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Get engaged, America! Civically engaged, that is.

Founded in 1946 and chartered by the U.S. Congress in 1953, the National Conference on Citizenship (NCoC) is a leader in promoting our nation’s civic life. We track, measure and promote civic participation and engagement in partnership with other organizations on a bipartisan, collaborative basis. We focus on ways to enhance history and civics education, encourage national and community service, and promote greater participation in the political process.

Many distinguished Americans have been involved with the growth and development of the NCoC over the years including Presidents Harry S. Truman and Dwight D. Eisenhower and Chief Justices Earl Warren and Warren Burger. The roster of board members, advisors and guest speakers at NCoC events represent a diverse spectrum of leaders from across government, industry, academia, community and nonprofit organizations and the media; people like Senators Robert Byrd and Lamar Alexander, philanthropists Ray Chambers and Eugene Lang, authors David McCullough and Walter Isaacson, scholars Robert Putnam and Stephen Goldsmith, MTV’s Ian Rowe, ABC’s Cokie Roberts, AOL’s Jean Case, Facebook’s Sean Parker, former Clinton Administration advisor William Galston and former Bush Administration advisor John Bridgeland.

The NCoC’s accomplishments are many, ranging from fueling the civic energy of the Greatest Generation freshly home from WWII to leading the celebration of our nation’s Bicentennial in 1976. The NCoC helped establish the observance of Citizenship Day, every September 17, the week in which we were chartered to hold our annual conference focusing on building an active and engaged citizenry. Most recently, the NCoC has produced America’s Civic Health Index, the Nation’s leading measure of citizen actions and attitudes. To advance our mission to better understand the broad dimensions of citizenship today and to encourage greater civic participation, the NCoC has developed and sustained a network of over 250 like-minded institutions that seek a more comprehensive and collaborative approach to strengthening our system of self-government.

Our Mission
The National Conference on Citizenship measures, tracks and promotes civic participation across the U.S. Guided by our Congressional Charter and the values of NCOC, we commission and publish the annual Civic Health Index, a quantitative means for building program consensus and measuring success with the goal of strengthening citizenship in America. In addition we hold the Annual Conference on Citizenship that brings together leaders in the civic engagement field to set concrete and ambitious goals to promote a more active and involved citizenry.

Our Congressional Charter and What it Means to Us
There are approximately 1,478,000 non-profits in America.* Of that number only 94 are chartered by Congress. Since 1953, the mission of the National Conference on Citizenship has been recognized by Congress as unique and in the public interest. We don’t take our Congressional Charter lightly. We strive continually to have our works equal our reputation as a leading partner in the field. We honor our mission by serving our constituency with integrity and respect.

*National Center for Charitable Statistics.

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