2019 Annual Report

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2019 ANNUAL REPORT

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CIVIC

EDUCATION

Dear friends of iCivics,

In 2009, a 79 year-old former Supreme Court Justice who had never played a video game in her life founded an educational video-game company to restore civic education in America.

Banal, right?

Justice O’Connor’s decision to create iCivics was a true example in civic

We must renew our commitment to educating our students for

leadership. Faced with a challenge of extraordinary proportions, she put her

american democracy. Fortunately, there is momentum. iCivics is leading

reputation on the line in pursuit of an unseemly and audacious solution – one

a trans-partisan coalition – CivXNow – to restore the importance of civics

that today benefits millions of students – and still generations to come.

in schools. With 102 influential members and tremendous progress already

in 2019, we honor our founding champion and celebrate iCivics’

achieved, we too are electrified for true and meaningful reform in our field.

10th anniversary.

So this year, as we celebrate how far we have come in so

iCivics remains the nation’s leading provider of civic education curriculum. This

little time, let us re-affirm our commitment to the basics:

year alone, our 20 games were played nearly 19 million times. And with 100,000

high-quality, non-partisan, and relevant civic education for

civics teachers actively engaged with our platform, iCivics benefits 6.2 million

all students in America. Momentum is on our side.

students in all 50 states.

I cannot wait to see what the next ten years hold for us.

If these numbers demonstrate scale, they hide something far more meaningful: countless young people, who otherwise would not care, now feel the weight of their civic roles in society – and are electrified by it.

Warmly,

But despite our good work, the state of American civic education has long been in trouble. High-quality resources were lacking; educators felt unsupported; and the time granted to civics in the classroom kept shrinking. Today, only 9 states even mandate a full year of civic education in high school. We are facing a crisis, and the consequences are palpable.

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iCivics Annual Re p o r t 20 19

Louise Dubé

iCivics Board of Directors

HOnOraBLe Sandra daY O’COnnOr Chairwoman Emeritus Associate Justice (ret.)

Supreme Court of the United States

WendY d. MaY Chairwoman Of Counsel Hartline Dacus Barger Dreyer LLP

MarY HenrY Partner & Managing Director (ret.)

Goldman Sachs

tHOMaS Lue General Counsel DeepMind

Laird MaLaMed Director/General Manager of Operations Facebook

arnOLd B. PeinadO, iii Senior Partner (ret.)

Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy

JaY O’COnnOr Advisory Partner Morgan Stanley Expansion Capital

LindSaY reiMerS Founding Partner SVP Denver

ann M. raVeL Fellow New America CA

KatHLeen SMaLLeY Of Counsel Foley & Lardner, LLP

PriteSH SHaH Partner Davis Polk & Wardwell, LLP

JuStiCe SOnia SOtOMaYOr Associate Justice Supreme Court of the United States

JuStiCe ann WiLLiaMS Of Counsel Jones Day

When I joined the Educator Network in 2011 and presented iCivics at regional trainings, it was new – a never-heard-of resource.

Today, when I speak with other educators, iCivics is ‘the authority’ for teaching civics.

— Leigh Stovall, 7th grade Civics and Geography teacher | Trussville, AL i C i vi cs Annua l Repo r t 2019

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A History of iCivics Landmarks l First game produced l Sandra Day O’Connor Civic Education Act passed in Florida

l Educator Network founded: 18 members l 10th game released l Featured in:

2010 2009

2011 2013 2012

l iCivics Founded l iCivics used in all 50 states

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iCivics Annua l Re p o r t 20 19

2014

l +10M game plays

l MacArthur Award For Creative & Effective Institutions l Launch of DBQuest

2015

l Justice Sonia Sotomayor joins Governing Board l High school curriculum expansion begins

2019 l Recognized by American Library Association and Common Sense Media

2016

l 5M students served l Top 10 Most Innovative Companies

2017

2018 l l l l

l 6.2M students served l Surpassed 100M gameplays l CivXNow Coalition grows to +100 members

CivXNow Coalition founded Hosts “Democracy at a Crossroads� Summit Educator Network grows: 208 members First ELL-adapted game i C i vi cs Annua l Repo r t 2019

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At a Glance: iCivics in 2019

Game-Based Innovations 2019 marks a true year of educational innovation: iCivics released not one, but two unique game titles.

3 20,000 new teacher-users – a 25% growth 3 6.2M students served 3 20M gameplays

newsFeed defenders This timely game teaches students media and news literacy for the 21s century. Here, the player takes on a three-dimensional role: consumer, editor, and creator of media.

