National Conference on Citizenship

The National Conference on Citizenship (NCoC) is a United States nonprofit organization focused on strengthening civic life and encouraging people to participate constructively in their communities and democratic institutions. Its work is based on the idea that civic vitality depends not only on formal political participation, but also on volunteering, community relationships, trust, public problem-solving, civic learning, and sustained cooperation across sectors. The organization emerged in the aftermath of World War II. It was founded in 1946, when civic leaders sought to preserve the cooperation and public-minded energy associated with the wartime period and redirect that energy toward peacetime democratic life. The first National Conference on Citizenship took place in Philadelphia on May 17–18, 1946. The organization was subsequently incorporated through a federal congressional charter signed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower on August 13, 1953. Its charter describes purposes including improving public understanding of citizenship rights and responsibilities, encouraging participation in civic activities, and promoting cooperation among citizens and institutions. NCoC's principal platform is the Civic Health Initiative. Through the Civic Health Index, the organization and its partners assess indicators such as voting, volunteering, participation in civic and religious organizations, interpersonal and institutional trust, and other behaviors and attitudes associated with community life. Reports have been produced at national, state, city, and demographic levels, generally in cooperation with organizations such as the Corporation for National and Community Service, the U.S. Census Bureau, and local civic networks. The initiative is intended to give communities evidence that can inform policy, education, investment, and public discussion. The Civic Health Index gained a statutory foundation through the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act of 2009. That legislation recognized and expanded the organization's role in measuring civic engagement, including collaboration with federal institutions. NCoC has also sought to build local partnerships across the country and, at one point, described a goal of developing civic-health collaborations in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The organization has used research and convening to incubate additional programs. The Civic Data Challenge brought together technology, design, nonprofit, and community participants to develop applications and visualizations from civic-health data. The Civic 50 identifies companies viewed as leaders in community engagement and corporate citizenship. After 2013, NCoC also worked with the Franklin Project at the Aspen Institute on the Service Year technology platform, designed to connect young adults, service organizations, and funders around national-service opportunities. NCoC's signature convening is the Annual Conference on Citizenship, generally held in the fall near Citizenship Day, also known as Constitution Day. The conference brings together civic leaders, educators, nonprofit representatives, public officials, businesses, researchers, and other participants to discuss civic engagement, civic learning, social impact, equity, service, and democratic renewal. The organization has additionally supported webinars, discussions, and partnerships throughout the year, including voter-information work with the nonpartisan organization VoteRiders. NCoC is not a consumer product company. Its brand is primarily institutional and mission-led: it represents civic research, public convening, nonpartisan engagement, and cross-sector collaboration. Its present operating scope, based on the available reference material, is the United States.

The National Conference on Citizenship was created in 1946, shortly after World War II, in response to concern that the cooperative spirit and civic mobilization associated with the war effort should continue in peacetime. Its founders and supporters envisioned a national institution that could encourage Americans to understand their rights and responsibilities, participate more effectively in public life, and work together to preserve democratic institutions. The first National Conference on Citizenship was held in Philadelphia on May 17–18, 1946. The organization's founding purpose was broad rather than partisan. It sought to promote knowledge of citizenship, deepen commitment to civic obligations, stimulate participation in community and national activities, and encourage cooperation among citizens and organizations. This mission positioned NCoC as a convening and educational body rather than as a political party or lobbying organization. A major institutional milestone came on August 13, 1953, when President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed legislation passed by Congress granting NCoC a federal charter. The charter enabled the organization to pursue projects directly and to support related activities undertaken by organizations and agencies in states and communities. The Annual Conference on Citizenship continued as the organization's principal public gathering, with themes addressing freedom, voting, civic responsibility, youth engagement, education, corporate citizenship, and the relationship between civic participation and broader social conditions. The organization expanded its research orientation in the 2000s. In 2006, NCoC convened a working group to develop America's Civic Health Index. The index assembled indicators such as voting, volunteering, membership in civic and religious organizations, trust, and other civic behaviors and attitudes to describe the condition of civic life. NCoC worked with the Corporation for National and Community Service, the U.S. Census Bureau, and local partners to produce national, state, city, and demographic reports. The initiative was designed not merely as a publication series, but as a tool that communities could use to identify challenges, guide investments, inform education, and support public discussion. The Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, signed in 2009, gave the Civic Health Index an important legislative foundation. The act recognized NCoC's role in assessing civic engagement and formalized cooperation with federal data and service institutions. NCoC subsequently described its civic-health network as involving more than 30 local partners and articulated an ambition to develop partnerships throughout all 50 states and the District of Columbia. In 2012, NCoC broadened its program portfolio. The Civic 50 was created to identify companies demonstrating strong community engagement and to encourage the institutionalization of civic and social-impact practices within corporate cultures. The Civic Data Challenge was organized as a national competition in which technologists, designers, nonprofit professionals, and local leaders used civic-health data to create applications, websites, and other tools intended to increase civic participation. In 2013, NCoC began collaborating with the Franklin Project at the Aspen Institute on the Service Year technology platform. The platform was conceived as an online marketplace connecting young adults, organizations offering service positions, and funders supporting national service. This work reflected an expansion from measuring civic conditions toward helping people find concrete opportunities for service. NCoC's Annual Conference on Citizenship has remained a central mechanism for convening people working across the civic-engagement field. Held around Citizenship Day in the fall, the conference has featured public officials, judges, academics, nonprofit leaders, business figures, educators, journalists, and civic innovators. Conference themes over time have included voting, freedom, social capital, technology, employment, equity, diversity, inclusion, civic learning, and renewal. NCoC has also supported additional events, webinars, and partnerships, including voter-identification information efforts with VoteRiders. The available material does not provide a complete account of NCoC's current staffing, finances, legal status beyond its nonprofit and congressional-chartered character, or the full chronology of its recent activities. Its documented institutional identity, however, is that of a national, nonpartisan civic organization combining research, convening, partnership development, and practical civic-engagement programs.

