The Democracy Architects Council, presented by The Bridge Alliance and Civics Unplugged, is a one-year, paid opportunity for eight visionary and ambitious young leaders to define and share their vision for the future of America’s democracy. Democracy Architects will redefine the status quo, imagine what is possible, and create the playbook to realize it.
The council of eight Democracy Architects will serve as thought leaders, presenting their vision for America’s democracy in 2035 and beyond by co-creating an actionable sector playbook with diverse sector stakeholders, organizations and leaders. Each Democracy Architect will be funded and supported to develop evidence-based, concrete calls to action, represent their sector in the media, and knowledge-share with the other seven individuals in the cohort.
Democracy Architects will track sector trends, convene roundtable discussions and dialogues, translate discussions into recommendations for reform and renewal, write essays, commentary, and reports for publication in
The Fulcrum, and maximize impact and engagement with the public by connecting their storytelling to significant democracy revitalization and reform events, including The Bridge Alliance and the National Academy of Public Administration’s
Fellows for Democracy and Public Service initiative.
Members of the Democracy Architects Council are between the ages of 18 and 28, represent a wide array of backgrounds, and hail from different sectors, cultures, ethnicities, and regions of the United States. Individuals are selected based on their previous work in their respective fields, as well as their demonstrated commitment to charting a bold path toward the future of American democracy.
During the course of the yearlong term, and in order to develop and discuss an actionable sector playbook, Democracy Architects will receive the following:
- $10,000 yearly honorarium to be paid in monthly installments of $834
- One meeting per month with the entire cohort, designed for Democracy Architects to share intelligence across sectors, align strategies, and track emerging trends
- Access to a centralized knowledge hub for communication, contact-sharing, and reporting
- Research support from Civics Unplugged, including support to draft essays and reports, conduct background research, track sector insights, and prepare event content.
- Content amplification support and media visibility from The Bridge Alliance, including direct publication in The Fulcrum and connecting Democracy Architects’ work to ongoing Bridge Alliance initiatives
While on the Council, Democracy Architects will be expected to dedicate 20 hours per month to the role and be responsible for:
- Attending 12 virtual, full-council convenings (one per month)
- Writing two op-ed-length sector-focused essays for publication
- Cultivating and sustaining meaningful sector relationships
- Facilitating three to five roundtable discussions with sector stakeholders, organizations, and leaders to source information and gather sector insights
- Collaborating to generate a full Democracy Architects report by the end of the 12-month period
- Working in tandem with The Bridge Alliance and Civics Unplugged to represent their sector in the media, public forums, and at events
The selected Democracy Architects will be announced by early February 2026, with an anticipated first convening of the cohort in late February.
The Promise
The Democracy Architects Council will be energized, inclusive, and unapologetically ambitious. It is not another summit of words—it is a movement of action that drives transformation. It is a bold wager on the future, entrusted to those who will inherit and shape it.
These young architects of democracy will chart their own path toward America’s tomorrow, in dialogue with those who have walked before them, forging a bridge between legacy and possibility.
