A Journey for those ready to see real, lasting change

Kickstart a long-term transformation in your city.

City Shapers takes cohorts of local leaders through a two-year journey of assessing their community, aligning around common priorities, and activating strategies for real and lasting change.

Are you ready?

Do you think you could be our next City Catalyst? Do you think you could convene residents and leaders from your community to launch a City Shapers cohort? We would love to take you on this journey of transformation!

Learn more. Join an information session.

Have questions? Want to meet our team? Sign yourself and a colleague up for one of our monthly interest meetings on City Shapers.

Learn more. Join an information session.

Have questions? Want to meet our team? Sign yourself and a colleague up for one of our monthly interest meetings on City Shapers.

Our team will guide and equip you with tools, training, and coaching every step of the way.

Our two-year process is built on the three proven phases of our model of community development: Assess – Align – Activate.

Click on any area to learn more.

Assess (8 months)

Module 1

We train your cohort on the tools and strategies of The Lupton Centers Community Assessment Process

Module 2

Cohort members present initial findings from their assessment and then digs deeper into the most important data trends.

Align (8 months)

Module 3

We train your cohort on the practices of community alignment. Cohort begins presenting assessment results to residents, leaders, and stakeholders.

Module 4

Cohort begins to clarify the key priorities that have emerged from the alignment sessions.

Activate (8 months)

Module 5

We train the cohort on community development strategies and partnerships as cohort members recruit partners to address key priorities.

Module 6

A roadmap for community change is created to identify partners, projects, tasks, and timelines that will carry the process of transformation.

The Index is helping us see both the places and the people around us with greater breadth and depth of understanding…coalescing neighbors and partners around particular areas for growth.

Rusty Langford

City Fields

Cleveland, TN

How to launch a cohort

City Catalysts

It all starts with one person who is willing to take the first step and engage the residents and leaders of their community. If that is you, apply here

Team Captains

Once someone applied and been accepted as a potential City Catalyst, they recruit 7 to 12 other leaders from their community who buy into the vision and power of our model.

Team Members

Once Team Captains have signed an agreement to join the cohort, they recruit 2 or 3 other people from the community to join their team in the cohort.

Ready to move forward?

If you need to learn more each month we host an information call for anyone who is interested in our City Shapers program.

If you have learned enough and would like to be considered to be one of our next City Catalysts, apply here.