CALIFORNIA FORWARD
The nonprofit, nonpartisan California Forward was launched in 2008, after five foundations realized the only way to tackle the state government dysfunction was to create an organization to help reshape the future of the state by fundamentally changing the way government operates. Our mission is to work with Californians to help create a “smart” government— one that’s small enough to listen, big enough to tackle real problems, smart enough to spend our money wisely in good times and bad, and honest enough to be held accountable for results.

CENTER FOR INDIVIDUAL AND INSTITUTIONAL RENEWAL
CIIR will serve as a catalyst to help individuals change the way they think about their public sector institutions and help the institutions to be better able to meet the challenges of the 21st Century.

The goal of CIIR is to facilitate, in a meaningful way, one or more pilot projects, which can re-focus public sector institutions on service to the public responsively and effectively, creating independence and a sense of community for those they serve.

DAVENPORT INSTITUTE FOR PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT AND CIVIC LEADERSHIP
The Davenport Institute for Public Engagement and Civic Leadership, based at Pepperdine University’s School of Public Policy, supports and promotes civic participation in local policy-making as a way of forming better policy and better citizens. To this end we consult with and train municipal and civic leaders as they seek to engage their residents in difficult public problem solving. In an era of increasingly complex policy-making, we view public engagement as a vital civic leadership skill – one that requires both a knowledge of processes and a renewed regard for the public as prospective partners in resolving public challenges.

NATIONAL CONFERENCE ON CITIZENSHIP
At the National Conference on Citizenship (NCoC), we believe everyone has the power to make a difference in how their community and country thrive.

We are a dynamic, non-partisan nonprofit working at the forefront of our nation’s civic life. We continuously explore what shapes today’s citizenry, define the evolving role of the individual in our democracy, and uncover ways to motivate greater participation. Through our events, research and reports, NCoC expands our nation’s contemporary understanding of what it means to be a citizen. We seek new ideas and approaches for creating greater civic health and vitality throughout the United States.


We would like to thank the following individuals who generously gave of their time, through a series of interviews, to share their insights and experiences. Their contributions were instrumental to shaping the content of this report:
Karen Baker, Secretary of Service and Volunteering
Mark Baldassare, Public Policy Institute of California
Kim Belshé, Public Policy Institute of California, and former Secretary of California Health and Human Services Agency
Chris Bui, Fifth Medium
David Davenport, Hoover Institution at Stanford, and former President of Pepperdine University
Ed Everett, former City Manager of Redwood City
Judith Kleinberg, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
Joe Mathews, Zócalo Public Square
Lenny Mendonca, McKinsey & Co, Bay Area Roundtable, and California Forward
Heather Peeler, Corporation for National and Community Service
Richard Price and Matt Stamey, San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District
Richard Raya, California Forward
Fred Silva, California Forward
Steve Weiner, Common Sense California