​The David and Lucile Packard Foundation’s report, “AI and Democracy: Perspectives from an Emerging Field,” synthesizes insights from various stakeholders on how AI disrupts democratic institutions, elections, government, information ecosystems, civic participation, labor markets, and the economy. It positions AI as an accelerant that amplifies strengths and weaknesses across existing systems, with democratic futures dependent on rapid adaptation to ensure technological change doesn’t outpace democratic governance. The report includes an appendix mapping over 130 organizations working at the intersection of AI and democracy, offering systems-level analysis and a focus on how funders must respond to AI’s democratic implications. This work advances NCDD’s mission by providing a framework for understanding how AI shapes conditions for democratic participation, civic engagement, and institutional trust, emphasizing the importance of collective capacity to respond to accelerated change through coordinated action addressing election integrity, information ecosystem health, algorithmic accountability, and democratic adaptation across multiple domains.

The Democracy Narratives Alliance, a global initiative led by People Powered with over 30 organizations, will release research on March 24, 2026. The research synthesizes nearly 400 publications and evidence from 150+ studies on how narratives strengthen democracy and increase public engagement beyond electoral framing. The webinar features speakers from People Powered, Fundación Corona, Global Democracy Coalition, and Busara discussing which narratives foster democratic support, how framing and values invoke participation, and practical recommendations for practitioners and storytellers. The alliance responds to citizens’ frustration with electoral politics and global questioning of democracy by translating fragmented behavioral science and communications research into coordinated action through shared narratives, tools, and strategies tested at global, national, and local levels. This work advances NCDD’s mission by providing dialogue practitioners with evidence-based guidance on framing participatory processes to resonate with diverse publics, overcome institutional cynicism, and help people see democracy as active participation in shaping collective futures.

Simon Fraser University’s Community-Engaged Research Initiative convenes a three-day national dialogue (March 31-April 2, 2026) to explore how public universities can respond to polycrisis, including climate disruption, democratic strain, inequality, public health challenges, and financial pressures. Scholars, community leaders, policymakers, and students will generate insights and strategies for a position paper on collective action. The symposium addresses how universities can act as pillars of democracy and public well-being, advance climate justice and health equity, and prepare students for navigating a fractured world. Co-keynote addresses by Dr. Jessica Riddell and Nisga’a scholar Dr. Amy Parent will be followed by a fireside chat with interdisciplinary scholars on reimagining Canadian universities. This initiative advances NCDD’s mission by modeling cross-sector dialogue on universities’ civic responsibilities, strengthening democratic engagement through community-embedded scholarship, and fostering interdisciplinary exchange for collaborative solutions to pressing societal challenges.

​Evidence for Democracy’s public panel on March 24, 2026, explores how AI transforms government evidence collection and policymaking. Beatrice Wayne from the Samara Centre for Democracy, Helen Hayes from McGill’s Centre for Media, Technology, and Democracy, and Dr. Renée Sieber from McGill’s Bieler School of Environment discuss transparency, bias prevention, and rebuilding public trust amid algorithmic opacity. The panel examines AI’s current use in policy development, fairness in evidence-based decision-making, and strategies for strengthening accountability as AI tools evolve. Panelists draw on expertise in investigations of Canada’s online spaces, youth-centered AI policymaking, and AI’s impacts on marginalized communities and civic participation. This panel advances NCDD’s mission by examining how emerging technologies shape democratic participation, evidence-based governance, and public trust, offering dialogue practitioners insights into maintaining democratic values of openness and integrity as algorithmic systems become embedded in decision-making processes affecting communities and civic engagement work.

​The UC National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement’s eighth annual #SpeechMatters conference will examine threats to First Amendment freedoms in higher education on April 8, 2026. The virtual event features legal experts, journalists, artists, and university leaders discussing press freedom, artistic expression, campus speech, academic freedom, and government pressure on universities and platforms. Convened by UC President James B. Milliken and Executive Director Michelle Deutchman, the conference positions free expression as essential infrastructure for democratic engagement and civic learning. It aims to advance NCDD’s mission by examining how threats to free speech affect constructive conversation and recognizing the need for institutional protections enabling people to speak, question, create, and engage without fear of retaliation.

