Strategies, tools, and case studies from Community Science to help organizations improve performance, strengthen capacity, and achieve lasting impact.
Nonprofit leaders are navigating burnout, systemic barriers, and short-term pressures. Rooted leadership offers a sustainable alternative—grounded in community trust, cultural humility, and long-term vision.
Strong organizations don’t just react to change—they plan for it. Learn how to create resilient decision-making structures that empower teams, integrate equity, and adapt to uncertainty.
Last week in Nashville, I joined movement leaders, artists, youth organizers, and philanthropic partners for the Neighborhood Funders Group's 2025 convening. It was more than a gathering - it was a reminder of why we do this work and how we must continue doing it together. As someone who supports funders in aligning strategy with movement needs, I came to this convening with a clear purpose: to listen, reflect, and…
At Community Science, we often find ourselves reflecting on a powerful, recurring theme: how we, as evaluators, engage in difficult conversations and navigate moments of uncertainty with our partners-grantees, funders, and community leaders alike. These moments go beyond choosing the right words. They're about presence, trust, and the way we show up when the path forward isn't always clear. What follows is a glimpse into those reflections-insights from our team's…
Over the last several issues of our newsletter, we've explored the importance of understanding and respecting rural cultures-particularly how those insights influence the way we approach evaluations in rural communities. We've also highlighted recurring questions and lessons from place-based change initiatives. Across all community settings, one foundational value consistently emerges beneath both community attributes and evaluation practices: collaboration. Collaboration is essential-not only among community leaders and organizations striving for collective…
In Part 1 of Transformational Healing: Facing Hard Truths, I explored the limitations of the medical model of trauma and recommended community-led strategies to shift healing from something we must "afford" individually to something we intentionally cultivate together. In this post, I share how Black communities have developed survival strategies in response to the harms we have endured; however, these strategies can cause a different form of harm by denying…