Portman Center gets DOE grant to improve civil discourse

UC’s Portman Center was awarded the grant as part of the Department of Education’s Fund for the Improvement of Post-Secondary Education Special Projects Program, announced at the end of 2025. Seventeen higher-education and nonprofit institutions around the country were awarded funding for their civil discourse programming. The Portman Center was the only awardee in Ohio.

“We are honored to be among the select group of awardees to expand civil discourse efforts in higher education,” said Portman Center Executive Director, Andrew Lewis. “As citizens, we must find a better, more productive way to disagree, and this grant positions the University of Cincinnati to be a national leader in training the next generation of civil, solution-oriented leaders.”

The center will receive $772,000 to expand its speaker and workshop series and to launch an innovative civility training and peer-mentorship program within UC’s new courses fulfilling Ohio's American civics literacy requirement. The project will build on the center’s partnership with Braver Angels, a national non-profit organization dedicated to bringing people of different political backgrounds together in the interest of creating mutual respect and civility.

“Learning how to collaborate, work across differences and turn conversation into progress is essential to preparing the next generation of public servants and leaders. This grant will help us do just that,” said John Weidner, interim provost at UC. “It is an honor to be the only Ohio school awarded this grant.”

Braver Angels hosts workshops, discussions, debates and other events designed to foster civil discourse and courageous citizenship. The Portman Center has been conducting campus workshops in partnership with Braver Angels for the past two years, and this grant will lead to an expansion of these efforts.

UC’s Portman Center for Policy Solutions was established in 2023 by former U.S. Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio with the objectives of fostering bipartisan cooperation, civility and the development of future public servants from across the political spectrum.

The Portman Center last year hosted a historic meeting between Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican, and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, a Democrat, over the two states’ shared mutual interests and ambitions. Titled “Across the River, Across the Aisle” and moderated by Portman, the discussion at UC’s Probasco Auditorium highlighted the benefits of bipartisan cooperation.

C-SPAN and several private news media outlets, including WLKY News in Louisville, broadcast the event live in front of a packed audience.

The Portman Center expects to launch its grant-based programming, in partnership with Braver Angels, later this year.

Featured image at top: UC's Portman Center for Policy Solutions played host to Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine and Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear in 2025 for a candid conversation about bipartisanship on UC's Uptown campus. Photo/Michael Miller