• 2013

  Service Year platform partnership

  [1]National Conference on Citizenshipen.wikipedia.org

  NCoC partnered with the Franklin Project at the Aspen Institute to develop an online national-service marketplace.

• 2012

  Launch of Civic 50 and Civic Data Challenge

  [1]National Conference on Citizenshipen.wikipedia.org

  NCoC introduced programs addressing corporate citizenship and civic technology.

• 2009

  Serve America Act recognition

  [1]National Conference on Citizenshipen.wikipedia.org

  The Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act recognized and expanded NCoC's civic-health measurement role.

• 2006

  Development of America's Civic Health Index

  [1]National Conference on Citizenshipen.wikipedia.org

  NCoC convened a working group to create a systematic measure of civic conditions and participation.

• 1953

  Federal congressional charter

  [1]National Conference on Citizenshipen.wikipedia.org

  President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed legislation incorporating NCoC through a federal charter.

• 1946

  First National Conference on Citizenship

  [1]National Conference on Citizenshipen.wikipedia.org

  The first conference was held in Philadelphia on May 17–18, establishing the organization's postwar civic mission.

NCoC positions itself as a nonpartisan civic infrastructure organization that connects research, public dialogue, community partnerships, and practical participation. Rather than advocating for a particular political party or policy platform, it emphasizes measurement of civic conditions and collaboration among government, nonprofits, businesses, educators, researchers, and citizens.

• Civic research and measurement · 2006

  Civic Health Index

  NCoC's principal research framework for assessing civic life. Reports draw on measures such as voting, volunteering, organizational participation, trust, and related civic behaviors and attitudes. The program has been applied at national, state, city, and demographic levels through partnerships with federal agencies and local institutions.

• Conference and convening · 1946

  Annual Conference on Citizenship

  NCoC's signature annual gathering, normally scheduled near Citizenship Day in the fall. It brings together civic leaders and cross-sector participants to discuss civic participation, learning, service, social impact, equity, and democratic renewal.

• Corporate citizenship benchmarking · 2012

  The Civic 50

  An initiative designed to identify companies with strong community-engagement practices. It evaluates how participating large corporations engage with communities and incorporate civic or social-impact activity into organizational practice.

• Civic technology competition · 2012

  Civic Data Challenge

  A nationwide competition that connected technology and design participants with nonprofit and community leaders to turn civic-health data into applications, websites, visualizations, and other tools intended to support participation.

• National-service platform · 2013

  Service Year technology platform

  A platform developed with the Franklin Project at the Aspen Institute to connect young adults seeking service opportunities with organizations offering positions and funders supporting national service.

• 2013Service Year

  United States

  A partnership with the Franklin Project intended to make national-service opportunities easier for young Americans to discover and access.

  Outcome. Created a technology platform linking prospective service participants, host organizations, and funders; longer-term results are not specified in the available material.

  Source
• 2006Civic Health Initiative

  United States

  A national network and research effort using civic indicators and local partnerships to understand and improve civic life.

  Outcome. Produced civic-health reports at national, state, city, and demographic levels and supported local civic discussion and planning.

  Source
• Voter information partnership with VoteRiders

  United States

  NCoC worked with nonpartisan VoteRiders to distribute state-specific information concerning voter-identification requirements.

  Source

• 2012

  Broaden the program portfolioProduct launch

  Background

  NCoC sought to apply civic-engagement principles beyond research and conferences.

  Action taken

  It launched The Civic 50 and the Civic Data Challenge.

  Aftermath

  The organization extended its work into corporate citizenship benchmarking and civic technology.

  Source

• 2009

  Expand civic-health measurement through the Serve America ActStrategy

  Background

  NCoC's Civic Health Index had developed into a major effort to quantify civic participation and community conditions.

  Action taken

  The Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act recognized and expanded NCoC's role in developing annual civic-health assessments with federal partners.

  Aftermath

  The initiative received statutory recognition and continued as a national, state, city, and demographic reporting program.

  Source

• 1953

  Operate under a federal congressional charterStrategy

  Background

  The organization sought a durable institutional framework for translating its civic mission into national and community-level activities.

  Action taken

  Congress passed chartering legislation, which President Eisenhower signed on August 13, 1953.

  Aftermath

  NCoC gained a federal charter and authority to conduct or support civic projects through national, state, and community partners.

  Source

1. 1National Conference on Citizenshipen.wikipedia.org
2. 2National Conference on Citizenship official websitencoc.net