Davenport Institute Awarded $300,000 Grant from James Irvine Foundation

The Davenport Institute for Public Engagement and Civic Leadership at the School of Public Policy has been awarded a $300,000, 18-month grant from the James Irvine Foundation in support of its work to promote and evaluate public engagement practices at the local government level.

While the Davenport Institute has been a recipient of support from the Irvine Foundation in the past, the new grant offers increased flexibility in programming to support the important work of local public engagement.  It will not only continue to provide for the Institute's ongoing training work with public sector officials, but will allow for the expansion of its public safety offerings and begin to develop additional community-focused training.  It will also provide support to begin to evaluate the impact of the training sessions and grant efforts on municipal public processes. 

"Local democracy isn't something that just happens every other year at the ballot box," notes Ashley Trim, executive director of the Davenport Institute. "We are very grateful to the James Irvine Foundation for their partnership and support of efforts to engage Californians in the very important local decisions that are made between election cycles." 

The Davenport Institute works to help solve California's public problems by promoting citizen participation in governance. The Institute collaborates with city and county governments, special districts, regional governance associations, and nonprofit organizations to both promote and support legitimate civic involvement through trainings, consultations, and grant-making.