​More in Common US released focus group findings with “Reluctant Right” voters, the least ideological and most ambivalent fifth of Trump’s 2024 coalition, revealing nuanced perspectives on immigration enforcement. These voters criticize extreme tactics while supporting restrictive approaches and distinguish between Trump and ICE accountability. The research identifies four themes: losing faith in enforcement tactics while supporting Trump, trusting bipartisanship, advocating for reforming ICE due to concerns about hiring standards and training, and pervasive low trust in media and institutions creating uncertainty about competing narratives. This research positions the Reluctant Right as a signal for Trump coalition stability and demonstrates how qualitative methods reveal complexity often missed by polling. It advances NCDD’s mission by helping Americans understand perspectives across partisan divides, identifying potential areas for bipartisan solutions, and modeling research approaches that surface nuance, ambivalence, and complexity essential for bridging divides and developing democratic solutions grounded in diverse voter thinking.

The National Civic League’s Center for Democracy Innovation, led by Matt Leighninger, released an update on local democracy initiatives, including the expanded Community Foundations for Civic Health program supporting planning, learning cohorts, and funding. Progress includes the Healthy Democracy Ecosystem Map spanning 12,500 organizations, a national survey showing support for civic reforms, and research demonstrating local reforms can strengthen trust. Examples include Decatur, Georgia’s civic lottery charter revision, the Better Public Meetings expansion, leadership partnerships in Tennessee and Texas, Colorado’s Civic Health Action Guide, and the CyberSim cybersecurity project. These efforts advance NCDD’s mission by building local civic infrastructure, fostering community-led democratic innovation, and giving residents an authentic voice in public decision-making.

Emerging America and the Keene State College Teaching Disability History Program co-host a March 11, 2026, webinar on voting access for people with disabilities and young voters. Researchers Lisa Schur and Doug Kruse from Rutgers University, Ashleigh McKenna from New Voters, and Noorya Hayat from CIRCLE at Tufts University will explore historical barriers, current trends, and strategies for supporting student voter registration and participation. The session provides resources for developing programs that prepare students with disabilities to vote and address how disability intersects with democratic participation. It connects historical understanding of voting rights struggles with contemporary practice, demonstrating how civic learning can address equity gaps by attending to access needs, legal protections, and practical strategies for navigating voting systems. This National Civic Learning Week event advances NCDD’s mission by equipping educators with tools to support all students in exercising democratic rights, addressing structural obstacles to civic engagement, and strengthening inclusive democratic participation through accessible civic education and youth voter mobilization.

A coalition of civic practitioners from groups including Kentucky Rural-Urban Exchange, Join or Die, The Village Square, Department of Public Transformation, and Warm Cookies of the Revolution released an open letter outlining a vision for community-led civic renewal based on five principles: participatory engagement, vibrant civic culture, locally rooted leadership, trust-based relationships, and generational commitment. The letter critiques approaches that treat communities as managed spaces, emphasizing that America’s civic renewal depends on nurturing local stewardship. This framework supports NCDD’s mission by promoting trust, place-based accountability, and long-term civic cultivation, inviting stakeholders to strengthen networks of grounded leaders across thousands of communities.

​The National Civic League’s Winter 2026 National Civic Review examines how local democracy is evolving amid declining trust, polarization, and rapid technological change. The issue highlights bridging institutions, dialogue models in divided schools, redesigns of local government to prioritize equity and participation, and community foundations’ role in sustaining engagement. It also considers AI’s promise and risks, lessons from anti-corruption socialist mayors, and reflections on governance reforms in Portland. The publication advances participatory democracy by sharing innovations and equipping practitioners to foster inclusive, responsive local governance.