MFF initiated its civic engagement project in 2020 as a “Covid Response”, realizing that significant disenfranchisement was imminent if we failed to shore up electoral systems and educate voters.  As MFF continued grantmaking in NC and PA for civic participation, access to the vote and reflective, representative democracy, we learned from our partners how intertwined these efforts are to realizing MFF’s environmental and social justice goals.  As these two states can attest, building civic engagement capacity takes years of strategic effort and sustained support.  As MFF builds out a program in Massachusetts, we plan to integrate these lessons into our new strategy.