Fostering Democracy and Expression: Highlights from our “Back to School for Democracy” Grants

As we enter a new political administration, Project Pericles continues to commit to strengthening democracy and celebrating the successes of our campuses in fostering civic leadership across campus. In this vein, Project Pericles is thrilled to share eight rapid response mini-grants awarded in our inaugural Back to School for Democracy Collaborative Fellowship! This fellowship was created in Fall 2024 in response to the crucial need to develop a new generation of diverse civic leaders who embrace their role in making a difference in society. Through these grants, faculty, staff, students, and administrators collaboratively engage with civic and social justice issues fostering creative inquiry and inspiring unity.

​Funded by the Mellon Foundation with additional support from The Eugene M. Lang Foundation, this initiative provided grant recipients with up to $1,000 to design and implement innovative projects, events, or event series that address key challenges and opportunities on their campuses. Grantees utilized their funding for impactful initiatives, ranging from voter registration drives to workshops focused on combating voter suppression building capacity for meaningful, long-term change

Goucher College Student taking part in "Speak Up, Speak Out"

Empowering Students to "Speak Up, Speak Out" at Goucher College
​The “Speak Up, Speak Out” initiative at Goucher College in Baltimore, Maryland amplified student voices by creating and sharing videos on their thoughts on important issues from higher education policy to feeling represented in the presidential election. With support from the Pericles’ Back to School for Democracy grant, the project featured a mobile video booth that encouraged students to share their thoughts, cultivating dialogue around critical issues. Project leader Nina Kasniunas emphasized the lasting impact of these efforts, noting, “Democratic engagement isn’t confined to voter mobilization work in the lead-up to an election, it’s a part of an ongoing commitment to empower students and to elevate their voices.”

​WagnerVotes Combines Education and Action to Engage nearly 600 New Voters: 
As part of Pericles’ “Promoting Voter Activation” track, Bernadette Ludwig at Wagner College in Staten Island, New York collaborated with student members of WagnerVotes to engage 588 new voters through in-class visits, a “Mail-in Ballot party”, and voter education efforts as well as distribution of resources for international students to vote from abroad. Reflecting on the grant’s impact Ludwig reported, “Receiving financial, logistical, and intellectual support to provide voter education and registration from Project Pericles has been extremely helpful… Knowing that there are others and resources available makes this work possible. Doing this work, and interacting with students also confirms that they do want to learn more about voting and many were eagerly anticipating to vote.”

Mobilizing Voters at Rhodes: A Campus-Wide Effort
Rhodes College's Lynne & Henry Turley Memphis Center for Community Engagement in Memphis, Tennessee led an impactful voter engagement campaign during the fall semester, hosting 19 events that reached over 900 students. These efforts were made possible through collaboration with 8 community organizations, 10 student groups, and 47 faculty and staff members. With support from the Back to School for Democracy grant, Rhodes Votes distributed key voter education materials to attendees. This included phone wallets with a centralized, easily shareable link providing students with quick access to voting information, registration deadlines, sample ballots, absentee ballot details for all 50 states, and the option to sign up for Rides to the Polls on Election Day.

The promising initiatives demonstrate the transformative power of collaboration, innovation, and civic responsibility. As these projects continue to inspire students, faculty, and staff alike, they remind us that democratic engagement extends far beyond election seasons and entails an ongoing effort that shapes communities and empowers future leaders. 

Project Pericles is committed to fostering civic leadership and democratic participation across campuses nationwide. With the continued support of our partners, including the Mellon Foundation and The Eugene M. Lang Foundation, we look forward to further amplifying impactful efforts. Together, we can nurture a generation that not only understands democracy but actively participates in its preservation and growth.

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Goucher College Student taking part in "Speak Up, Speak Out"