Category Archives: funding-jobs-awards

New Grant Initiative Seeks to Address Polarization

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NCDD members may want to look into the Madison Initiative, an exciting exploratory grant initiative from the Hewlett Foundation. Hewlett is hoping the initiative can address the problem of polarization in the US, especially in Congress. You can learn more from Hewlett’s press release below or by visiting www.hewlett.org.

Exploratory Project Seeks to Strengthen Representative Democracy in U.S.

HewlettFdn-logoMenlo Park, Calif. — It is hard to look at events of the past few years without concluding that democracy in America is in trouble. Surveys routinely find that most Americans think poorly of the federal government and, in particular, of Congress. Such frustration and mistrust do not bode well for our system of government.

Against this backdrop, The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation announced today that it is launching a new initiative to help alleviate the problem of polarization, with a special focus on the problem in Congress. The foundation will invest $50 million over the next three years in what it is calling the Madison Initiative. It will use this initial phase of grantmaking to assess whether and how it can help strengthen the nation’s representative institutions so that they are better able to address the major issues facing the country—and do so in ways that work for the American people.

The Initiative takes its name from James Madison, who warned against “the mischiefs of faction.” He and the other Founders designed a system of government built on representative institutions meant to foster negotiation and compromise. They understood that governing a nation as extensive and diverse as the United States would require leaders capable of reaching agreement among, and on behalf of, people and groups with different and often conflicting interests, beliefs, and agendas.

Reflecting its Madisonian roots, the Initiative will have the foundation joining forces with other funders, civic groups, and leaders—in and outside of government—working to restore pragmatism and the spirit of compromise in Congress; to reform campaign and election processes so they set the stage for problem solving; and to promote a more informed and active citizenry.

Hewlett’s approach is unequivocally agnostic on particular policy outcomes outside of democracy-enhancing reforms. The Initiative is based on the premise that the health of a representative democracy is measured not by whether any particular policy is adopted, but by whether its institutions are working in ways that most people find acceptable.

“Strengthening the ability of democratic institutions to find solutions is better for everybody in the long run, no matter which political party is seen to benefit in the short term,” said Larry Kramer, president of the Hewlett Foundation and former dean of Stanford Law School. “We want to see better and more productive debate and deliberation on the most challenging problems facing society, which are simply not being addressed at the moment.”

The Madison Initiative will be explicitly bipartisan, engaging with and supporting nonprofit grantees from the right, left, and center who share the goal of improving representative democracy in the United States.

The Hewlett Foundation is not the first grant maker seeking to shore up the country’s flailing democracy. There are many other donors in the field. Ellen Alberding, president of the Joyce Foundation, a longstanding funder in this area, observed, “We are delighted to have the Hewlett Foundation joining this effort. They are bringing a powerful vantage point and a collaborative spirit to their work, and we look forward to working with them to advance the goals we have in common.”

The Initiative has been structured as an exploratory effort in which the foundation will invest $50 million over the next three years; if the preliminary grantmaking is seen as promising, the Foundation will return to its Board of Directors for additional funding in 2017.

About The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation
The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation helps people build measurably better lives. The Foundation concentrates its resources on activities in education, the environment, global development and population, performing arts, and philanthropy, and makes grants to support disadvantaged communities in the San Francisco Bay Area. A full list of all the Hewlett Foundation’s grants can be found here.

Contact:
Jon Jeter
Communications Officer
communications@hewlett.org

New Job Opening at Public Agenda

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PublicAgenda-logoWe are excited to share that our organizational partners at Public Agenda are hiring!

PA is seeking a Senior Public Engagement Associate to work with them in New York City, and we know that many of our NCDD members could be a great fit for the position. The position is described like this:

The Senior Public Engagement Associate works with the Public Engagement (PE) team to develop, coordinate and implement engagement projects across a range of issues areas around the country. The senior associate will lead various types of field-based engagement projects – including project design, field logistics, research, facilitation, report writing and evaluation. The PE Department is busy and fast moving. The applicant must be comfortable leading multiple projects independently with minimal supervision, while maintaining an ability to work as part of a team. The Senior Public Engagement Associate contributes to Public Agenda’s mission to create opportunities for collaboration and to facilitate problem solving for our nation’s most pressing issues. We are looking for a highly motivated individual who is interested in contributing to our work across the country. This position reports directly to the Director of Public Engagement Programs.

You can find the full job description and info on how to apply by clicking here. Good luck to all the applicants!

