The Taft Institute for Government was founded in the 1961 to expand and improve political participation in the United States. For decades, the Institute focused on improving civic education (K-12) through University-school-community workshops that provided teachers with the latest political science research, innovative pedagogy, and direct interaction with political practitioners. To date, over 28,000 teachers have participated in Taft Institute seminars. Since moving to the Queens College, CUNY campus in 1996, the Institute has diversified its work to include programs of leadership training and technical assistance for groups, especially those in low income, minority, and new immigrant communities. Thus, the Institutes current work focuses on two broad categories, improving civic education and enhancing community participation.

As described in detail in other parts of this site, civic education includes professional development for teachers and curriculum development. Our curriculum development programs have been supported by generous grants from the Ford Foundation, New York Community Trust, and the Tribune Foundation. New York Community Trust has also generously supported our community leadership training programs, as have the Hazen Foundation, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, and the Rockefeller Foundation.