Jack Miller Center to expand K-12 history, civics, and government programs for teachers following $2.5 million grant from The Marcus Foundation
A transformative $2.5 million gift from The Marcus Foundation will accelerate and grow JMC’s work to support K-12 history, civics, and government teachers across the country.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The Jack Miller Center (JMC), an educational non-profit committed to civic education, today announced a transformative $2.5 million gift from The Marcus Foundation to accelerate and grow JMC’s work to support K-12 history, civics, and government teachers across the country.
Over the course of two years, the funding will increase graduate course offerings in the Civics Foundations Graduate Consortium, the nation’s first university consortium committed to graduate education for civics and history teachers, building on growth supported by the John Templeton Foundation, with more than 12 courses offered this year and at least 19 in 2027. In addition, the grant will increase the number of scholar-directed summer institutes and professional development workshops for K-12 teachers across the country to at least 25 campuses in 2026 and 30 campuses in 2027.
“As an entrepreneur and patriot, Bernie Marcus was an embodiment of the American dream,” said Michael Weiser, Chair of the Jack Miller Center’s Board of Directors. “We will honor his legacy as a champion of freedom and democracy by returning our principles and ideals to the forefront of America’s classrooms.”
This gift is one of the largest in the Jack Miller Center’s history and will support the organization as it increases educational outreach and teacher training timed to the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in July 2026.
“We are deeply grateful to The Marcus Foundation for their transformational support,” said Hans Zeiger, President of the Jack Miller Center. “This game-changing investment will empower thousands of teachers to deepen their understanding of America’s founding ideas and documents. It will also support scholars across the country in cultivating the entrepreneurial spirit and mindset that Bernie Marcus so admirably embodied.”
“The Marcus Foundation’s commitment to civic education reflects Bernie’s belief in the American Dream and his mother’s faith that, through education, anything is possible in this country,” said Jay Kaiman, President of The Marcus Foundation. “Our partnership with the Jack Miller Center will strengthen civics teacher preparation so more educators can teach the nation’s founding ideals with confidence, rigor, and pride.”
The Marcus Foundation grant joins other pivotal investments in the Jack Miller Center from across the civic education landscape, including gifts from the John Templeton Foundation, The Teagle Foundation, and Carnegie Corporation of New York.
“We’re trying to ignite a civics renaissance in America,” said Zeiger. “We believe that discussions around our nation’s founding history are the key to a more united future. This gift represents a major step in making that vision a reality.”
ABOUT THE JACK MILLER CENTER
The Jack Miller Center is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization advancing the work of scholars who teach and study the ideas, documents, and history we hold in common as Americans. We seek to grow the talent pipeline of university educators who teach the American political tradition, to forge new models for university-based training of K-12 civics and history teachers, and to build a diverse coalition of Americans to ignite a civic education renaissance.