CM Conference Call on Grassroots Grants, July 31

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CM_logo-200pxIt’s time again for another capacity-building conference call from our organizational partners at CommunityMatters, which is coming up this Thursday, July 31st from 4-5pm EST.

The topic of this latest call is “Grassroots Grants“, and CM will be partnering with Janis Foster Richardson, the Executive Director of Grassroots Grantmakers, to host it. They introduce the call’s topic like this:

Is your community a place for possibilities? Can residents bring their ideas to life, take risks, make connections and ply their creative skills? Grassroots grantmaking focuses on helping organizations turn possibilities into realities.

Through small grants, residents move from dreaming to doing and become critical change makers in their community.

Janis Foster Richardson, executive director of Grassroots Grantmakers, joins CommunityMatters on Thursday, July 31 for an hour-long webinar on how local governments, nonprofits, foundations and other community groups are supporting everyday people in making positive change through small grant programs.

Register today by clicking here, and we hope to hear you on the call!

Before the call, we encourage you to check out the accompanying piece on the CM blog by Caitlyn Horose, which is cross posted below. You can find the original piece here.

Investing in “What Ifs” With Grassroots Grants

No matter how rich or poor, every community has a wealth of ideas, often nascent, for making things better. What if we timed the traffic lights differently? What if we added more trashcans, or lights or widened our sidewalks? What if we turned that blank wall or fence into something more beautiful?

Despite the multitude of improvement ideas, people rarely act on them. Residents may feel limited by time, money, or uncertainty about whether formal permits are required. Grassroots grantmaking is the business of investing in “what ifs” and crazy ideas.

Grassroots grants focus on what people can do better together rather than what agencies or institutions can do for them; help people move from dreaming to doing; and invest in people and associations as critical change-makers in a community.

Municipalities, nonprofits, and community foundations are supporting and stimulating citizen-driven efforts through these small grants.

Here are two organizations doing this work:

The Vancouver Community Foundation’s Neighborhood Small Grants program in Canada supports diverse projects like “Host a Hope” murals to increase community connectedness, a mobile Truck Farm to promote local produce and a digital storytelling project for youth called Callingwood Snapshots. Efforts funded by the initiative encourage neighborhood connections and engagement. Learn more. View the video:

Neighborhood Connections, a 10 year old community building and small grants program of the Cleveland Community Foundation has provided resources for nearly 2,000 projects—public murals, after school programs and even a marching band. All funding decisions are made by a resident grantmaking committee. Watch the video below to learn more.

While many grassroots grant programs are affiliated with community foundations and other funding entities, local governments and nonprofits are also establishing them.

After completing the Golden Vision 2030 and Community Heart & Soul™ planning process, city employees and elected officials in Golden, Colorado wanted residents to take action. Golden created the i-Golden Neighborhood Grants program, offering small grants for resident-led projects that support community values. Through i-Golden grants, the city supports many local efforts including beautification, block parties, and pedestrian safety improvements.

The North Fork Valley Heart & Soul Project in Western Colorado featured a mini-grant program to involve residents in their new community vision. Ten thousand dollars was split between seven winners. Projects included the installation of a community bulletin board, creation of a seed library, and a community kitchen feasibility study.

The Youth Leadership and Philanthropy Initiative of Perry County, Kentucky engages youth through community service, leadership development and small grants. The program helps stem outmigration by teaching the value of investment in the local community. In its first year, the initiative awarded four $500 grants raised from individual donations and fundraising events.

Grassroots Grantmakers is a network of many different types of organizations that share a commitment to the values and principles of asset-based community development and a belief in the power of everyone to be contributing, active citizens and changemakers.

On Thursday, July 31, Janis Foster Richardson, executive director of Grassroots Grantmakers, will join CommunityMatters to share how local governments, nonprofits, foundations and other community groups are supporting positive change through small grant programs.

Register now.

Center for Collaborative Policy Job Openings

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Our colleagues at the the Center for Collaborative Policy – an NCDD organizational member – have recently announced three promising job openings at their California State University, Sacramento campus. We know some of our NCDD members would be a perfect fit for these positions, so we encourage you to find out more in CCP’s announcements below.

Job Announcement – Business Development Director

The Center for Collaborative Policy, California State University, Sacramento is recruiting for a Business Development Director.  The successful applicant will have experience in attracting significant revenues from public and private sector sources for collaborative public processes and activities.   The applicant is also expected to be a senior practitioner in conducting multi-party collaborative public processes with a high degree of complexity.  Responsibilities include:

  • Directly generate revenue for the Center through communicating with prospective clients as well as teaming partners, responding to competitive proposals, pursuing sole source agreements and creating other statewide business opportunities.
  • Develop and implement an annual Business Development Plan, and train and coach Center practitioners to execute the Plan and attract client business.
  • Develop, supervise and provide oversight for the Center business development personnel and data system.

