What We Do

At the Community Innovation Lab, we help communities surface their most pressing needs, uncover long-sought resources, and move their ideas into action. We work directly with residents, local organizations, and leaders to design and implement initiatives that strengthen social, economic, and environmental resilience from the ground up.

Our approach is community-centered, education-focused, and rooted in the belief that people closest to the challenges are closest to the solutions. We bring expertise in learning, facilitation, and innovation to help communities move with clarity, confidence, and creativity.

We support communities to:

• Identify their highest-impact needs and opportunities through hands-on workshops, conversations, walkabouts, and asset mapping that elevate local voices and perspectives.

• Develop clear, fundable project concepts so communities can pursue grants, philanthropic support, or local investment with confidence and strong narratives.

• Co-design practical, locally grounded initiatives with residents, businesses, nonprofits, and local government working side-by-side.

• Build shared capacity and local leadership, offering training, tools, and educational supports that help teams sustain the work over time.

• Strengthen civic engagement and cross-sector connection, helping people work across silos and build durable relationships.

Each effort is shaped by the community’s vision and lived experience. Our role is to activate local leadership, connect partners, simplify pathways to funding, and build the capacity needed to turn ideas into lasting community resilience.