Civic topics collide with journalistic principles ... and reveal the hazards of bias, fake news, and false equivalency. race to ratify As our very first history-based game, Race to Ratify immerses students in the turbulent debate around our Constitution’s adoption – and the fact that it almost did not come to be. Students step into the shoes of a newspaper pamphleteer in 1787 to investigate a rich landscape of perspectives from the time. Support the Federalists? Champion the anti-Federalists? Here, young people weigh the evidence directly – and pick a side.

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iCivics Annual Annua l Re p or t 20 19

Recognition With new ventures come new risks. iCivics is honored to be recognized for its outsize impact and work: ★ First Civvys Winner at the National Conference on Citizenship

One student and his parent told me that they had talked politics and current events for three hours one night. He had never done that before his exposure to iCivics.

★ President’s Award from TESOL – the largest organization for educators of English learners ★ Finalist for Fast Company’s World Changing Ideas Award immigration nation: an eLL adaptation!

For the second time, iCivics has made a game playable for English language learners (ELLs). The new ELL game, Nación de Inmigración, touches on the rules of immigration and citizenship in America. It includes important new assets: a full Spanish translation; ingame glossaries for technical words; English voice-overs; and built-in strategy assists.

There are 3.75 million Spanish-speaking ELLs in K-12 today. Their numbers rise every year.

— Anonymous iCivics teacher-user

Most get sub-standard civic education. The reasons are varied, but it boils down to this: civics content and skills are complex by nature; and teachers lack adapted materials to engage their students in the civic learning process. iCivics wants to change that. iCivics is committed to equity in civics. Such adjustments make a great difference both for non-English native speakers and their teachers. new Curriculum Game-based learning is only as valuable as the curriculum that supports the game. While our edu-games bring civic concepts to life, it is our teaching materials that connect these concepts to deep civic learning, discussion, and reflection.

In 2019, iCivics has rolled out nearly 25 new curricular materials. This includes new lesson plans on the Constitution; mini-lessons on the Legislative Branch of government; Extension Packs around our three new game releases; and a timely and powerful Infographic on the role of mid-term elections.

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Field-Building for Democracy iCivics, and many others in the field of civic engagement, are asking: how can civic education help fix our Constitutional democracy?

Extreme incivility and polarization plague our civic commons. Many Americans, and youth especially, distrust our systems of government, and feel disconnected from civic life. It is no accident that the quantity and quality of civic education has been cut short for decades all across the country.

Students today lack fundamental knowledge about our government. Many lack the skills needed for responsible citizenship – evidence-based reasoning, argumentation, and media literacy. Many more lack the civic dispositions to forge solutions across differences.

To revive our Republic’s democratic infrastructure, it is imperative that we renew our commitment to civic education. CivXNow is a collaborative effort to make that goal a reality. the CivXnow Coalition The driving goal behind CivXNow – an iCivics initiative – is to raise national visibility, interest, and support for civic education. Today, the field is in a stronger position than in the past. Over 100 prestigious organizations have signed on as members, including: civics practitioners, educators, presidential libraries, universities and research centers, policy-makers, legal institutions, and funders. all are committed to expanding quality civic education nationwide and ensure every school fulfills its vital civic mission.

This year we have developed key infrastructure – and stayed committed to transpartisanship as well as diversity of thought, geography, and ethnicity.

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iCivics Annua l Re p or t 20 19

In civics class, I not only learned about, but was able to engage with – truly experience – our laws, institutions and processes - and, that all began with iCivics. The civic spark grew brighter with each game. It inspired me and my classmates to delve deeper - teaming up for debates, discussions and service projects.

— Alexandra Henderson 16 years old | Baton Rouge, LA

empirical research • In December 2018, we published three civic learning research summaries, on: Civic Knowledge and Skills, Civic Dispositions and Values, and Civic Behaviors.

• The following month, CivXNow released a System Map. The map – a year of research gathered from over 7,200 respondents – yielded thousands of data points, which were narrowed down to 75 factors and grouped into 14 root causes. Importantly, the map identifies 3 catalysts for changes: Mindset & Values; Relevancy & Engagement; Federal & State Policy and Accountability Measures. impact Measurement •In January 2019, we hosted the Civic Learning impact and Measurement Convening, in Menlo Park, CA. With over 160 people in attendance, the convening showcased impact measures of civic education and identified six areas for the field to align its efforts, including the need to better reflect student diversity. advances in State Policy • Soon after, iCivics released a comprehensive “state policy” Menu for Coalition members. The Menu’s recommendations include best practices for state learning standards, course and time requirements, professional development, implementation, assessment and accountability measures, pre-service requirements, equity, youth voice, culture and leadership, as well as a “civic readiness school” model.

The Menu – written about in Education Week, Politico, The Fulcrum, and The Hechinger Report – is now being used by coalitions in several key states where there is on-the-ground momentum for civic reform.

