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PROJECT PERICLES INC
NEW YORK, NY · EIN 134097541 · Form 990 · FY2024 · NTEE T23 · Philanthropy & Grantmaking · Small ($100K-$1M) · projectpericles.org
revenue
$617K
expenses
$733K
net assets
$4.5M
employees
3
program ratio
76%
mission · from form 990

Project Pericles is a higher education nonprofit dedicated to advancing civic participation and social responsibility across college campuses. Through faculty leadership programs, community-engaged learning, and co-curricular initiatives, we equip faculty and students with the knowledge, skills, and resources to address societys most pressing challenges. In collaboration with our consortium of colleges and universities ("Pericleans"), we foster institutional commitments to ensure that active civic participation is woven throughout the curriculum and campus culture. By providing funding opportunities, national convenings, and thought leadership, Project Pericles strengthens higher educations role in preparing students for lives of meaningful impact and public purpose.

profile · synthesized from sources

Project Pericles is a higher education nonprofit that advances civic participation and social responsibility across college campuses. Through grants, national convenings, and co-curricular programs, it supports faculty and students at member institutions in addressing societal challenges. The organization fosters institutional commitments to civic engagement, strengthens democratic education, and promotes community-based learning in partnership with a consortium of colleges and universities nationwide.

irs program accomplishments · form 990 part iii · fy2024

What they reported doing

  1. #1 primary $151K
    Community-Engaged Learning and Civic Engagement Grants Program: Project Pericles offers grants to empower faculty and staff in helping students address real-world challenges and develop civic capacities. Periclean Faculty Leader and Course Enhancement grants ($3,000-$4,500) support courses that tackle real-world issues and/or benefit local communities. Civic Engagement Mini-Grants ($1,000) fund collaborative projects addressing public issues and encouraging civic participation. Recipients document their processes and outcomes to inspire future initiatives. Together, these grants foster broader civic engagement, enhance student learning, and promote community well-being through inclusive, real-world applications of academic knowledge and co-curricular experiences.
  2. #2 $6K
    Network Convenings: In-person conferences and virtual gatherings that bridge campus stakeholders across the consortium and affiliated faculty/staff from 50+ nationwide institutions to exchange best practices and address common challenges. These forums cultivate a vibrant community of practice among civic-minded higher education professionals committed to strengthening democracy through education.
named programs · 5 · from sources

What they call their work

Civic Engagement Mini-Grants
Provides $1,000 grants to students and faculty for collaborative projects that address public issues and promote civic participation on campus and in local communities
Civic Story Lab
New initiative that supports students in developing and sharing narratives about civic engagement and public service
Debating for Democracy (D4D)
National program that trains students in advocacy, organizing, and communication through campus workshops and national conferences; includes a policy competition where student teams write letters to elected officials
Network Convenings
Hosts in-person and virtual gatherings for faculty, staff, and students from member institutions to share best practices, collaborate, and strengthen the national civic engagement community
Periclean Faculty Leader and Course Enhancement Grants
Offers $3,000–$4,500 grants to faculty to develop or enhance courses that integrate community engagement and real-world problem solving into the curriculum
activities · 6 groups

What they do

  • Student-Led Civic Engagement Support 2 activities
    • Facilitating nonpartisan student voter engagement
      Operated the Student Choices – Student Voices program from 2016 to 2019 to increase voter registration, provide nonpartisan candidate information, and support constructive dialogue, enabling approximately 300 students at Pitzer College to vote or receive absentee ballots.
    • Supporting student civic engagement through direct programming
      Designs and runs student-focused programs such as the Civic Impact Interns, Civic Story Lab, and Debating for Democracy initiatives, engaging over 3,700 students, faculty, and staff through workshops and national conferences.
  • Strategic Planning and Organizational Development 1 activity
    • Advancing civic learning through research and strategic planning
      Conducts research initiatives such as publishing essays connecting classical scholarship to modern democratic challenges, and leads strategic planning processes involving faculty and campus leaders to renew organizational mission and direction.
  • Leadership Development Programs 1 activity
    • Building capacity in civic education through fellowships and resources
      Offers the Pericles Civic Fellowship to train faculty and staff in democratic practices, maintains a Civic Engagement Resources Database with course syllabi and descriptions, and supports the development of civic learning programs integrated into academic and campus infrastructure.
  • Educator Conferences & Professional Development Events 1 activity
    • Convening educators to strengthen civic engagement
      Hosts in-person and virtual convenings for faculty and staff from over 50 institutions to share best practices, co-create programming, and strengthen civic learning and democratic engagement in higher education.
  • Teacher & Classroom Innovation Grants 1 activity
    • Funding faculty development in civic learning
      Provides competitive grants to faculty and staff at higher education institutions to develop or expand community-engaged civic learning courses and initiatives, including $3,000 grants for testing new pedagogical approaches. Supports over 150 Periclean Faculty Leaders across disciplines since 2008.
  • Uncategorized 1 activity
    • Funding institutional integration of civic learning
      Provides grants to embed community-engaged civic learning into academic departments, policies, programs, and governance structures, with Catalyst Grants awarded to each Periclean institution through Fall 2028 and potential for follow-on funding based on progress.
financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$617K
Contributions & grants$213K34%
Program service revenue$00%
Investment income$404K66%
Other revenue$0
expenses
Total expenses$733K
Program expenses76%
Admin / overhead12%
Fundraising12%
Salaries & benefits$414K
Grants paid out$151K
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$4.54M
Cash$810K
Investments$3.71M
Liabilities$46K
Net assets$4.49M
Liquid reserves74.0 mo
5 years on record · 2020–2024 · YoY revenue -20.4%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024

