Local institutions face a crisis of confidence in our current approach to solving public problems. Millions of reasonable Americans, in red, blue, and purple communities, don’t sufficiently know or value what their local public, philanthropic, and nonprofit organizations are doing – and they don’t feel individually invited to weigh in or help out.
This problem is exacerbated by our national political chaos, but it has been building for a long time. Compared to their predecessors of 20, 50, or 100 years ago, Americans are better educated, less deferential to authority, and reliant on the Internet with all its benefits and dangers. We are immersed in a sea of information daily. We have become better problem-solvers ourselves, and at the same time have less faith in the problem-solving abilities of others.
But while this crisis has been a long time coming, that doesn’t mean it will take an equally long time to sort out – especially if local governments and community foundations face it together.
Community foundations have always been practical, problem-solving institutions. For decades, they have provided public services, met essential human needs, defended civil liberties, and planned for the future. Now, they are being asked to solve bigger problems than ever before. There is a sudden shortage of financial resources, but perhaps more importantly, both community foundations and local governments are dealing with the fact that many residents doubt their problem-solving abilities.
These attitudes are not, for the most part, based in a solid understanding of what community foundations do or whether public problem-solvers are ethical, capable, or committed. Most people simply don’t know.
Many community foundations have already explored potential paths for innovation and taken initial steps toward solutions. They are developing:
- Processes, tools, and platforms that give people a meaningful say in the public decisions that affect their lives, meaningful opportunities for deliberation, and meaningful roles in helping to implement those decisions and policies.
- An understanding of how people perceive ‘civic language’ and how public problem-solving can be communicated in more compelling ways.
- Opportunities for people to decode the information they are receiving, from all angles, and decide together what is true and how they should act on those truths.
- Ways to help faith institutions, neighborhood associations, parent groups, and other grassroots organizations – the ‘ground floor of democracy’ – use new tools and approaches to better engage their constituencies.
- Metrics and tools for measuring progress in solving problems and improving civic health.
For municipalities, engaging with their local community foundation can accelerate these efforts. In many cases, the grantmaking capacity of community foundations may be less important than their ability to convene institutions and leaders, inspire and support public engagement, champion volunteerism and service, and help communities develop long-term plans that integrate these activities. Fundamentally, this work is about building stronger relationships with residents—and helping other organizations and leaders do the same.
Those interlocking relationships are critical for navigating today’s political challenges. Elected officials and other stakeholders are often uncertain about what their constituents truly want. Bringing citizens meaningfully into the mix can discourage grandstanding, build the political will for compromise, sustain public funding, and enact effective policy solutions.
In addition to solving public problems directly, these efforts strengthen civic health overall. Strong, ongoing connections between residents, robust relationships between people and public institutions, and a deep attachment to place are linked to better physical health, higher employment rates, and greater resilience in the face of crises.
When municipalities partner with community foundations, they open doors for more residents to see—and appreciate—the knowledge, skill, and passion that professional problem-solvers bring to their work. But this kind of engagement requires more than press releases or social media posts. To truly engage today’s citizens, municipalities and community foundations must reach out directly through relationships of trust. Nothing is as effective as the family member, colleague, pastor, or block captain who says, “Come out on Tuesday night—you’ll enjoy it, and we need you there.” The answer to the crisis of public problem-solving is to invite more people to be problem-solvers, and both local governments and community foundations are well-positioned to make that happen.
Learn, Connect, Act
The National Civic League, CFLeads—the national network of community foundations advancing community leadership—and the Rhode Island Foundation are working together to promote and support the community foundation field’s growing engagement in civic health. To learn more, visit cfleads.org/civic-health.
Additionally, you can encourage your local community foundation staff and interested funders to an in-person convening on September 30, 2025: Community Foundations for Civic Health: Live in Chicago! The convening aims to increase the number of community foundations that are confidently engaging in strengthening civic health in their communities. A limited number of travel stipends are available.
For more information, contact Sarah Aguirre Origer at [email protected].
