Defining Democracy: The '1619' Summer Incubator

The Pulitzer Center is excited to announce our 1619 Education Initiative of 2025: the 1619 Summer Incubator. The Summer Incubator is a paid three-part teacher development program that invites education professionals to propose projects that use 1619 materials to engage their learning communities with themes of democracy, workshop these projects through gatherings with other education professionals, and receive direct funding to implement the project in fall 2025.

The 1619 Summer Incubator  encourages educators to develop projects that are locally relevant. The program provides educators the opportunity for peer review, personal learning, and exposure to additional curricular resources, including Pulitzer Center reporting, to supplement their work. Though each project that selected participants develop in the program will be unique, the unifying theme of American democracy brings them together in a shared story of impact.  

This program launches as many schools, from the levels of kindergarten through university , are preparing to recognize the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in 2026. The 1619 Summer Incubator aims to provide an opportunity for educators who want to approach those discussions in a collaborative and innovative way that leads to sustained impact beyond their individual classrooms.

Program Overview:

For three years, our 1619 Education Network has helped us curate a digital resource library with nearly 100 curricular resources and demonstrate the impact of utilizing The 1619 Project as an instructional tool for classrooms of students at all age levels. In 2024, we are transitioning to an impact grant program in place of the Network, inspired by the ways our alumni took a simple program goal and built multi-classroom, school-wide, and community-based learning experiences for students. The 1619 Education Impact Grant will allow us to focus support on collaborative and innovative projects that engage educators and students and lead to sustained impact beyond the individual classroom level.

This program is exclusive to education professionals in our extended Pulitzer Center education community, which includes Network/Fellowship alumni, prior event attendees, and newsletter subscribers. Applicants can work with students and educators in both K-12 learning environments and colleges/universities. The program is structured as follows:

1. Initial proposals: Applicants submit a framework for a project that will:  
   1. Impact at least 500 students and/or educators in their local communities.
   2. Improve the awareness and critical thinking of students and/or educators about the legacies of slavery in the contemporary United States, and the contributions of Black Americans to American democracy.
   3. Explore the role the news media plays in shaping our understanding of both history and democracy.
   4. Equip students and/or educators to take action and make change that advances democracy within their communities.
2. Summer Incubator: Accepted participants refine their proposed projects in a collaborative workshop structure. Participants who meet all summer program expectations will receive a $500 stipend for their contributions and have the opportunity to submit formal proposals for grants of up to $1,500. 
3. Impact Grant: Accepted proposals are funded for implementation during the fall 2025 semester. 1619 Impact grants will only be available to Summer Incubator participants this year.

We are seeking projects that go beyond the individual classroom level to engage large groups of learners on the school, district, and/or community level. We encourage smaller districts and/or educators working in alternative learning environments to collaborate and apply as a multisite or multiorganizational project. We hope that this program, like our other 1619 Education initiatives, will develop a national, multidisciplinary community of practice among educators.
 

Program Details:

An application to the program is an application to participate fully in all parts of the incubation process. Program participants agree to workshop and refine a project proposed through their application that will engage educators and/or students in themes of democracy using 1619 materials in fall 2025. The 1619 Summer Incubator will begin on July 12, 2025, and include two additional sessions on July 26 and August 9. Incubator participants are then expected to implement their projects between August and December 2025. Please read carefully through all program details below as you determine your eligibility and prepare your application. 

Criteria for Incubator Proposals

All submitted project proposals should: 

• Utilize and be inspired by the exploration of democracy as a theme in The 1619 Project and include at least one resource from this list of The 1619 Project materials. 
• Describe the proposed project audience and why this audience needs this project.
• Present intended impacts for student and/or educator audiences that: 
  • Improve the awareness and critical thinking of students and/or educators about the legacy of slavery in the contemporary United States. 
  • Engage students and/or educators with the history of the contributions of Black Americans to American democracy. 
  • Equip students and/or educators to take action and make change that advances democracy in their communities. 
• Provide an estimation of the project budget/final grant request. 
• Align with the Pulitzer Center’s diversity, equity, and inclusion mission.
• Demonstrate a need for Impact grant funding.

Guidance for Writing Your Project Proposals

Proposed projects should be school-wide, district, and/or multi-organizational projects with an estimated reach of at least 500 people during the fall 2025 school semester. (Project frameworks should include an estimated funding request for an amount of up to $1,500.) Projects could include:

• School- or program-wide curriculum initiatives.
  • Examples include: school-wide reading initiatives, democracy awareness campaigns, student symposia. 
• Family and community engagement events. 
  • Examples include: public student performances, community action or service programs, partnerships with cultural institutions or community organizations.
• Exhibitions of student engagement with The 1619 Project materials examining the theme of democracy. 
  • Examples include: photography/art exhibitions, spoken word/dance/theatrical recitals, public displays of student research/writing.

The Pulitzer Center is prepared to fund all projects accepted into the program, but reserves the right to rescind the project grant if participants do not attend program workshops and/or demonstrate that a project will not be possible in fall 2025.

Eligibility Requirements

• Applications are exclusive to education professionals within our Pulitzer Center education community, which includes Network/Fellowship alumni, prior event attendees, and newsletter subscribers. (Applicants new to the Pulitzer Center should subscribe to our 1619 Education Newsletter and/or attend our “Ask and Apply” session for the incubator.)
• Applications are open to educators working with both K-12 and higher education students and educators in the United States and U.S. territories.
• Applications are open to educators in all learning environments, including schools and districts, libraries, and education programs in carceral facilities.
• Applicants should have an active leadership role in the learning environment(s) they’re proposing to work with. Applicants who will not be managing the grant funds themselves should apply with a commitment to participate form signed by the grant manager and/or approving party.
  Applicants applying for multisite or multiorganizational projects should have all relevant parties sign the commitment to participate form that is submitted with their application

Applicants applying for multi-site or multi-organizational projects should have all relevant parties sign our commitment to participate to submit with their application.

• Letter of commitment [.pdf version]
• Letter of commitment [.docx version]

Summer Incubator

The 1619 Summer Incubator will begin on July 12, 2025, and include two additional sessions on July 26 and August 9. Participants will receive Summer Incubator stipends by August 29. 

Summer Incubator timeline:

• June 19: Application deadline
• July 3: Applicants notified
• July 12: Workshop 1
• July 26: Workshop 2
• August 9: Workshop 3

The Impact Grant

Projects awarded an Impact grant will receive their first grant payment by August 29, 2025, and projects will remain active and completed before December 15, 2025. The maximum duration for implementation of a proposal is four months. Formal start and end dates for the project will be established in the support agreement. Participants must submit financial and narrative reports at the end of the period, detailing costs and outcomes. A template will be provided for applicants to detail costs and outcomes.

Grantees will also be expected to contribute to the Pulitzer Center’s broader set of 1619 Education resources by sharing insights learned through project implementation and examples of student and/or community impact. Selected grantees will work with the Pulitzer Center Communications team to publish examples of impact. 

Impact grant timeline: 

• August 15: Final project proposals approved. 
• August-December: Project implementation. 
• December 15: Project narrative and financial reports due. Final grant administration. 

How to Apply

• Prepare relevant documents including project summaries, resumes/CVs, and letters of commitment from all project leaders
• Complete the online application in Submittable by Thursday, June 19th at 11:59pm EST.

Please reach out to [email protected] with any additional questions or requests for accommodations.