Who runs it

board members · 13
  • AUDREY BILGER — Director
  • CONNIE LEDOUX BOOK — Director
  • DAVID A CAPUTO — Treasurer
  • EUGENE M TOBIN — Director
  • HELEN LANG SUSKIN — Director
  • JAMES H MULLEN — Director
  • LAUREN S MCGRAIL — VICE CHAIR
  • LOUIS A MARTARANO — Director
  • MARC C CONNER — Director
  • PAUL SCHADEWALD — Director
  • RICHARD EKMAN — PAST CHAIR
  • RONALD B COLE — Chairman
  • SCOTT L WARREN — Director
relationships · 25

Who they work with

  • AAC&U Network — National higher education organization where Periclean institutions gain visibility.
  • Allegheny College Partner — Student Nathan George participated in the Civic Story Lab, using storytelling to explore civic engagement and amplify underrepresented voices.
  • Belchertown Nipmuc Farm Conservation Alliance Partner — Collaborated with Hampshire College students in the Civic Story Lab to amplify stories about Indigenous-led environmental stewardship.
  • Bethune-Cookman University Partner — Student Kimora Drake participated in the Civic Story Lab, developing political voice through narrative projects.
  • Carleton University Partner — Supported student leader Sydney Tirschwell through the Mini-Grant program to implement depolarization workshops on campus.
  • Catholic Charities Partner — Collaborated with Wagner College on the Hostile Terrain 94 Conversations exhibit as part of a Periclean Faculty Leadership course.
  • Danielle Allen Partner — Collaborates with civic scholar Danielle Allen through contributions to her work, including The Renovator.
  • Eugene M. Lang Partner — Founded Project Pericles in 2001 based on his vision for revitalizing civic engagement in liberal arts education.
  • Eugene M. Lang Foundation Funder — Supports the Pericles Civic Fellowship program.
  • Hampshire College Partner — Partnered with the Belchertown Nipmuc Farm Conservation Alliance and Hassanamisco Nipmuc Band through the Civic Story Lab to highlight Indigenous stewardship.
  • Hassanamisco Nipmuc Band Partner — Partnered with Hampshire College students in the Civic Story Lab to share narratives on Native land stewardship and civic engagement.
  • Hell Gate Partner — Partnered with Pace University through the Civic Story Lab to provide students with training in news reporting and professional journalism.
  • Hendrix College Partner — Student participants from Hendrix College attended Debating for Democracy National Conferences and engaged in civic leadership development.
  • La Colmena Partner — Co-created the Hostile Terrain 94 Conversations exhibit with Wagner College as part of a Periclean Faculty Leadership course.
  • Macalester Partner — Student leader Ryan Perez led the SCSV Task Force, organizing voter registration events and civic actions on campus.
  • Pace University Partner — Collaborated with Hell Gate news outlet through the Civic Story Lab to train students in professional journalism and civic storytelling.
  • Periclean Faculty Leaders Network — Faculty members from consortium institutions who lead civic engagement initiatives supported by Project Pericles.
  • Periclean Institutions Network — Network of colleges and universities partnered with Project Pericles to advance civic learning.
  • Periclean institutions Network — Network of colleges and universities participating in Project Pericles initiatives, including Catalyst Grants.
  • Pitzer College Partner — Participated in the Student Choices – Student Voices program by supporting absentee voting access for approximately 300 students.
  • The Bonner Foundation Partner — Collaborates with The Bonner Foundation through participation in the Summer Leadership Institute.
  • The Mellon Foundation Funder — Supports the Pericles Civic Fellowship program.
  • Wagner College Partner — Hosted a student-produced film festival on local and national politics through the Student Choices – Student Voices initiative.
  • liberal arts and teaching-centered institutions Network — Long-term institutional partners where programs are implemented through close faculty-student relationships
  • liberal arts institutions Partner — Collaborates with liberal arts institutions to advance civic engagement and democratic education.
strategies · 4

How they approach the work

Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.

  • Consortium-Based Capacity Building with Mutual Commitment
    methodology: mutual_commitment_consortium_model
    By forming a selective consortium of colleges bound by mutual commitments to assessment, collaboration, and financial contribution, the organization strengthens civic learning across institutions, because shared accountability and long-term relationships foster trust, collective learning, and scalable impact.
  • Faculty-Driven Transformation of Civic Education
    methodology: faculty-facing_student_support
    By investing in faculty development and cultivating networks of faculty champions, the organization enhances student civic learning outcomes, because empowered educators become catalysts for curricular innovation and peer-led diffusion of civic engagement practices across campuses.
  • Humanities-Informed Civic Engagement
    methodology: humanities-based_civic_education
    By integrating classical scholarship and the humanities into civic education, the organization strengthens democratic engagement, because critical reflection on ancient democracy and narrative-centered practices deepens students’ ethical reasoning, cross-difference dialogue, and sense of civic identity.
  • Institutional Embedding of Civic Learning
    methodology: institutional-embedding
    By embedding civic learning into institutional structures—rather than relying on isolated courses or individual champions—the organization produces sustainable change in higher education, because systemic integration ensures longevity, scalability, and cultural transformation within liberal arts institutions.