Civic engagement is “the process of helping people be active participants in building and strengthening their communities, whether defined as a place or a shared identity or interest.” That is the definition most sectors use for this term. Until now, however, US philanthropy has adhered to a much narrower, constrained definition that focuses mainly on voting behaviors, election processes, and attending public meetings.

As a member-led project, this paper seeks to describe the wider, more diverse universe of civic and community engagement activity and how it relates to philanthropy’...