Salary is competitive and commensurate with experience. Attractive benefits are provided. Application review will begin on July 14, 2014 and continue until the position is filled.

For further information and to view duties, qualifications and application process, see: http://www.csus.edu/about/employment. The website Job Identification number is 101075. All submissions are done electronically. California State University, Sacramento is an equal opportunity /ADA employer. For more information on the Center for Collaborative Policy, see www.csus.edu/ccp.

Job Announcement – Assistant Facilitator

The Center for Collaborative Policy, California State University, Sacramento is recruiting for two Assistant Facilitator positions.  Successful applicants will have the ability to: document technical and interpersonal discussions (including conditions of conflict); write reports on complex, multi-topic conditions; use web-based facilitation and meeting management tools such as Go-To Meeting/Webinar; WebEx, Doodle, Survey Monkey, MindMapper, etc.; and have excellent verbal and written skills, strong interpersonal skills, and knowledge of and interest in collaborative policy making practice and theory.

Duties include:

  • Accurately and objectively record information from fast-paced, highly technical discussions
  • Prepare draft and final detailed summaries and reports from meetings
  • Render complex and lengthy information into clear and accurate lay person terms
  • Provide logistical support for meetings
  • Develop meeting agendas, facilitation plans, and group process plans
  • Schedule and conduct stakeholder interviews
  • Conduct policy research

Salary is $3897 – $5847/month. It is the general practice of Sacramento State to hire at the lower end of salary range. This position is covered by health benefits. Application review will begin July 9, 2014 and will continue until positions are filled. Final application deadline is July 23, 2014.

For further information and to view duties, qualifications and application process, see: http://www.csus.edu/about/employment. All submissions are done electronically. The website Job Identification number is: Job ID #101088. For more information on the Center for Collaborative Policy, see www.csus.edu/ccp.

California State University, Sacramento is an equal opportunity /ADA employer.

Fusion Partnerships Wins Social Activist Award

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We hope you’ll join us in congratulating NCDD supporting/founding member Polly Riddims and the wonderful team at Fusion Partnerships on recently being awarded the Social Activist Award from the Justice Studies Association. We are proud to count Polly and her team as part of our NCDD community, and we hope you’ll take a moment to read the Fusion team’s statement on their award below. 

On Friday, May 30, 2014, Fusion Partnerships, Inc. received the Social Activist Award from the Justice Studies Association in recognition for their continuing work for justice and well-being in Baltimore. The award was presented during their 16th Annual Conference “Revisiting to Revisioning: Restorative Justice to Transformative Justice” at Towson University, May 29-31, 2014. Polly Riddims, Managing Partner and Jim Kucher, Board Chair were there to accept the award.

Through collaborative action, including fiscal sponsorship, Fusion Partnerships works to be a catalyst for social justice and peace. Fusion currently provides fiscal sponsorship and incubation support for over 65 community based program in the Baltimore region working for social change. These projects are making a difference in areas of youth development, health and nutrition, gender and LGBT issues, criminal justice reform, racial justice, and the arts.

Fusion was established in 1998 to educate and facilitate community building and collaborative efforts toward social change. Through work in the community, Fusion found many underserved grassroots community leaders with great new ideas, entrepreneurial projects and innovative strategies, struggling to do their best with little financial support and without access to the nonprofit resources. Fiscal sponsorship provides an opportunity for individuals or groups tocarry out their ideas, where they can succeed and grow, and create a space for collaborative work and sharing of resources.

Justice Studies Association (JSA) is an international not-for-profit membership association established in 1998 to:

  • Foster writing and research about, the practice of, and activism for, justice without violence;
  • Provide venues in the form of an annual conference and a journal of progressive thought to tackle pressing issues of criminal, social, restorative, and economic justice;
  • Foster a sense of community among scholars, activists and practioners of justice interested in creating a global community in which the needs of all are met; and
  • Welcome scholars from all disciplines to think and write about issues of justice from an interdisciplinary and global perspective.

Announcing the 2014 All-American City Award Winners

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We hope you will join the National Civic League and NCDD in congratulating the winners of the 2014 All-American City Awards. The NCL, an NCDD member organization, used this year’s awards to give a special focus to healthy communities. We encourage you to read the NCL press release below or find more information at www.allamericacityaward.com.

