Some things are too important to lose.

Nearly forty years of civic learning is one of them.

For nearly forty years, Nevada students have learned democracy by doing it — arguing constitutional questions, investigating history, and stepping into the role of engaged citizens. The Nevada Center for Civic Engagement exists to make sure they always can.

Group of people standing behind a desk with the Nevada state seal. They are in a formal office setting, with two American flags on either side. One person in the center holds a document.

Our Vision

Creating an informed, empathetic, and involved society.

Our Mission

We open the door to democracy by supporting teachers, empowering students, and engaging the community for a more educated Nevada. 

Our Values

We believe in service above self.
We practice and promote integrity and civility.
We champion student-centered experiences.
We are nonpartisan.

The Nevada Center for Civic Engagement advances history and civics education across the state by empowering education with essential skills

Two pens on a partially written page with text overlay "writing."
Blurry library background with the word "research" overlaid.
Three people thinking, text "critical thinking" overlay
Two people having a conversation, wearing aprons, with the word "communication" overlaying the image.
Silhouette of a person with a raised fist against a sunrise backdrop, with the word 'confidence' overlaid.
Two people in conversation; one listening attentively while the other speaks, with the words "active listening" overlaid.
Blurred image of people with one person raising hand, text overlay reads 'taking initiative.'
Group of people gardening, blurred image, with text 'informed action' overlayed.
Hands joined together in a circle with the word "collaboration" overlaid.
Person working on a laptop with the text 'self directed learning' overlaid.
Jar of colorful paintbrushes with "creativity" text overlay.
Blurry image of a teacher with young children in a classroom setting

“A shared passion for civic education and what Lincoln called, “the perpetuation of our political institutions” brought us together as teachers and Nevadans. It didn’t matter whether our politics aligned because we shared something more significant. We were mutually committed to the democratic experiment and were inspired by watching the next generation of Americans learn how to become engaged citizens and leaders. ”

— David S. Tanenhaus
Rogers Professor of History and Law

William S. Boyd School of Law
University of Nevada, Las Vegas

We are grateful to the individuals who helped lay the foundation for NVCCE to become the organization it is today.

  • A smiling woman with blonde hair wearing a black top, standing outdoors with a blurred mountainous landscape in the background.

    Angela Orr

  • Middle-aged man in a suit with a blue tie and gray background.

    Marc Picker

  • Man in a blue shirt and striped tie sitting indoors with plants in the background.

    Dr. Fred Lokken

  • A middle-aged man wearing a dark sweater over a white shirt is smiling at the camera. Behind him are decorative plates on a wall.

    Shane Piccinni

  • Man sitting in a library with bookshelves, wearing glasses and a patterned shirt, smiling at a laptop.

    Dr. Michael Green

  • Smiling older woman in blue jacket in a library with colorful decorations and bookshelves

    Joyce Woodhouse

  • Smiling man in a suit and glasses outdoors.

    Dr. David Tanenhaus

  • A man in a suit and tie smiling with bookshelves in the background.

    Daniel Wong

  • A man standing outdoors in front of leafless trees, wearing a gray long-sleeve shirt and glasses.

    Will Hull

  • Smiling person wearing glasses in front of a freight train

    Anthony Miller

  • Woman wearing glasses and a purple shirt sitting in front of a tiled wall; she is smiling.

    Kathleen Dickinson

  • A judge in a black robe standing in a courtroom, with the American flag in the background.

    Justice Elissa Cadish

  • Person wearing glasses and a red shirt, smiling with a neutral background.

    Dr. Sondra Cosgrove

  • Elderly man in suit with glasses and light hair, smiling against a blue background.

    Lynn Stewart

About NVCCE

Since 1987, and for years to come.

The programs at the center of our work — We the People, National History Day, and more — have brought civics and history to life in Nevada classrooms since 1987. For a generation, they gave students something a textbook can't: the experience of practicing democracy, not just reading about it.

Then the federal funding that had long sustained them disappeared. Rather than let four decades of civic learning quietly end, a group of Nevada civic leaders — judges, professors, teachers, and attorneys — came together in 2016 to save them. In 2017, the Nevada Center for Civic Engagement became an independent nonprofit with a single purpose: to protect these programs, grow them, and make sure every Nevada student could take part.

That decision has held. In 2019, the Nevada Legislature unanimously passed SB193, establishing state funding for We the People — a rare moment of complete agreement across party lines about something simple: that Nevada's young people deserve to understand the democracy they're inheriting.