Civic capacity for a changing world
Helping civic voices renew democracy in the AI age.
What we do
New Democracy Studio develops practical programs that help civic actors build capacity, strengthen their influence, and navigate a rapidly changing technological and information environment.
Why now
The stakes are bigger than productivity.
Democracy and human-rights organizations are being asked to do more with fewer resources, while the information environment around them grows faster, more fragmented, and more technologically sophisticated.
Authoritarian actors are already using AI and digital systems to scale surveillance, censorship, disinformation, and political influence. Democratic organizations should not imitate those tactics—but they cannot afford to ignore the capabilities behind them.
Civic organizations have a different advantage: credible ideas, trusted relationships, strong communities, and values that connect with people. New technologies can help those voices work faster, reach further, coordinate better, and build public support.
Reduce repetitive work and create more space for mission-critical thinking and relationships.
Strengthen communications, understand audiences, advance narratives, and advocate more effectively.
Use technology to listen, engage, coordinate, and deepen human connection.
Find opportunities, strengthen proposals, and build more resilient sources of support.
Current programs
Built around the capabilities civic actors need now.
New Democracy Studio is designed as a platform for practical programs, cohorts, training, community, and future forms of support. The September session below is one current offering—not the limit of what the Studio will become.
AI Productivity Without Sacrificing Privacy
A practical session for democracy and human-rights professionals who want to use today’s AI tools more efficiently while protecting sensitive organizational information, sources, partners, and people.
Free to attend. 20 seats. Request to join.
The Studio is built to support new cohorts, communications and influence programs, community-building initiatives, technology support, partnerships, and other forms of democratic capacity building.
How we work
Practical. Human-centered. Thoughtful.
The technology changes. The method is consistent: start with real work, understand the people and context, and use tools in ways that genuinely improve outcomes.
Start with real problems and useful applications, not technology for its own sake.
Technology should strengthen people’s capabilities, judgment, and relationships.
Understand tradeoffs, protect people and information, and use technology proportionately.
Custom training
Bring New Democracy Studio to your organization.
Programs are tailored around the work your team actually does—from AI adoption and strategic communications to research, fundraising, data, visualization, and technology-enabled workflows.
Focused sessions built around a specific team need or workflow.
Deeper skill-building, practice, implementation, and team support.
Customized programs that build capacity across groups of grantee organizations.
Executive Director & Lead Trainer
At the intersection of democracy and technology.
Adam Fivenson has two decades of experience at the intersection of democracy, technology, and international affairs.
Adam is a non-resident fellow at American University’s Center for Security, Innovation & New Technology, where he writes and speaks on information and narrative risk mitigation globally. He has trained civil society organizations, journalists, governments, and development practitioners across the United States, Europe, Latin America, Africa, and Asia, and works closely with U.S. and European partners to support truth tellers and civil society around the world.
Adam has designed and led programs for the United Nations, the U.S. government, and private foundations. At the National Endowment for Democracy’s International Forum for Democratic Studies, he led a research program examining democracy, authoritarianism, and the information environment.
He led the design of an award-winning mobile tool for citizen engagement in Guatemala and taught Human-Centered Design for international development at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service for two years. He holds a BA in Communications from the University of Michigan and an MS in Foreign Service from Georgetown University, and lives in Washington, DC, with his family.
inConnect with Adam on LinkedInFrom the field
Different technologies. Different contexts. Same starting point: people, purpose, and practice.
The broader vision
Training is one part of a larger platform for civic capacity.
New Democracy Studio is being built to support civic actors with practical expertise, technology, community, partnerships, and new resources as the needs of democratic civil society evolve.
Questions
FAQ
Who are New Democracy Studio programs for?
Programs are designed primarily for people working in democracy, human rights, journalism, research, advocacy, fundraising, foundations, and adjacent civic fields.
Do I need technical experience?
No. Programs are designed around practical work and can be adapted for participants ranging from AI newcomers to experienced users.
Can you train an entire organization?
Yes. New Democracy Studio designs single workshops and multi-session programs around the needs, tools, and workflows of specific teams.
Can foundations sponsor programs for grantees?
Yes. Cohorts of grantee organizations can be designed around shared needs while still giving participants room to build use cases relevant to their own work.
Do you work outside the United States?
Yes. The Studio is international in outlook and experience. Current public programming is in English, with Spanish-language programming also possible.
Contact
Get in touch.
Ask about a program, organizational training, a foundation-sponsored cohort, or a potential collaboration.