Mikva Challenge Grant Foundation, Inc
Project Title
For project support to strengthen the Democratic Classrooms and Schools Initiative in New York City and expand the program to additional states
Date
Sep. 10, 2026
Duration
24 months
Description
Many young people have limited opportunities to practice the skills of civic participation, including identifying community problems, gathering input from others, working across differences, and contributing to collective decision-making. Founded in 1998 and based in Chicago, Mikva Challenge addresses this gap through Student Voice Committees in public schools. These committees are intentionally designed to engage students who might not otherwise hold formal leadership roles, giving them structured opportunities to identify school issues, gather input from peers, and work with school leaders to develop and implement solutions. With this renewal grant, Mikva will support 72 schools across New York City, Michigan, New Hampshire, and Wisconsin over two years, reaching 212 Student Ambassadors, approximately 1,050 Student Voice Committee members, and an estimated 110,000 students through school-wide engagement activities, while supporting the development of 105 student-led action plans.
Project Title
For project support for an initiative on civic education in New York City Public Schools
Date
Dec. 12, 2024
Duration
18 months
Description
In response to plummeting youth civic engagement and as school districts across the country grapple with how to foster civic discourse in schools, New York City Public Schools (NYCPS) proposes to meet the moment and send a signal about the importance of civic education through a new initiative titled, “Democratic Classrooms and Schools.” Utilizing the research-based approach developed by the Mikva Challenge and building on NYCPS’s existing Civics for All (CFA) initiative, this new initiative will establish forums in participating schools where trained youth and teacher facilitators will engage students in discussions of critical topics with those who hold differing opinions and beliefs. Work at partner schools will equip teachers to weave democratic principles into daily classes to actively involve students in discourse and decision-making. Corporation support would enable NYCPS to pilot “Democratic Classrooms” in twenty-five high schools in the 2024-2025 school year with one hundred Democratic Classroom Ambassadors (seventy-five students and twenty-five teachers), with the goal of disseminating civic discourse and democratic classroom strategies to approximately 1,100 CFA partner schools and scaling the program to twenty-five additional high schools in the 2025-2026 school year.