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 strategies
civic leaders can use to foster a healthy civic culture. A new version of the report with an updated foreword from Academy
President Laurie Patton is now available.

Our Common Purpose
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ACADEMY RE-RELEASES BLUEPRINT FOR FORTIFYING CIVIC CULTURE
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Habits of Heart and Mind: How to Fortify Civic Culture,
[[link removed]] the final product of an Academy working
group [[link removed]] that explored the role of civic culture in American life,
shines a light on leaders who are strengthening their communities and identifies seven strategies civic leaders can use to foster
a healthy civic culture. A new version of the report with an updated foreword from Academy President Laurie Patton is now
available. Learn more about the Academy’s efforts to fortify American civic culture and order copies of the new report here
[[link removed]

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STORIES FROM THE FIELD

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NEW SUBSTACK ON DEMOCRACY RENOVATION.
The Renovator, a new Substack from Danielle Allen, cochair of the Our Common Purpose project, launched in August. The publication
features weekly columns, state and local news and updates. Subscribe here [[link removed]

NEW PLURALISTS REPORT: WHAT WE LEARNED FROM LOCAL LEADERS HEALING DIVISIONS.
New Pluralists released a report on the impact of Healing Starts Here
[[link removed],
a $10 million initiative launched in 2022 that supported 32 locally led, place-based projects to heal community divisions. The
report offers a window into how funders, institutions, and communities can promote pluralism and bridge divides. 

UNDERSTANDING THE OTHER: PEARCE GODWIN ON WHAT IS KEEPING AMERICANS DIVIDED.
Pearce Godwin, Founder of the Listen First Project,  calls on all of us to find a way forward together as fellow Americans in The
Catalyst, a  journal [[link removed]] from the George W. Bush
Presidential Center.

NEW REPORT: THE PATH FORWARD FOR THE DEMOCRACY ECOSYSTEM.
The Bridge Alliance Education Fund released The Path Forward for the Healthy Democracy Ecosystem
[[link removed],
a new report that offers both honest critique and actionable direction for democracy work in the Trump era. Kristina Becvar,
Bridge Alliance Executive Director, underscored key learnings
[[link removed]]
from the research.

FOUNDATIONS COMMIT $36.5M TO BOLSTER PUBLIC MEDIA.
The Knight Foundation, Pivotal, MacArthur Foundation, Ford Foundation, Schmidt Family Foundation and Robert Wood Johnson
Foundation announced a nearly $37 million commitment
[[link removed]]
to provide immediate relief to public media stations at risk of closure following federal funding cuts to the Corporation for
Public Broadcasting (CPB). The New York Times
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reported on the organizations’ efforts to reach $50 million to stabilize the stations most at risk from funding cuts. 


STATES UNITED DEMOCRACY CENTER: FACTS ABOUT VOTING BY MAIL.
In response to statements from President Trump criticizing mail-in voting, the States United Democracy Center published a new blog
post, Sharing the Facts About the President’s Threat to Ban Vote-by-Mail
[[link removed], that provides important information for voters and
officials to know about mail voting. 

INSTITUTE FOR CITIZENS & SCHOLARS ANNOUNCE INAUGURAL FELLOWS.
OCP Champion Institute for Citizens & Scholars announced the inaugural cohort of Faculty Fellows
[[link removed] 37 educators from colleges and universities across the country who are
leading a powerful shift in how civic learning and inclusive dialogue happen in higher ed. 

HAHRIE HAN AND HENRY FARRELL: WE MUST ASK DIFFERENT QUESTIONS ABOUT AI'S IMPACT ON DEMOCRACY
In an essay [[link removed]] for the Knight
First Amendment Institute, Our Common Purpose Commission member Hahrie Han and co-author Henry Farrell argue that current debates
around AI and democracy focus too heavily on how AI might enable new forms of decision-making and instead should contend with how
AI is reinforcing or undermining civic associations and political coalitions as they exist today. 

BRIDGEUSA HOSTS 2025 NATIONAL SUMMIT.
OCP Champion BridgeUSA, a cross-partisan student movement that promotes viewpoint diversity and responsible discourse on campus,
hosted students from over 80 colleges and universities in Indianapolis for its national summit. Read more here
[[link removed]] about the event and how BridgeUSA’s student leaders are bridging
divides. 

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IN THE NEWS
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NYT EDITORIAL BOARD: INDEPENDENT REDISTRICTING COMMISSIONS WOULD SOLVE GERRYMANDERING.
The New York Times Editorial Board endorsed independent redistricting commissions
[[link removed]] as the best solution to gerrymandering.

PROTECT DEMOCRACY: PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATION WOULD END THE FOREVER REDISTRICTING WARS.
In a new post [[link removed]] ,
Protect Democracy’s Ansley Skipper and Drew Penrose explain why switching from single-member House districts to proportional
multimember districts is the ultimate solution to gerrymandering. OCP Champion FairVote
[[link removed]] and Matthew Yglesias
[[link removed]] (Slow Boring Substack) also highlighted proportional
representation as the best approach to combat gerrymandering. 

JOHN LEWIS VOTING ACT RE-INTRODUCED IN CONGRESS.
Representative Terri Sewell (D-AL), Senator Raphael Warnock (D-GA), and Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) reintroduced the John Lewis
Voting Rights Advancement Act [[link removed], a bill that aims to restore the full
strength of the Voting Rights Act. OCP Champions Business for America
[[link removed]] and Campaign
Legal Center [[link removed]] issued statements in
support of the legislation.

KENTUCKY LANTERN: AMERICORPS IS UNDER SIEGE. WHAT HAPPENS IN THE COMMUNITIES IT SERVES.
Ashley Murray, Senior Reporter for States Newsroom, examined the impact
[[link removed]] of recent cuts
to AmeriCorps grants across the country. 

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GET INVOLVED
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APPLY: INTERFAITH AMERICA CIVIC PLURALISM FELLOWSHIP.
In honor of America250, Interfaith America is launching a cross-partisan cohort of religiously diverse, faith-based civic leaders
for a 9-month Fellowship from October 2025-June 2026. Interfaith America will provide fellows with funding for projects that
amplify stories and narratives about the intersection of religious liberty and pluralism. Apply
[[link removed]] by August
29. 

JOIN API LOCAL NEWS SUMMIT ON INCLUSION, BELONGING AND LOCAL LEADERSHIP.
The American Press Institute is hosting a summit to empower news leaders in enhancing residents’ leadership and influence over
their community’s information ecosystem. This solutions-oriented convening is designed for news leaders who are actively working
on the challenges facing local journalism. If you would like to attend, submit your application by August 29. 

DATE: October 9-10, 2025 | Washington, D.C. | Apply Here
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ISSUE ONE WEBINAR: VOTER ATTITUDES ON CHECKS AND BALANCES.
Join Issue One and YouGov for a briefing on new national polling that reveals how voters across party lines view executive power,
checks and balances, and constitutional norms in today’s polarized climate. 

DATE: September 16, 2025 | Zoom Virtual Meeting | Register Here
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READ THE REPORT
Learn more about the Academy's current efforts to advance reforms to reinvent American democracy and read the Our Common Purpose
report here [[link removed]

American Academy: [link removed]

Members: [link removed]

Events: [link removed]

Give: [link removed]

The Academy shares news and events on LinkedIn. [link removed]


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