Las Vegas enjoys an abundance of what so many American communities sorely lack ñ a can-do spirit, deep confidence, a proven track record of growth, and an innate sense of vibrancy. And yet our conversations with Las Vegans reveal a growing challenge: How can people be connected and work together in a fast-paced, rapidly growing community that is inherently focused on the individual? And how can this occur when the communityís growth has far outstripped its civic capacity to bring people together and take action?

We are partnering with the Nevada Community Foundation (NCF) to develop its capacity as a catalytic organization to spark the development of the communityís civic strength. Over 18 months we will work with NCF to:

Develop new sensibilities and practices with NCF staff ñ on what it means to connect deeply with their community so to better align their programs and efforts, pursue grant-making that not only addresses specific community challenges but also grows the structures, relationships, leaders and norms of the community, and which expands NCFís catalytic roles beyond grant-making.
Design a novel and important community-advised funding system in which local citizens, working together, can direct parts of the philanthropic process.
Institutionalize within NCF the Harwood Public Innovatorís Lab so that Las Vegas can seed and grow over time a cadre of public innovators across the community in different organizations and fields. 

Back to other examples…