Pew Partnership for Civic Change

A how-to guide on launching and sustaining successful community programs

In 1999 the Pew Partnership identified and began documenting successful solutions to problems in 19 American communities. Inventing Civic Solutions examines eight of these solutions, what made them successful, and offers some cautionary advice to others looking to replicate these initiatives. Also included are lists of resources relevant to each of the solutions.

You can download the full 104 page report or peruse chapters (typically 10-12 pages in length) highlighting individual solutions.

Download Full Publication:

Inventing Civic Solutions (2.3mb, PDF)

Download by Chapter:

I.	Rural Leadership Development (376k, PDF)
	Handmade in America By Becky Anderson and Pat Cabe of HandMade in America and Margaret Carlson of the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill

II.	School-Based Health Programs (372k, PDF)
	Dental Health for Arlington By Sally Hopper and Debra Maness of Dental Health for Arlington and Carolyn L. Cason of the University of Texas-Arlington

III.	Credit and Home Ownership (404k, PDF)
	Vermont Development Credit Union By Caryl Stewart and Antonia Bullard of the Vermont Development Credit Union (*now called Opportunities Credit Union) and Jane Kolodinsky of the Department of Community Development and Applied Economics of the University of Vermont

IV.	Accessible Transportation (184k, PDF)
	Neighborhood Transportation Service By Michael Barnhart of Neighborhood Transportation Service and John Rogers of Mount Mercy College

V.	Homelessness to Housing (280k, PDF)
	Beyond Shelter By Tanya Tull of Beyond Shelter and Madeleine Stoner of the University of Southern California

VI.	Job and Life Skills for Young Adults (280k, PDF)
	Taller in San Jose By Eileen McNerney of Taller San Jose and Olivia de la Rocha of Research Support Services

VII.	Thriving Business Districts (272k, PDF)
	Boston Main Streets By Emily Haber of Boston Main Streets and Karl Seidman of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology

VIII.	Working Together for Kids (332k, PDF)
	Region Nine Prevention and Healthy Communities Network By Anne Ganey of Ganey Consulting and Laura Bloomberg of the University of Minnesota