NCL-logoThe National Civic League announced the ten winners of the 2014 All-America City Awards (AAC) tonight. The award is given each year to towns, cities, counties, neighborhoods and metropolitan regions that demonstrate outstanding civic accomplishments.

Listed alphabetically by state, the 2014 All-America Cities are:

  • Montgomery, Alabama
  • San Pablo, California
  • Brush!, Colorado
  • Fort Lauderdale, Florida
  • Cedar Rapids, Iowa
  • Chelsea, Massachusetts
  • Independence, Oregon
  • Brownsville, Texas
  • Hampton, Virginia
  • Eau Claire, Wisconsin

The criteria for winning an All-America City Award include impact, inclusiveness, public engagement and collaboration by the private, public and nonprofit sectors. This year AAC had a special focus on healthy communities.

More than 650 communities have won the All-America City Award since the program was launched in 1949. Some have won the award multiple times. To win, each community had to make a presentation to a jury of civic experts focusing on three outstanding examples of collaborative, community problem solving.

“Congratulations on a job well done,” said Denver Mayor Michael B. Hancock in a message to the All-America Cities. “Not only have you proven your ability to innovate, work together and take on the complex challenges facing America’s communities, you’ve given inspiration and ideas to other communities across the country.”

For two days, groups of civic leaders and community activists met in Denver to present their stories of positive change to a jury of civic experts and to network and exchange ideas and insights.

The 2014 All-America Cities applied grassroots efforts to address such issues as childhood obesity, economic development, neighborhood revitalization, greenway development. They engaged the public directly in budget-making, city planning and communitywide fitness programs. They promoted local arts and cultural opportunities, reduced high school drop-out rates and turned polluted brownfields into parks.

“These communities are amazing,” said National Civic League President Gloria Rubio-Cortés. “They deserve to be recognized for the great work they are doing to make their communities stronger, healthier and more inclusive. They have found innovative ways of aligning existing programs to achieve greater impact.”

Sponsors of the 2014 All-America City Awards are Southwest Airlines, The Official Airline of the All-America City Awards; Campaign for Grade-Level Reading; Colorado Health Foundation; The Colorado Trust; Kaiser Permanente Denver/Boulder Offices; Alameda Gateway Community Association; Delta Dental of Colorado; FirstBank; Greenberg Traurig; Mile High United Way; PCL Construction; St. Anthony Hospital; City of Aurora, Colorado; City and County of Denver, Colorado; City of Lakewood, Colorado; City of Dublin, California; City of Gladstone, Missouri; City of Rancho Cordova, California; City of Hickory, North Carolina; and RubinBrown.

NCL is a 120-year old nonpartisan, nonprofit organization based in Denver, Colorado. Its mission is accomplished by fostering and sharing promising practices of local government and public engagement and celebrating the progress that can be achieved when people work together.

For more information contact Mike McGrath at the National Civic League at 303 571-4343; mikem@ncl.org, or visit the All-America City Blog at www.allamericacityaward.com or the NCL web site at www.ncl.org.

Grassroots Grantmakers Seeks New ED

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We recently saw theannouncment that NCDD member Janis Foster Richardson will be stepping down as executive director of a great organization, Grassroots Grantmakers, and that the search is on for a new ED. We wish Janis the best of luck in her transition, but we also hope that other NCDD members will be interested in the ED position, so we encourage you to read the announcement below or find out more at www.grassrootsgrantmakers.org.

Greetings to all in the Grassroots Grantmakers network.

As you may know, we will be bidding a fond farewell to our long-time Executive Director, the incomparable Janis Foster Richardson, in the near future. The Grassroots Grantmakers’ board is working on our executive transition, and Janis has very helpfully agreed to postpone her departure until we have her successor on board.

We would like to ask your assistance in identifying that special person to take over the leadership of our network. You can find a description of the position by clicking here. We would be so grateful if you would circulate this in your networks, and perhaps even think of that special person, maybe someone you know would be great but who isn’t even looking for a job, and reach out to him or her on our behalf. We strongly believe that our next director is already known within our network of friends and colleagues.

If you or anyone with whom you are in contact would like to discuss this position or get more details, please do not hesitate to contact Patrick Horvath at phorvath@denverfoundation.org, or to reach out to Janis directly at janis@grassrootsgrantmakers.org.

