CIVICS EDUCATION INITIATIVE

Photo: Students with the YMCA Youth and Government program participate in the model legislative session in the Capitol in February 2025. Photographer: RFH Productions.

Currently accepting applications July 1 – September 30, 2026

TEACHING THE VALUE OF CIVIC ENGAGEMENT

An award program to expand appreciation for the fundamentals of
Oregon’s government.

The Oregon State Capitol Foundation established the Civics Education Initiative (CEI) to fund programs that educate adults and students about Oregon’s legislative process, state and local budgets, public administrative processes, governmental history and the essential importance of citizen involvement in all phases of public policy decision-making.

The Capitol Foundation encourages organizations with existing or aspiring civics education projects and programs to apply for support from this initiative. The Capitol Foundation and its Education Committee believe that the more Oregonians learn about, appreciate and directly involve themselves in the processes of democracy, the more effective Oregon’s government will be.

The Capitol Foundation Education Committee will evaluate CEI applications for their alignment with the Capitol Foundation’s mission to preserve our Capitol, share its history and engage Oregonians in our democracy. In addition, the Committee will evaluate applications for the quality of their proposals, funding plans, community need and participation. The Committee is committed to increasing civics, policy and political involvement in our government, however, the Civics Education Initiative will not fund partisan advocacy efforts or issue specific programs.

CEI award amount

The Capitol Foundation budgeted $250,000 for fiscal year 2026-27 for CEI awards. The Capitol Foundation anticipates that the CEI budget will be shared among several successful applicants but has placed no minimum or maximum limits on individual applications. If your organization received a CEI award in previous years, you may still apply for a CEI award, but priority will be placed on those organizations that have not yet received awards.

Types of eligible programs

The Capitol Foundation expects to receive a variety of creative proposals designed to:

Expand civics education classroom and extracurricular activities.
Provide experiences for Oregonians to learn about the fundamentals of government.
Inspire civic engagement and public service.
Support travel costs for groups to visit the Oregon State Capitol.
Share the history of our Capitol and local and state governments.
Tell the stories of Oregonians who made a difference in Oregon’s civic life.
Support research or advanced study of significant public policy topics.
Expand the civics education outreach of the program rather than fund a fixed organizational cost.

The Oregon State Capitol Foundation is a separate entity from the Oregon Capitol. Any on-site experiences included in your application will need to be scheduled separately with Capitol Visitor Services. Reservations fill up quickly so please call 503-986-1388 and reference oregoncapitol.com to find out more about planning your visit.

Evaluation criteria

Applicants must provide evidence of:

A need for and benefits of the program.
Community and partnership support of the program.
Adequate skill and capacity to administer and manage the program, including project management, financial planning, administration and progress reporting.
Clear program objectives, timelines and measures of success.
Core values of diversity, equity and inclusion.

Application review, selection and award process

The Capitol Foundation will confirm receipt of CEI application.
The Capitol Foundation staff will screen applications for completeness, contacting the applicant if additional information or clarification is required prior to the formal review process.
The Capitol Foundation staff will conduct a check of the applicant’s financial status.
The Capitol Foundation Education Committee will evaluate and score applications.
The Committee will bring its recommendations to the Capitol Foundation Executive Committee at their December meeting for final evaluation.
Following an award decision, the applicant will be notified.
Applicants may check on the status of their application by contacting the Capitol Foundation through email or phone at 503-363-1859.

Award agreement

Shortly after notification of an award, the successful applicant will receive an Award Agreement form from the Capitol Foundation. By signing the Award Agreement, the applicant accepts the award for the purposes outlined in its application and those purposes described in the Agreement.

Award management reporting

After the signed Award Agreement is received, the Capitol Foundation will transmit the entirety of the approved award amount to the applicant. The applicant will return unused funds to the Capitol Foundation within 60 days of completion of the project or program.

The applicant will provide the Capitol Foundation with a program status report halfway through the program. When the program or project is completed, the awardee will provide a final report to the Capitol Foundation per the Award Agreement. Report details will be tailored to individual awards.