We are gathering innovators and educators to co-create a new kind of organization to strengthen American democracy and address our common challenges.

Announcing the Franklin Forum 2021

The Franklin Project’s strategy is to convene, design, and then build a new kind of organization. In 2021 we will organize a community of historians, educators, social entrepreneurs, philanthropists, business leaders, and civic activists who are committed to refocusing American government, civil society, and business to operate with more of a Franklin mindset. We intend to mine the collective ideas of this group to co-create a new kind of organization that can effectively put into practice the values of Franklin across the nation, with particular focus on history education, entrepreneur support, and strengthening local civic innovation ecosystems.

Just as Franklin blended a serious intellectual curiosity with action, the Franklin Forum 2021 will incubate and propose concrete, collaborative initiatives that seek to mend our polarized civic culture and promote the economic, racial and gender justice required to advance American progress.

At its core, the Franklin Forum seeks to bring together in the spirit of fellowship and with a bias towards action those who believe in the enlightenment values and vision of America that Franklin promoted and who find purpose and joy in using their skills to be useful to society.  We believe — and one could call it a leap of faith — that doing so might bring greater unity, civility, meaning and effectiveness to public life.