Our Common Purpose | November Newsletter As we approach the holiday season, we want to express our immense gratitude to all of you who work to build a stronger American democracy. Whether you are working to create more responsive political institutions or strengthen civic life in local communi…

Our Common Purpose | October Newsletter On November 5, the Academy will host Can Congress Better Represent Americans?, a virtual webinar featuring a discussion of Expanding Representation: Reinventing Congress in the 21st Century, the latest publication from the Our Common Purpose project. …

11-05-25 UPCOMING VIRTUAL EVENT Can Congress Better Represent Americans? November 5, 2025 | 2:30 p.m. EST Deep polarization. Partisan gridlock. Gerrymandering. Shutdowns. Record low levels of trust in…

11-05-25 UPCOMING VIRTUAL EVENT Can Congress Better Represent Americans? November 5, 2025 | 2:30 p.m. EST Deep polarization. Partisan gridlock. Gerrymandering. Shutdowns. Record low levels of trust in…

Our Common Purpose | September Newsletter Our Common Purpose recommends moving from a winner-take-all election model to a system of multi-member districts and a version of proportional representation. To advance this recommendation, the Academy convened a Working Group to chart a path for pol…

Our Common Purpose Special Newsletter: 5 Things You Can Do to Address Political Violence The Our Common Purpose project is based on the premise that when we work together to strengthen our constitutional democracy, we help create a virtuous cycle -- one in which a culture of participation and …

10.22.25 UPCOMING VIRTUAL EVENT We the People: A Conversation on the Fate of our Constitution with Jill Lepore October 22, 2025 | 4:00 p.m. EDT Please join Academy President Laurie Patton and historia…

Our Common Purpose | August Newsletter Habits of Heart and Mind: How to Fortify Civic Culture, the final product of an Academy working group that explored the role of civic culture in American life, shines a light on leaders who are strengthening their communities and identifies seven strategi…

Our Common Purpose | July Newsletter The Civic Collaboratory, a nationwide mutual aid network of civic catalysts launched by Citizen University, gathers members for quarterly convenings that promote collaboration and seed new approaches to shared challenges. On July 24-25, the Academy hosted t…

Our Common Purpose | June Newsletter This month, a Democratic state representative in Minnesota, Melissa Hortman, and her husband, Mark Hortman, were assassinated in their home, and a Democratic state senator, John A. Hoffman, and his wife, Yvette Hoffman, were shot and wounded. The Academy C…

06-12-25 Pop-Up Discussion UPCOMING VIRTUAL EVENT What are the Limits of Executive Power — and Citizen Power — in America? June 12, 2025 | 1:00 p.m. EDT Since the earliest days following the adoption …