee University students who read seminal texts together, engage visiting scholars and public intellectuals, and receive a $2,500 annual stipend in recognition of the program's seriousness and their commitment.
• Reading Group An undergraduate reading group meeting Tuesdays at 7pm at a local bookstore near Lee's campus, featuring student-led conversations on readings exploring American identity, pluralism, and charitable public engagement, with free books and light refreshments.
• Summer Seminar An annual day-long discussion seminar convening a mixed cohort of undergraduates and regional high school students, exploring themes through close engagement with classic texts such as Shakespeare; participants receive a copy of the selected text, lunch, and a $50 gift card.
• Fall Symposium An intercollegiate symposium bringing together students, faculty, and community members for multi-day discussions on civic virtue and thought, featuring discussion seminars, keynote lectures, and pre-assigned readings.
• Constitution Bowl An annual Constitution Day Quiz Bowl welcoming local high school students to compete in their knowledge of the U.S. Constitution and American Founding history; high school students from across the state compete in round-robin style elimination rounds at Lee University.
• Founding Civics Institute A three-day institute for 25 regional middle and high school teachers led by Lee University Political Science faculty, featuring nine seminar-style discussions on primary source documents from the American Founding, with $300 stipends and professional development hours provided.
• Essay Competition An annual spring essay competition connecting students' individual disciplines to the themes presented during the academic year's programming, offering a first place prize of $750 and second place prize of $250 for 5-10 page papers exploring the year's theme.
• Discourse Dinners Common meals and conversations bringing together small diverse groups of students, faculty, alumni, and community members to discuss the year's theme in an intimate setting, often hosted at professors' homes.

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 9 professional development hours for teachers
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 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

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Lee UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLee University is the host institution for the CRC. The center is based on campus and leverages university facilities, faculty, and students for programming.
• Dr. Thomas PopecoreOthersCo-founder and Director of the CRC. Lee University Political Science faculty member who leads the center's programming and vision.
• Audrey HaleycoreOthersCo-founder and Associate Program Director of the CRC. Manages program operations and serves as contact for reading groups and general inquiries.
• Dr. Mark ScullyminorOthersLee University Political Science faculty member who leads seminar-style discussions at the Founding Civics Institute.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Jack Miller Center: National nonprofit that funds and supports civic education and American political thought programs at universities. Directly comparable as a peer funder and ecosystem partner running similar faculty and curriculum initiatives that CRC participates in.
• The Fund for American Studies (TFAS): Nonprofit that runs college-level civic education, leadership, and public policy programs for undergraduates. Comparable in pedagogy, student fellowship model, and donor-funded delivery at universities.
• Intercollegiate Studies Institute (ISI): National nonprofit offering civic education programs, reading groups, fellowships, and conferences for college students focused on American political and intellectual traditions. Direct competitor in the university civic education space.
• Ashbrook Center: Ashland University-based center providing civic education, teacher professional development, and primary source curricula on the American Founding. Closely comparable in mission, model, and target audience (teachers, students, community members).
• Institute for Humane Studies (IHS): Foundation supporting student programs, faculty development, and civic education in classical liberal tradition. Funds CRC directly and operates comparable student fellowship and seminar programs.
• Tocqueville Society / Program (various universities): Network of university programs supporting civic education and political philosophy study at the undergraduate level. Direct peer in mission and student-fellowship model.
• Alexander Hamilton Center for Political Thought at Hamilton College: University-based center running civic education programming, reading groups, and symposia on political philosophy and American founding. Direct structural and pedagogical peer operating within a liberal arts college.

Broad incumbents

• National Constitution Center: Major civic education institution offering Constitution-focused programs, teacher training, and student competitions. Overlaps with CRC's Constitution Bowl and Founding Civics Institute but at significantly larger scale.
• Bill of Rights Institute: Established nonprofit providing Constitution-based civic education curricula, teacher professional development, and student programs. Comparable to CRC's Founding Civics Institute but at a national scale.

Emerging players

• Civic Education Research Group (CERG): Smaller-scale civic education nonprofit focused on community dialogue and K-12 civics initiatives. Comparable in mission breadth but lighter than CRC's university-anchored program stack.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/center-for-responsible-citizenship

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Center For Responsible Citizenship