Davenport Accepting Public Engagement Grant Applications

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We are excited to share with you that our organizational partners at the Davenport Institute have opened the application process for their 2014 Public Engagement Grant Program. The grant is perfect for NCDD members, and we highly encourage you to apply before the September 12 deadline. You can read more about the program below or find out more by clicking here. 

DavenportInst-logo If you have a public engagement project that could use some consulting help, now is the time to apply for the seventh annual Davenport Institute Public Engagement Grant Program! This year we will be awarding $25,000 in funded consulting services to cities, counties, special districts, and civic organizations looking to conduct legitimate public processes on issues ranging from budgets to land use to public safety to water policy.

The application deadline is Friday, September 12 and decisions will be announced by October 1.

The Davenport Institute’s Public Engagement Grants are service grants, funding well-qualified consultants selected jointly by grantees and the Institute to work with grantees on facilitated public forums.

This year the Davenport Institute will be awarding 2-4 grants, offering up to $10,000 per grant to be paid directly by the Institute to an approved consultant.  The total amount of grant awards for 2014 will be around $25,000 in funded consulting services.

Prior to beginning their public engagement campaign, grantees will receive training and consultation from the Davenport Institute to build understanding and support for the civic engagement effort among administrative and elected officials.

Davenport senior staff and consultants will then work with grantees to design public forum sessions and will facilitate deliberations among residents, stakeholders, and government representatives.

About the 2014 Public Engagement Grant Program

From difficult budget decisions to tough land use problems, municipal and civic institutions have recognized that legitimately engaging their citizens – from discovering their informed opinions, to inviting their participation in actual solutions – should be a pragmatic priority. Still, the tight budgets that most require these public discussions can also preclude them when municipalities decide that engaging residents is just “too expensive.”

Starting in 2008 (then conducted through Common Sense California), our grants have been used to support cities, counties, special districts and civic organizations as they have endeavored to engage their residents on a variety of issues.

Here’s a small sampling of the efforts we have supported:

See our application criteria here and our online application here.

Some FAQs:

Q1: Does the proposed public process need to occur immediately?

A: No. Most of our granted projects have taken place within one year of the application date.

Q2: Can we recommend a facilitator or web platform to receive support from the Grant Program?

A: Yes. Again, the purpose of our grants is to fund participatory (as opposed to “PR”) projects. Of course, we’d like to interview your recommended facilitator, but we’ve worked with designated consultants before. This actually helps us build our own “rolodex” of consultants!

Q3: Is the Davenport training an added expense?

A: No. Training for the grant recipient is now an integral part of the Grant Program, and is offered as part of the grant. All expenses – including travel – are assumed by Davenport.

Q4: How many grantees do you anticipate this year?

A: We tend to support between 2-4 grantees each year with the Grant Program.

Q5: Do you support “capacity building” efforts like “block captain”, “neighborhood watch”, “citizen academy”?

A: No. As a practice, the grants are intended to support actual public projects around “live” issues – from budgets to land use. We find with the training added, these grants build “civic capacity” through actual engagement.

The criteria are straightforward and the online application form is easy. After reviewed by members of our Advisory Council, our 2014 grantees will be announced by early October.

Please feel free to contact Ashley Trim at ashley.trim@pepperdine.edu or at 310-506-6878 with any questions.

You can find more information on the Davenport Institute’s grant programs at http://publicpolicy.pepperdine.edu/davenport-institute/grants.

Gleitsman Activist Award Nominations Open

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We recently learned about a great award being offered by the Center for Public Leadership at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government that we think would be well-suited for some of our NCDD members and their networks. Nominations for this honor are open until July 5th, so make sure not to delay if you want to nominate someone. You can read more below or find more info here.

We are excited to announce the opening of the nomination period for the 2014 Gleitsman Citizen Activist Award. Between now and the nomination deadline of July 5, 2014, we welcome nominations of individual activists who are leaders in confronting and correcting social injustice in the United States.

The Gleitsman Citizen Activist Award celebrates the courageous, innovative work of individuals who advance social justice and improve lives in their communities and beyond. The award, given every other year at the Center for Public Leadership at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, recognizes these change agents for acting upon their unique and powerful insights about solving society’s toughest problems and for shaping strong, successful programs that truly make change happen.

Past honorees stand out in the field of social change for their vision, their determination, and their capacity to achieve lasting social impact with effective, pragmatic, programs. For example, Rebecca Onie, the 2012 honoree, has greatly improved health outcomes for lower-income patients through  her work as CEO of Health Leads, a nonprofit that works to create a healthcare system that addresses all patients’ basic resource needs as a standard part of quality care. Susan Burton, the 2010 honoree and criminal justice system activist Susan Burton, has changed lives and helped people build new and better futures by empowering formerly incarcerated women to reenter society, maintain their sobriety, and reunite with their children.