• Finally, in our very own state, iCivics co-leads the Massachusetts Civic Learning Coalition (MCLC) with a goal to secure robust civic programming statewide. On top of last year’s successful effort for an expanded civic education mandate, the MCLC pushed $1.5M in new state funds to support professional development as well as civics project opportunities in grade 8 and high school.

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Those Who Make iCivics Possible We are tremendously grateful to our donors. Their vital support keeps iCivics free.

Leader (+ $100,000)

Farvue Foundation

Capitol Square Foundation

Laird and Sandra Malamed

Pritesh Shah

Andrew W. Mellon Foundation

Foundation of the International Association of Defense Counsel (IADC)

Chapman & Cutler

Latham & Watkins

Cleary Gottlieb

Lee & Juliet Folger Fund

Red Crane Charitable Foundation

Cranaleith Foundation

Leo Guthart

Reed Smith

Debevoise & Plimpton

Lincoln and Therese Filene Foundation

Rick & Christian Olson

Annenberg Public Policy Center Carnegie Corporation of New York Constitutional Sources Project (ConSource) Democracy Fund Google Ads Program Hearst Foundations Leonard and Judy Lauder Library of Congress National Endowment for the Humanities Robert R. McCormick Foundation Silicon Valley Community Foundation William and Flora Hewlett Foundation

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H-E-B Howard and Geraldine Polinger Foundation

Lisa Clark

Robert H. Smith Family Foundation

Drinker Biddle

Locke Lord

Robert & Jennifer Waldron

Emmet Bondurant & Jane Fahey

Louis Dejoy and Aldona Z. Woz Family Foundation

Robert Katz

Norman Raab Foundation

Entertainment Software Association (ESA) Foundation

Mark Perry & Adele Mouzon

Scott Barshay

Park Foundation

Martha Minow

Shepard Broad Foundation

Estate of Jennie Moehlmann

Ray and Dagmar Dolby Family Fund

Martin Rodgers

Sheppard Mullin

Evolve Foundation

Mary Henry

Sidley

Fox Rothschild

Massachusetts Bar Association

Silvija Strikis

Google Matched Giving Program

Mauree Perry

Heidi Daniel

Mayer Brown

Society of Children’s Books Writers and Illustrators

Helen Groves

McGuire Woods

Thomas Wilner

Herb Block Foundation

John S. and James L. Knight Foundation Jones Day Lindmor Fund

Sullivan & Cromwell Wells Fargo William B. Wiener Jr. Foundation

Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute

Robert Long, Jr.

High Resolves

Melissa Elstein & Eric Katzmann

Tom Lue

Sustainer ($1,000 -$24,999) Partner ($25,000-$99,999)

Adam Abensohn

Holland & Knight

Morgan Lewis

Vivian Feintech

Adrienne Arsht

Anne Irwin

James Hormel

Move The World Foundation

Wendy May

Amazon Web Services

Arnold Peinado

Howell Estes

Barbara Russell

John & Dianne Fisher

National Conference on Citizenship (NCoC)

Winstead

Beryl Snyder Charles Evans Hughes Memorial Foundation

Battery Foundation

Kate Adams & Duke Wiser

Nasser Kazeminy

Wollenberg Foundation

Beverly Goulet

Kathleen Smalley

News Literacy Project

Cravath, Swaine & Moore

Bresky Foundation

Kevin Kelly

Oren Root

Davis Polk

Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft

Alice Pannill

Patricia Warner

Diller-Von Furstenberg Foundation

Cantacuzene Family Charitable Fund

Koret Foundation

Patrick & Pam Goodenough

iCivics Annual Re p o r t 20 19

Troutman Sanders

Winston & Strawn

2019 Financial Report Innovation and scale drive our growth Students Reached vs. Expenses* For every $.65 invested, a student learns with iCivics.

7M 6M 5M 4M

Students reached

3M 2M

Expenses (in $)

1M

FY15

FY16

FY17

FY18

FY19

June 30, 2019

June 30, 2018

Contributions In-Kind Royalties & Contract Income Interest Income & Other Revenue Total Support

4,239,331 972,532 91,879 94,564 5,398,306

3,161,054 660,297 48,925 49,323 3,919,599

Program Expenses Management & General Fundraising Total Expenses

4,087,517 (82%) 476,019 (9.5%) 432,248 (8.5%) 4,995,784

2,924,539 (80%) 285,384 (8%) 430,182 (12%) 3,640,105

Net assets, Beginning of Year Net Assets, End of Year Change in Net Assets

3,167,368 3,569,890 402,522

2,887,874 3,167,368 279,494

Revenue and Expenses

*Excludes in-kind donations i C i vi cs Annua l Repo r t 2019

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We asked teachers what iCivics means to them, in 1 word...

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