Community Heart & Soul Partners
We appreciate and honor those organizations who work side-by-side with us to make towns nationwide more vibrant. Listed below are a few of the organizations who partner with us in some capacity to bring the mission of Heart & Soul to life. Partnerships support Community Heart & Soul in several ways. Partners have underwritten Community Heart & Soul initiatives, trained staff and independent coaches to assist with Community Heart & Soul, and provided local, place-based support to Community Heart & Soul towns in a myriad of other ways.
Arras Foundation
Located in South Carolina, we’ve partnered with Arras Foundation, formerly J. Marion Sims Foundation, to bring Community Heart & Soul directly to the towns of Kershaw and Fort Lawn. The towns are supported by Community Heart & Soul-led coaches, training and technical assistance to guide community engagement activities throughout the community development projects.
About Arras Foundation: The Arras Foundation is entering its third decade of service to the community, with a focus on transforming the health and wellness of Lancaster, Fort Lawn, and Great Falls, South Carolina. Learn More
Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque
The Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque is working with the Orton Family Foundation to use the innovative Heart & Soul process with rural communities in Iowa and surrounding Midwest communities. We believe that the strength of a community lies in the hands and the hearts of the people who live there, and that the community’s heart and soul is the common cause that they will rally around. Communities that acknowledge and value their heart and soul are able to take action to strengthen it.
About Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque: The Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque is passionate about creating a strong, thriving and vibrant region by inspiring community members to give, making grants to strengthen nonprofits, and investing in long-term community initiatives. Learn More
Community Foundation of South Jersey
The partnership with Community Foundation of South Jersey, has created the Transform South Jersey initiative. Transform South Jersey is using the Community Heart & Soul model, to strengthen the social, cultural and economic vibrancy of five South Jersey communities by empowering residents to inform community development and shape the future based on what matters most to them.
About Community Foundation of South Jersey: The Community Foundation of South Jersey (CFSJ) helps South Jersey residents harness the power of philanthropy to transform their community and the issues they care about most. The Foundation helps donors to create funds—both large and small—to achieve positive results with their generosity in South Jersey and beyond. By working with the Community Foundation donors can engage in philanthropy that is innovative, visionary, and effective. Learn More
Findlay-Hancock County Community Foundation
Orton Family Foundation is partnering with the Findlay-Hancock County Community Foundation in Ohio bringing Community Heart & Soul to the Midwest. This partnership has brought Community Heart & Soul to the McComb Region and Mt. Blanchard in Hancock County.
About the Findlay-Hancock County Community Foundation: The Findlay-Hancock County Community Foundation will improve the quality of life in Hancock County by partnering with donors in their philanthropic giving, engaging in collaborative leadership and responsible grantmaking. Learn More
Georgia Electric Membership Corp.
Georgia EMC’s Community Development Team partnered with Orton Family Foundation to offer Community Heart & Soul® to the Thomaston-Upson (T-Up) community on behalf of Upson EMC. T-Up Heart & Soul was a joint effort of the City of Thomaston, The Upson County Commission, Upson EMC, the Thomaston-Upson Chamber of Commerce, private businesses, and countless volunteers. In March of 2020, the T-Up Heart & Soul team will be recognized by the Georgia House of Representatives for being the first community in the state to complete the process.
About Georgia EMC: Georgia EMC is the statewide trade association representing the state’s 41 electric cooperatives, Oglethorpe Power Corp., Georgia Transmission Corp. and Georgia System Operations Corp. Collectively, Georgia’s customer-owned co-ops provide electricity and related services to 4.4 million people, nearly half of Georgia’s population, across 73 percent of the state’s land area. To learn more, visit www.georgiaemc.com and follow us on Facebook and Twitter. Learn More
Our Towns Civic Foundation
Our Towns Civic Foundation tells the stories and connects the lessons of innovators across the country, especially in smaller communities and remote and rural areas. It continues the work of journalists James and Deborah Fallows, in their 2018 bestselling book, Our Towns, and the critically acclaimed 2021 HBO documentary of the same name. Deb and Jim are adding new editors, reporters, and producers to their team and forming partnerships with like-minded organizations and adding new towns and cities to the more than 50 already featured. In 2022 they announced a major cooperative initiative with Community Heart & Soul, to tell the stories of CH&S towns across the country and share their lessons with other towns.
Our Towns’ aim is to show America itself at the community level, and to help people involved in local-renewal efforts to become more aware of others confronting similar problems and working toward similar goals. The process of the American renewal has a long history, but today’s technologies allow a form of connection never possible before. Through digital storytelling, video features, digital mapping, podcasts, and other discussion tools, Our Towns serves as the platform for the telling of the stories of American renewal nationwide from the ground up, as well as the hub for connecting the people and places driving the stories of American renewal to inspire informed action. Learn More
PA Humanities
Orton and PA Humanities have been working together since 2015 to bring Community Heart & Soul, a community development model pioneered by Orton, to communities across Pennsylvania. Upper Chichester and Cameron County join Meadville, Williamsport and Greater Carlisle, which includes 6 towns, with Community Heart & Soul projects underway.
About the PA Humanities: PA Humanities puts the humanities in action to create positive change. PA Humanities programs and grants bring Pennsylvanians together to build avenues for civic involvement and community development, and for youth and adult learners to strengthen skills for school, work, and personal improvement. An independent partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities, PA Humanities is part of a network of 56 state humanities councils that spans the nation and U.S. jurisdictions. Learn More
Realize the Potential of Partnership
Working with Community Heart & Soul will help your organization maximize its impact. We welcome the opportunity to visit with you about partnership possibilities. There are many ways we can work together. Contact us via the form below to start the conversation.
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"Our foundation has been leading effective community engagement since 2005. We believe strongly that local decision-making is key to building strong, sustainable communities. With Orton’s experience and support, we see an opportunity to move our work from good to great."
Nancy Van Milligen,
resident and CEO, Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque,
Dubuque, Iowa
"Our partnership with Orton to bring Community Heart & Soul to small towns in Hancock County has changed the way the Community Foundation does business in a powerful way by making our grant-making less transactional and more transformational."
Julie Brown,
former Program Director, The Findlay-Hancock County Community Foundation,
Findlay, Ohio
"We passionately believe the humanities inspire people to make a difference and come together to advance cultural diversity, economic vibrancy, and an equitable society. With humanities at the heart of planning and development, local values and voices become the foundation for building communities that are connected, innovative, competitive, and strong."
Laurie Zierer,
Executive Director, Pennsylvania Humanities Council,
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
