Happy Summer! It's Civic Season.

So. I’m tired. Are you tired? I’m guessing you’re tired, too.

It’s hard not to feel the weight of the world when the headlines are full (full!) of heartbreak and injustice.

At the same time, I am so fired up about all the good stuff that is poking through the darkness. Because there is a lot of good stuff, including Civic Season.

Have you heard of Civic Season? Until just recently, I hadn’t.

Launched in 2021, Civic Season is an annual tradition running from Juneteenth through July 4, created by Made By Us, a coalition of more than 100 history museums and historic sites committed to youth civic engagement.

This initiative goes back to a 2018 Smithsonian-Affiliations gathering in D.C., where museum leaders confronted a hard truth: Most Americans lack basic historical literacy. They set an audacious goal: By the Bicentennial in 2026, every American should be able to pass the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service’s 100-question citizenship test. The coalition decided to focus on young people and named itself Made By Us.

Made By Us then convened diverse focus groups of Gen Z participants, and from those conversations, a powerful idea emerged: What if we created a new kind of civic tradition — one that reaches beyond election cycles and inspires young Americans to explore our nation’s history as a foundation for lifelong civic engagement?

Out of that idea, Civic Season was born. Civic Season lives in the space between Juneteenth and July 4 as a reminder of the “both/and” of American life. It’s a call to reflect on our full history, recognize the gaps between promise and practice, and recommit to building something better.

This year’s Civic Season includes everything from pizza parties and public talks to virtual exhibits, wish walls, festivals, and Gen Z-led programming across the country. The goal is to reach 75 million young people who will be of voting age in 2026, America’s 250th anniversary.

Check out this page to find a Civic Season event that interests you. Let’s power up our history and civic learning and keep democracy going. May it be a great Civic Season!

With love and appreciation,

Sarah

First time reading this newsletter? Subscribe here for a regular roundup of things I’m thinking about.

🤖 FREE VIRTUAL EVENT: AI, NONPROFITS, OUR FUTURE

This looks interesting: A free virtual event hosted by The Chronicle of Philanthropy — “A Glimpse Into Our Near Future: AI Is Transforming Nonprofits.”

The session will explore how AI will reshape the nonprofit landscape over the next five years, with insights into hyper-personalized communication strategies, real-world nonprofit AI use cases, and practical AI tools.

Happening on Tuesday, June 24 at 11am PT/2pm ET. Learn more and register here.

💸 GRANT OPPORTUNITY! (WITH THANKS TO LADY GAGA)

The Kindness in Community Fund at Born This Way Foundation, co-founded by Lady Gaga and her mom Cynthia Germanotta, is an opportunity to uplift youth-focused, community-led organizations that are doing impactful work to support mental health.

Born This Way Foundation is now accepting nominations to help identify the next cohort of grantees — and they’re especially eager to hear from young people ages 15-24.

The Fund is not limited to U.S.-based organizations; international nominations are also welcome. The deadline to submit is Monday, June 30 at 12pm PST.

Learn more and nominate here.

🪟 COME TO MY WINDOW

I can’t get enough of Window Swap, a website and global art project that allows people to share and experience views from other people’s windows around the world.

How’s it work? People submit 10-minute static views of the view from their window, often accompanied by ambient sounds (birds chirping, cars passing).

Looking out these windows is just so…calming. Try it out for yourself here.

💘 NONPROFIT LOVE

Citizen University is a Seattle-based nonprofit dedicated to building “a culture of powerful, responsible citizenship” across America. CU designs gatherings, rituals, and workshops — like Civic Saturday Fellowship, youth and local collaboratories — to equip individuals as ‘civic catalysts’ with tools in civic power, character, and community engagement.

Launched in 2012 out of an annual conference celebrating mentorship and community-building, CU has evolved into a national movement focused on reimagining citizenship.

Co-founder and CEO Eric Liu is a powerful speaker (he was a former White House speechwriter!), author, creator, civic evangelist, and second-generation American. CU is his life’s work and it’s all amazing. Check out CU’s programs and get involved here.