Civic Engagement Infrastructure & Ecosystem: History, Strategies, Typology  

How to Use

As it is prepared explicitly for funders, practitioners may find this resource most useful in collaboration with development and leadership teams to inform engagement strategies with funders/foundations. Consult the Typology to identify entry points for tying community science endeavors directly to funders’  civic engagement interests. The shifting landscape of civic engagement makes this evident: while older notions of philanthropic civic engagement were more narrowly focused on democratic reform (e.g., voting rights advocacy and changes to voter registration), the widening scope of civic engagement thinking allows funders to impact civic life via community science activities. 

Activities like action research, guided community tours, and community organizing are civic engagement tactics. In “doing” community science, these activities may be pursued to conduct and leverage scientific research towards advancing a community priority. From a philanthropic view, their impact may be wider reaching: these same activities promote “intimate, vibrant social experiences” for community interaction. Activities like these can become social and political homes through which communities learn about themselves, make decisions together, and lay a path towards collective action.