The U.S. Department of Education has announced that more than $153 million in grants will be distributed through the American History and Civics Seminars Program. The majority of these funds will go to higher education institutions with independent civics centers, as well as non-profit organizations dedicated to American history and civics education.
According to Under Secretary Nicholas Kent, “These grants reflect the Trump Administration’s ongoing efforts to educate and inspire youth toward informed and patriotic citizenship in the lead-up to America’s 250th birthday. We are focused on restoring civics education and advancing a shared understanding of America's founding principles and rich history in schools across the Nation. To know this great country is to love and cherish it.”
Grant recipients include civics institutes at colleges and universities, which will organize expert-led seminars across various locations in partnership with local school districts. The seminars are designed to cover primary documents, constitutional studies, historical experiences, civil discourse, and achievements in American history.
In addition, funding will support initiatives aimed at improving history and civics instruction for K–12 students. One example is a project that will create an open-access Civics Literacy Teaching Toolkit for statewide use. This toolkit will feature recorded seminar content, key founding documents, instructional briefs ready for classroom use, and examples of student engagement projects.
The grant money will also help produce both short- and long-form educational materials intended for students as well as the general public. Other supported activities include community events encouraging discussion on foundational American issues and the development of curriculum resources tailored to state standards.
