These are the values that underlie all our work, and inform our mission and our vision for the future.

In the descriptions of our values, we refer often to “community.” We operate in partnership with many different kinds of communities, and will bring these values to all those interactions, as well as to our interactions with individuals, and in individual organizational partnerships. We seek to work with partners who share these values.

Community & Constituent Centered:

We believe in the power of community, and in the central role of community members to lead the charge and advance individual and community change – particularly those most impacted by issues and historically furthest from influence and decision-making.

Equity:

Equity is just and fair inclusion in a society in which all can participate, prosper, and reach their full potential. We believe that solutions are not successful if they don’t produce greater equity for groups that have historically been excluded from opportunities.

Justice:

There is no equity without justice, and no justice without equity. We must courageously create a fair society that provides opportunity to all; to accomplish this we must shift balances of power to increase the influence of those who have traditionally been denied power.

Diversity:

People are diverse in a myriad of ways. We believe that diversity drives cultural, economic, and social vitality and innovation. We strive to include diverse people and viewpoints in our work, and forge relationships across different groups of people to arrive at the best possible solutions to the challenges we face.

Belonging:

Everyone should have a meaningful voice and the opportunity to participate in the design of the political, social, and cultural structures that shape one’s life. We believe that membership in a group should not engender marginality or persistent inequality, and that recognizing our full humanity should happen without having to become something different or pretend we’re all the same.

Collaboration:

We believe we can go further together than apart. Only through genuine, trust-based collaboration can significant community and systems challenges be addressed and resolved.

Respect:

We are humbled before the strength and courage of the communities we seek to support, and do our work with the deepest respect. Only through earning their respect and building trust can we be successful in our work.

Love:

We believe that long-lasting, sustained change of some of our society’s most difficult problems is based in having a deeper love of humanity – a greater compassion, empathy, and understanding for all people that is bigger than any one of us.

Accountable Impact:

We are results-oriented; we seek to ensure that solutions produce real, equitable results that meaningfully improve people’s lives. We seek to get to impact with a deep sense of organizational responsibility, and with accountability to the communities we serve.

Learning Together:

We believe in the power of learning and knowledge as an engine for change, and that learning together, with and across communities, can only happen where there is mutual respect.

Creative Action:

Difficult times, and difficult problems, call for innovative and courageous actions and innovations. We believe it is our responsibility to support local community-developed solutions that boldly drive at solving core underlying issues.