Civics PlaybookNational Constitution Center
- Mission: To increase awareness and understanding of the U.S. Constitution among the American people on a nonpartisan basis.
- Geographic Focus: National
- Audience: K-12 students and teachers, college students and teachers and citizens
- Budget: $22.8 million
- Number of Visitors: 132,000 in-person visitors and millions of online participants annually engaging with NCC resources and programs
- Focus Areas and Core Competencies:
- National Constitution Center Museum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, open to the public
- Free Constitution 101 middle and high school courses and Founders’ Library of primary source documents online
- Free America at 250 Civic Toolkit, featuring the Interactive Constitution and a new Interactive Declaration of Independence online
- Free classroom resources
A National Headquarters and Platform for Constitutional Education and Civil Dialogue
Impact: National Constitution Center
In the 2024-2025 academic year, the National Constitution Center reached more than 5.4 million students and 87,000 teachers through its educational resources and programming. Its website now receives more than 11 million unique visits annually. The Center serves as a leading platform for nonpartisan learning about America’s founding documents and ideals, and how they continue to shape the nation today. Programs include the America at 250 Civic Toolkit, featuring the Interactive Constitution and Interactive Declaration of Independence, online classes and virtual student programming such as Constitution 101, Scholar Exchanges and Civic Stories, as well as town halls and podcasts.
A Conversation with Vince Stango, Interim President and CEO of the National Constitution Center
Q: What is the mission of the National Constitution Center? What problem(s) in civics education is your nonprofit working to solve?
The mission of the National Constitution Center is rooted in our congressional charter: to increase awareness and understanding of the U.S. Constitution among the American people on a nonpartisan basis. Our museum is located on Independence Mall in Philadelphia, just steps from where the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were drafted and signed. Through both in-person and virtual programming, however, we bring together learners of all ages and perspectives from across the country.
This is a challenging time for civics education. In a 2022 national civics assessment, only 14% of eighth graders scored proficient or higher in U.S. history, and just 22% reached proficiency or advanced levels in civics. Surveys such as the annual Annenberg Constitution Day Civics Survey also consistently reveal gaps in public knowledge of basic constitutional facts, alongside declining confidence in democratic institutions. Together, these trends underscore the urgent need to inspire students to engage with America’s founding principles and understand their relevance today.
In this landmark year for our nation, the National Constitution Center is uniquely positioned to ignite lasting “civic sparks,” introducing new ways to reach Americans earlier and more meaningfully in their everyday lives.
Q: Does your organization have any upcoming programs or events planned in recognition of the 250th anniversary of the United States?
Philadelphia will play a central role in this year’s celebrations, and the National Constitution Center is proud to work with partners across the city to welcome the millions of visitors expected. Our annual Liberty Medal ceremony, honoring individuals and institutions of courage and conviction, will be part of Philadelphia’s Independence Week in 2026.
We have also collaborated with our Philadelphia Historic District partners on 52 Weeks of Firsts, inviting people of all ages to engage with the city’s history and innovation. Additionally, we are bringing educators and Civic Renewal Network partners to the Center for the Teaching250 symposium, helping teachers create meaningful and transformative classroom experiences.
This year, we will open two major new exhibits focused on America’s founding and the separation of powers. Thanks to a generous loan from Kenneth C. Griffin, visitors will have the rare opportunity to view one of the 14 original printed copies of the Constitution and an early draft of the amendments that became the Bill of Rights.
We are also partnering with centers of civic life across the country to host convenings and scholar talks that model our approach to civic dialogue. Through book clubs and other activities, Americans are invited to explore the ideas that define our nation in meaningful reflection and conversation.
Throughout the year, we will continue adding events and resources to our website. We encourage donors, potential partners and learners of all ages to join us as we explore how America’s story continues and envision the next chapter together.
Q: How do you describe the big goals the National Constitution Center is working to achieve? How do you measure impact?
At a moment when civic discourse is strained, the Center seeks to provide Americans with the knowledge, skills and confidence necessary for thoughtful civic participation and reasoned deliberation. Our mission is both urgent and enduring: to inspire citizens of all ages to understand their constitutional inheritance and to help preserve the republic, not just for this anniversary moment, but for generations to come.
