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We place community-engaged civic learning at the heart of higher education.

What We Do

We bring together colleges and universities to make civic learning central to what higher education does and who students become.

Programs​

Our programs empower campus partners to integrate civic learning and community engagement into classroom teaching and the campus experience.
Programs

Consortium

Our work is built on long-term, trusted relationships with a tight-knit consortium of 25 teaching-centered liberal arts colleges across the United States.
Consortium

Resources

Our resources are designed to inspire and equip educators with practical tools for cultivating students’ civic agency, developed in partnership with our network.
Resources

Stories

In Service of Students

For twenty-five years, Project Pericles’ programs, from Debating for Democracy to the new Civic Story Lab, have given thousands of students hands-on ways to practice civic life. This piece looks back at that impact through the eyes of students whose experiences shaped lifelong commitments to community, mentorship, and public service.

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July 10, 2026

Pericles as Founding Father: Democracy from Athens to America

In this essay, Joanna Kenty examines Pericles as Athens’ complex “founding father” of democracy. The essay explores what Periclean Athens, in both its brilliance and its decline, can teach us about sustaining democratic life today as we mark Project Pericles’ 25th anniversary and America’s semiquincentennial.

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July 3, 2026

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Grants

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Periclean Institutions

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"From leading students through phone banking during a pivotal special election, to watching them grow during our Day at the Capitol, to hosting an on-campus forum on voter suppression—each experience affirmed the power of experiential learning. Students connected theory to practice and found their voices as civic leaders."
Dr. Dorcas McCoy
Professor, Bethune-Cookman University
"Project Pericles provides the intellectual and programmatic framework for terrific projects, and we have been so proud to see our faculty embrace the opportunities that Project Pericles makes possible… Such efforts at embodying civic democratic action is at the heart of a liberal arts education."
Marc Conner
President, Skidmore College
“I am now 28, and my time with Project Pericles is still in the top five impactful experiences I've had in leadership development. I made my best life friend there, and was exposed to so much; not only did I get to meet other young adults who had a vision for a better world, but I caught a contagious energy that it was possible. From the innovation of guerilla gardening in busy NYC to listening to debates around getting clean water to Flint, my time with Pericles cemented my life-long call toward bolstering my community.”
James Williams
Former Student, Goucher College
I believe that higher education is an investment we make as a society in the future of our families and our country. The work of Project Pericles matters to me because I want my own children to be part of a citizenry that engages, connects and cares for each other. And this can't be done by one institution alone. It really needs a whole ecosystem to center this, and that's what the work of Project Pericles does.
Way-Ting Chen
Co-Founder and Senior Partner, Blue Garnet
“I am immensely grateful for the time and resources that this Periclean Faculty Leadership grant has allowed. The result was a cohort of students who are better prepared to face the complexities of ecological crisis and, perhaps most importantly, convinced that their engagement with the problems can lead to better lives for local community residents.”
Eric Dean Wilson
Assistant Professor, Wagner College
"Project Pericles has inspired generations of young people to embrace the preparation for active citizenship as one of higher education's most important contributions to the public good. If our colleges and universities are to sustain the resilience of democratic institutions into the second half of the 21st century, Project Pericles must encourage future generations of students, faculty, and community leaders to engage societal challenges that promote democratic flourishing."
Eugene Tobin
Former President, Hamilton College
"Project Pericles' dialogue resources and grant funding have been a steady source of support during an increasingly complex moment in higher education. Community-engaged learning is "AI-proof" and essential to regaining public trust and relevance in a shifting landscape. Project Pericles is helping to make civic engagement a norm, not the exception."
Allison Walker
Director of Community Partnerships & Experiential Learning, Wake Forest University

Our Campuses

Project Pericles partners with colleges and universities nationwide to strengthen community-engaged civic learning in higher education. This interactive map highlights our Periclean Institutions (orange) and the campuses that have received Mini-Grants (blue).