In Fall 2012, the Excellence in Civic Engagement Program (ECEP) was launched by the Arizona Department of Education to help move civic learning from the sidelines to the frontlines.

The ECEP was founded on research drawn from the Guardian of Democracy: The Civic Mission of Schools Report. This report illustrated the nationwide decline and disinvestment in civic learning and provided six research-based proven practices of civic learning needed in schools. The original design of the ECEP was to recognize and support the important role schools play in ensuring our students are prepared to be informed and engaged citizens* within their communities.

In 2017, the ECEP was rebranded as the Civic Education+Community Engagement (CE2) program to provide community-based civic learning experiences for schools and K12 learners. Community partner organizations from across Arizona joined in the CE2 mission to increase civic knowledge, skills, and dispositions through professional civic learning opportunities, school recognitions, research and advocacy, and community engagement. During this same time, the proven practices of civic learning were expanded to number ten in the report The Republic is (Still) at Risk -and Civics is Part of the Solution.

In Summer 2022, the program underwent another rebranding and expanded as a 501c3, becoming the Arizona Civic Coalition. Moving forward, the Coalition aims to serve as a central organization to promote its partners' civic learning activities and opportunities, as well as continue to build statewide partnerships to strengthen Arizona’s civic education initiatives.

*note we use the community-based small “c” citizen to delineate from the formally recognized and naturalized big “C” citizen.