The honoree will receive $125,000 and a specially commissioned sculpture designed by Maya Lin, the creator of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. The award ceremony will be held in November 2014 at the Center for Public Leadership, which oversees and sponsors the award.

You can complete the Citizen Activist Award nomination form by following this link, http://bit.ly/1kYQOpN, and forwarding supporting materials to us postmarked no later than July 5, 2014.  Alternatively, please complete the attached form and supporting materials and return them postmarked no later than July 5, 2014. Please feel free to share this nomination request with your networks.

If you have any questions regarding this nomination or the Center for Public Leadership, or need any additional information before sharing this nomination, please write to Mike_Leveriza@hks.harvard.edu or call 617-495-1386.

PBP Recognized with Brown Democracy Medal

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We are proud to announce that our friends at the Participatory Budgeting Project – an NCDD organizational member – are the first-ever winners of Penn State’s new Brown Democracy Medal! Please join us in sending a huge congratulations to PBP for this well-deserved award. You can read more below, find Penn State’s original announcement here, or see PBP’s press release here.

PBP-logoA national organization that empowers citizens to exert greater control over public spending was selected as the first recipient of the Brown Democracy Medal, an award that will be presented annually by the McCourtney Institute for Democracy in Penn State’s College of the Liberal Arts.

The Brown Democracy Medal was endowed in 2013 by Penn State alumni Larry Brown (Class of 1971, history) and Lynne Brown (Class of 1972, education). The medal spotlights the best work being done to advance democracy in the United States and internationally. Under the award program, the McCourtney Institute for Democracy will recognize practical innovations, such as new institutions, laws, technologies or movements that advance the cause of democracy. In addition, future awards will highlight contributions in democratic theory that enrich philosophical conceptions of democracy and empirical work that promises to improve the functioning of democracies. Along with the medal, recipients will receive $5,000, give a public talk at Penn State, and have an essay published by a prestigious university press.

The inaugural medal winner, the Participatory Budgeting Project (PBP), is a nonprofit organization that promotes “participatory budgeting,” an inclusive process that empowers community members to make informed decisions about public spending. More than 46,000 people in communities across the United States have decided how to spend $45 million through programs that PBP helped spark over the last five years.

Participatory budgeting invites citizens to collectively determine how millions of their tax dollars are spent. Josh Lerner, executive director of PBP, said that participatory budgeting “offers a fundamentally different way to engage with government, and meaningfully engages people in the budget decisions that affect them.”

John Gastil, director of the McCourtney Institute for Democracy, noted that “The Participatory Budgeting Project exemplifies the essential features the award committee was looking for in its inaugural recipient. Political and economic inequality is part of the American national discussion, and participatory budgeting helps empower marginalized groups that do not normally take part in a process that is so critical for democratic life.”

Lerner said, “We are deeply honored to receive the Brown Democracy Medal, in recognition of our work to give thousands of people real power over real money. In just a few years, we have shown how a small nonprofit organization can bring together hundreds of partners to build a new model for local democracy.”

He will accept the medal on behalf of the PBP on Oct. 24 at a ceremony held at Penn State’s University Park campus. More information is at www.participatorybudgeting.org.

The Brown Democracy Medal review committee considered dozens of applications from across the globe, including creative policy innovations in Australia and Iceland. The committee evaluated submissions based on the criteria of the innovation’s novelty, its effectiveness and potential for diffusion across different societies and cultures, its nonpartisan orientation and the recency of the democratic innovation.

The McCourtney Institute for Democracy at Penn State promotes rigorous scholarship and practical innovations to advance the democratic process in the United States and abroad. The institute examines the interplay of deliberative, electoral and institutional dynamics. It recognizes that effective deliberation among citizens has the potential to reshape both the character of public opinion and the dynamics of electoral politics, particularly in state and local communities. Likewise, political agendas and institutional processes can shape the ways people frame and discuss issues. The institute pursues this mission, in part, through supporting the work of its partner units, the Center for Democratic Deliberation (CDD) and the Center for American Political Responsiveness (CAPR).

The original version of this announcement can be found on Penn State’s website at http://news.psu.edu/story/312850/2014/04/23/impact/participatory-budgeting-project-selected-brown-democracy-medal.