The National Civic League is an American nonpartisan, non-profit organization founded in 1894 as the "National Municipal League”; it adopted its new name in 1986. Its mission is to advance civic engagement to create equitable, thriving communities. To upgrade quality and efficiency of government in cities it enlists the business and professional classes, and promotes greater involvement in government. It also sought to create merit-based systems for selecting public officials. The League envisions a country where the full diversity of community members are actively and meaningfully engaged in local governance, including both decision making and implementation of activities to advance the common good. It also promotes professional management of local government through publication of "model charters" for both city and county governments.
The National Civic League applies civic engagement principles through key programs: community assistance, research and publications, and awards and events. Key issue areas include, but are not limited to: racial equity, environmental sustainability, health equity, youth leadership, education, and housing.
History The National Civic League was founded as the National Municipal League in 1894 at the National Conference for Good City Government in Philadelphia. Ariane Liazos, Reforming the City: The Contested Origins of Urban Government, 1890–1930 (2019) ch 1.Proceedings of the National Conference for Good City Government Held at Philadelphia, January 25 and 26, 1894 The convention of politicians, policy-makers, journalists, and educators (including Theodore Roosevelt, Louis Brandeis, Marshall Field, and Frederick Law Olmsted) met to discuss "incompetence, inefficiency, patronage and corruption in local governments." During the next 120+ years, the National Civic League led major reforms in the way local communities were governed, including the professionalism of city services, the creation of the city manager system, the nonpartisan makeup of many local elected bodies, electoral reform, and inclusive civic engagement.
+Timeline of important national civic league milestonesYearMilestone1895Theodore Roosevelt, Louis Brandeis, Frederick Law Olmsted, Mary Mumford and other leading municipal reformers gathered in Philadelphia to discuss the future of city government.1898National Civic League developed the first "Municipal Plan" to give more power and autonomy to local officials, a city council with nonpartisan elections, and a hands-on mayor.1900Galveston, Texas was the first community to adopt the "city commission" form of government.1910The concept of employing a professional city manager for city departments was developed by Richard S. Childs. It was first implemented in Sumter, South Carolina.1912First issue of the National Municipal Review (later the National Civic Review) published. 1912–1958.1930National Civic League acted as the premier civic engagement group researching, advocating, publishing and consulting on civic engagement applications like voter registration, election administration, state constitutions, etc.1949The All-America City contest was born. Based on the annual tradition of naming a team of All-American football players, the All-America City Award initially sought to recognize 11 outstanding communities, before settling on the current 10 per year.1980Began research, education and publications to advance civic infrastructure.1990National Civic League helps to spearhead the "civic renewal movement".2000Strengthened focus on issues, such as environment, racial equity, immigrant integration, transportation, fiscal sustainability.
Events and programs
All-America City Award
The League is best known for its All-America City Award, celebrating the best in civic innovation since 1949. The Award, bestowed yearly on 10 communities recognizes the work of communities in using inclusive civic engagement to address critical issues and create stronger connections among residents, businesses and nonprofit and government leaders. Once called the "Nobel Prize for constructive citizenship" – it has been awarded to more than 500 communities across the country. The Award is open to all American communities, from major cities, counties and regions to tribes, neighborhoods, towns and villages. In applying, communities reflect on their strengths, weaknesses, challenges and the progress they have made. Each year hundreds of leaders, volunteers, and young people from the finalist communities travel to Denver to present the story of their work and their community to a jury of national experts. The awards conference includes workshops on promising practices.
National Conference on Local Governance
The National Civic League hosted the 109th National Conference on Local Governance in Denver on June 22, 2018. The Conference focused on inclusive civic engagement, innovation and collaboration as essential elements for making progress on complex issues. The conference featured three issue tracks: Health Equity, Youth and Education, Police-Community Relations.
Confirmed speakers included:
Jandel Allen-Davis, MD: Kaiser Permanente, Vice President of Government and External Relations Honorable Fred Harris: Former U.S. Senator and member of President Johnson's Kerner Commission Manuel Pastor, PhD:Professor at University of Southern California and author Honorable Hilda L. Solis: Los Angeles County Supervisor, Former Congresswoman and Former U.S. Secretary of Labor Reverend Alvin Herring: Executive Director of Faith in Action
Community assistance
National Civic League facilitates strategic planning processes, community engagement trainings, and development of local engagement plans and materials—helping local governments and institutions engage and involve residents in ways that lead to tangible outcomes.
