‘‘(4) USES OF FUNDS.—An eligible entity re-
ceiving a grant under this subsection shall use the 
grant funds to carry out a project to advance civic 
bridgebuilding in communities across the United 
States. 
‘‘(e) COMPTROLLER
GENERAL.—The Comptroller 
General of the United States shall, not later than 18 
months after the end of the 3-year period of the program 
carried out under subsection (d)(1)(A) and, as applicable, 
not later than 18 months after each 3-year period of the 
program carried out under subsection (d)(1)(B), submit 
to Congress a report, which summarizes and assesses the 
effectiveness and impact of the activities carried out under 
grants awarded under subsection (d). 
‘‘(f) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 
‘‘(1) CIVIC BRIDGEBUILDING.—The term ‘civic 
bridgebuilding’— 
‘‘(A) means an activity, grounded in prin-
ciples of scientific research, that— 
‘‘(i) fosters respect between diverse 
communities; 
‘‘(ii) supports social cohesion and di-
minishes polarization; 
‘‘(iii) forges a sense of common civic 
purpose; and 
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‘‘(iv) seeks to address a public con-
cern such as unmet human, educational, 
health care, environmental, or public safety 
needs; and 
‘‘(B) includes— 
‘‘(i) activities that take place in local 
communities, where individuals and insti-
tutions come together to build empathy 
and social cohesion, strengthen belonging, 
and address local issues; and 
‘‘(ii) activities at the field level, where 
civic bridgebuilding leaders work together 
to share research and best practices, learn 
from one another, and grow other civic 
bridgebuilding. 
‘‘(2) CIVIC BRIDGEBUILDING FIELD.—The term 
‘civic bridgebuilding field’ means— 
‘‘(A) the programs, leaders, and commu-
nity groups involved in civic bridgebuilding ac-
tivities; 
‘‘(B) researchers producing work based on 
principles of scientific research related to civic 
bridgebuilding in the United States and abroad; 
and 
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‘‘(C) Federal agencies and public institu-
tions engaged in or supporting work related to 
civic bridgebuilding in the United States and 
internationally. 
‘‘(3) CIVIC
BRIDGEBUILDING
LEADER.—The 
term ‘civic bridgebuilding leader’ means an indi-
vidual who leads civic bridgebuilding programs or ef-
forts. 
‘‘(4) CIVIC ENGAGEMENT.—The term ‘civic en-
gagement’ means an individual or collective action 
designed to address a public concern such as an 
unmet human, educational, health care, environ-
mental, or public safety need. 
‘‘(5) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘eligible en-
tity’ means a nonprofit entity, community- or faith- 
based organization, institution of higher education 
(as defined in section 101(a) of the Higher Edu-
cation Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1001(a))), public in-
stitution, or consortium of any such entities. 
‘‘(6) PUBLIC INSTITUTION.—The term ‘public 
institution’ means a library or unit of State, local, 
or special purpose government. 
‘‘(7) RESEARCH
BASE.—The term ‘research 
base’ means any publications that contain observa-
tions, analysis, and conclusions based on principles 
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of scientific research with respect to the challenges 
of political and social polarization in the United 
States, and practical approaches to strengthen social 
cohesion, foster a sense of national connection, or 
improve intergroup relations in divided communities. 
‘‘(g) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There 
are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section 
$25,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 through 2027.’’. 
SEC. 3. TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
The table of contents in section 1(b) of the National 
and Community Service Act of 1990 is amended by insert-
ing at the end of the item relating to subtitle H of title 
I, the following: 
‘‘PART VI—CIVIC BRIDGEBUILDING 
‘‘Sec. 198T. Office of Civic Bridgebuilding.’’. 
Æ 
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