About Citizen University

Working to fortify the habits and skills of powerful, responsible citizenship in communities across the country

A group of people who are seated and chatting with one another.

We believe that a stronger civic culture—whether on our neighborhood blocks or the whole of our nation—is shaped by how people practice citizenship every day with the people around us, not just during elections or moments of crises.

Our work equips local community leaders—people we call civic catalysts—to practice and spread powerful, responsible citizenship in the places they call home.

The vision we’re working toward

Our dream is a nation of vibrant, self-governing communities where each person understands their civic power, commits to taking responsibility, and is meaningfully contributing to a healthy, shared civic life.

How we work

TRAIN

In our training programs, people engage with new ideas (like power + character = citizenship) that they can apply and adapt in their own places.

Check out our Programs

SUSTAIN

Through a vibrant and active alumni network, we support CU-trained catalysts in widening the circle of invitation and expanding civic practices.

Learn about our Alumni Network

INNOVATE

We build and experiment with novel methods for practicing and spreading powerful, responsible citizenship.

Read more about our special projects

CIRCULATE

What we learn, we share. We aim to make our tools and resources widely available for use by people and organizations across the country.

Put these ideas to use