The National Civic League consults with communities in a variety of capacities, including:
Resident-led strategic planning Lead local engagement trainings to increase institution's internal engagement capacity Partner with local communities to develop specific conversation guides, engagement plans and other relevant tools. Developing organizational and community-wide engagement plans Civic engagement coaching and support for local leaders
The League has provided, or is providing, community assistance to the following cities:
Gladstone, Missouri Eau Claire, Wisconsin Dubuque, Iowa Castle Pines, Colorado Blue Springs, Missouri Ray Town, Missouri Palm Desert, California Lees Summit, Missouri
SolSmart
The National Civic League's focus on civic engagement and environmental sustainability led it to partner with the International City/County Management Association on SolSmart. SolSmart is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy SunShot Initiative and works to make it faster, cheaper and easier to go solar. The League works to support the designation program and to encourage communities to engage residents around solar and sustainability issues.
The SolSmart designation program recognizes communities that have taken steps to make it easier for businesses and residents to go solar. Communities pursuing SolSmart designation are eligible for no-cost technical assistance from a team of national solar experts. National Civic League is working to see 300 communities become designated and advocate for strong community engagement practices in creating and further local community solar goals.
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Equity Award
Together with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, National Civic League is recognizing, celebrating and rewarding individuals who are making health equity a reality in their community. The RWJF-National Civic League Health Equity Award recognizes individuals who are leveraging engagement to improve health outcomes for those most impacted by health disparities.
The RWJF-National Civic League Health Equity Award recognizes and honors individuals that have successfully implemented a systems change approach within the past two years to improve health outcomes for those most impacted by health disparities. In addition to national recognition at the National Civic League's annual All-America City Award and an invitation to participate in Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's yearly Health Equity Award annual learning and recognition the winner will receive a $3,000.00 prize.
The 2018 Health Equity Award Winner was Angela Bannerman Ankoma and Sharon Conard Wells, of the Sankofa Initiative in Providence, RI. The Sankofa Community Initiative is a unique urban agricultural project integrating food production and economic development with high-quality, stable affordable housing for the sizable refugee and immigrant population of Providence, Rhode Island.
Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation Due to the League's focus on civic engagement and racial equity, they have engaged with W.K. Kellogg Foundation's Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation (TRHT) initiative. Kellogg's TRHT is a comprehensive, national and community-based process to plan for, and bring about transformational and sustainable change, and to address the historic and contemporary effects of racism.
As a partner of the Kellogg Foundation, the National Civic League introduced the TRHT initiative to their All-America City network. The hope is to see communities face and embrace an accurate narrative of all residents' experiences, pursue healing where divisions exist and experience transformation that comes with addressing inequities. Using the TRHT framework, local communities can address segregated and impoverished neighborhoods, provide equitable opportunities in the economy and ensure fair treatment in public policies as well as civil and criminal law.
TRHT was launched in January 2016 with a year-long design phase, and builds upon and complements the foundation's decades-long commitment to advancing racial healing and racial equity throughout the U.S. In June 2017 WKKF awarded 10 grants for nearly $24 million over the next two to five years to help diverse, multi-sector coalitions in 14 places implement the foundation's TRHT process and framework.
All-America Conversations
The National Civic League has worked with communities across the U.S. to hold "All-America Conversations" across dividing lines and identify ways that we can work together. All-America Conversations are designed to help cities and other groups understand residents' aspirations for the community, the divisions facing the community, and most importantly, the small, specific actions that give people confidence that we can work across dividing lines.
The League created the All-America Conversations Toolkit to provide communities with everything necessary to hold a productive and meaningful conversation. The toolkit walks readers through every step of holding a conversation from:
Identifying whom to engage and recruiting participants Picking a location for your conversation Finding and preparing facilitators and note takers Knowing what to ask Making sense of what you heard
The kit also includes tips for facilitators and note takers, a note-taking tool, ground rules, a sign-in sheet, sample recruitment letter, and many other resources.
Resources
Healthy Democracy In October 2024, the Healthy Democracy Map was launched which tracks and maps all the organizations in the United States working to improve democracy as well as showing links between groups that are members of coalitions. It is designed to help people who want to get involved in promoting and protecting democracy.
National Civic Review