Our core goals are to serve as America’s leading provider of nonpartisan constitutional education for learners at every stage of life, to model and teach civil dialogue and deliberation across communities and perspectives and to act as a national headquarters for learning about the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the enduring principles of self-government.
To measure our reach, we track the number of teachers and students we serve annually, along with digital engagement indicators such as website visits, downloads, media reach and podcast subscriptions. We also monitor participation in our programs and museum visitation.
Increasingly, we are focused on measuring impact. In partnership with evaluation experts at institutions such as Johns Hopkins, we assess how our programs and course materials strengthen civic knowledge, spark curiosity and shape civic dispositions among learners and educators. By examining outcomes across different age groups, we gain insight into how our work contributes to lasting civic understanding, identity formation and engagement over time.
Q: What are some of the biggest challenges the National Constitution Center has experienced working to accomplish its mission? How did your organization overcome those challenges?
In addition to the challenge of inspiring sustained civic learning and engagement in an era of polarization, the Center has faced the challenge of scale. For much of our early history, the Center operated primarily as a place-based institution. While the museum remains a powerful civic space, fulfilling a truly national mission requires reaching audiences far beyond Philadelphia.
Under the leadership of Jeffrey Rosen, now CEO Emeritus, and the extraordinary team we have built, the Center has evolved into a national provider of nonpartisan constitutional education.
Our digital learning ecosystem now includes courses for adults, high school and middle school students, educator professional development, national town halls, podcasts and free resources grounded in primary sources and civil dialogue. We continue to extend our work into classrooms, communities and homes nationwide, including areas with limited access to civic education institutions and resources.
Q: What is the National Constitution Center’s biggest need where philanthropists can help your organization achieve its goals?
Although the National Constitution Center was chartered by Congress in 1988, we are not a government-funded entity. We receive little government funding and rely on the generosity of individuals, foundations and corporations to advance our mission.
We seek the support of philanthropists and donors inspired by our work to help scale our reach, expand K-12 programming, launch new intergenerational learning initiatives and drive innovation at our museum in Philadelphia.
Q: Beyond the National Constitution Center, where should philanthropists who care about advancing civic knowledge invest their charitable dollars?
We partner with many wonderful civic education institutions and museums toward our shared goals, and we rely particularly on community organizations to bring our resources directly to the audiences they serve. To support this work, we have made our America at 250 Civic Toolkit content available for free licensing by other institutions. We also host institutes and symposiums that unite the civic education community, including Teaching250, a program in collaboration with our Civic Renewal Network partners. Donations to any of these great organizations help strengthen and amplify the impact of all our efforts.
Q: If you received an increase in funding, how would your organization expand its programming?
The Center recently launched Our Story Continues, a national campaign spanning the next decade through the Constitution’s 250th anniversary in 2037. The initiative invites Americans to return to the founding documents, reflect on their meaning and learn together across differences. This once-in-a-generation opportunity goes beyond commemoration, aiming to strengthen habits of constitutional understanding and self-government that will carry us forward. Additional funding will allow us to engage millions in deeper learning.
A related project is the Civic Spark Digital Archive, which invites Americans to share the moments that first awakened their civic curiosity. By collecting these civic spark stories online (and, with funding, through a physical installation at the Center), we highlight how the American story is shaped generation by generation by ordinary people who choose to learn, ask questions and engage.
We are also expanding intergenerational civic learning. In partnership with venture studio Co-Created, we developed Civic Quest, a story-driven, hands-on experience in a box that allows families and communities to learn together through discovery and play. The pilot version launches early this year, and we are seeking funding not only for this initial effort but also to scale other intergenerational learning initiatives in the coming years.
Our efforts continue to reach students and teachers nationwide, with particular focus on rural and remote communities through programs such as our new fellowship, which places experienced educators directly into these communities.
We are also building out Constitution University, an online hub of courses on a variety of constitutional topics, beginning with a course on civic virtue developed with Arizona State University that will be adapted in the coming year for middle and high school students.
Finally, two remaining galleries will complete the refresh of our core exhibit, serving as the foundation for virtual programming and educational resources, inspiring civic memories that can grow into lifelong learning journeys.
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