Our Work

 

Strengthening Families, Partners and Neighborhoods.

POLIS Institute is a Think Well that helps communities, organizations, and funders make better decisions that lead to stronger families and healthier neighborhoods. Through research, facilitation, storytelling, publishing, and leadership development, we learn alongside communities and share practical insights that create lasting impact:

1. Helping People through partnerships with frontline organizations

2. Learning from real-world experience

3. Sharing insights that help others replicate what works

CURRENT INITIATIVES

POLIS Institute Collective

Convening collaborative initiatives, strategic partnerships, and community-based projects that strengthen families, improve systems, and
create lasting change.

MVP Strong Families

A collaborative initiative that strengthens families through trusted community organizations serving parents and children throughout Orange County.

Our Role:

• Facilitate collaboration
• Measure outcomes
• Strengthen partner capacity
• Guide strategic investment
• Share lessons learned

Orange County Community & Family Services

A collaborative strategic planning initiative that equips Community & Family Services to think well, align priorities, and improve outcomes for children, families, and communities across Orange County.

Our Role:

• Facilitate strategic planning
• Build leadership alignment
• Engage employees in the process
• Design implementation frameworks
• Support continuous improvement

Collective Impact 

A collaborative initiative that brings organizations, residents, and community leaders together to align resources, strengthen relationships, and create measurable, community-wide impact.

Our Role:

• Facilitate collaborative leadership
• Build shared vision and accountability
• Align partners around common goals
• Design implementation strategies
• Measure progress and share learning

POLIS Institute Fellowship

Investing in community leaders, students, practitioners, and researchers who are generating ideas and solutions that strengthen families and communities.

Our Fellowship Levels

• Community Fellows – Local leaders applying lived experience to strengthen neighborhoods.
• Student Fellows – Emerging scholars and future leaders exploring community solutions.
• Project Fellows – Practitioners leading innovative initiatives with measurable community impact.
• Senior Fellows – Distinguished experts and thought leaders providing research, mentorship, and strategic guidance.

Our Role:

• Support emerging leaders
• Fund learning initiatives
• Connect fellows with resources
• Publish insights and findings

CLICK HERE and Apply to become a Fellow

POLIS Institute Publishing

Publishing books, reports, research briefs, toolkits, and learning resources that help communities apply what works.

Letters to The City

Coming Soon

A public essay series exploring some of the most important questions facing our communities, including poverty, fatherhood, faith, leadership, and community transformation.

The ACTS Playbook

Coming Soon

A practical guide for organizations seeking to create authentic community transformation through relationship-building, community engagement, and collaborative action.

Designed for nonprofits, community organizations, foundations, public agencies, and faith communities.

POLIS Institute Media

Producing documentaries, videos, podcasts, and digital stories that amplify community voices, capture lived experience, and inspire meaningful action.

POLIS Presents

A storytelling movement that captures the people, places, and ideas shaping communities.

Current productions include:

• 50 Fathers Documentary
• Legacy on Location

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POLIS Master Class Series

The POLIS Masterclass Series equips nonprofit leaders, public servants, faith leaders, philanthropists, and community practitioners with practical tools for creating meaningful and lasting community impact.

Each masterclass combines research, real-world experience, and interactive learning to help participants strengthen organizations, build partnerships, and lead transformational change.

Topics Include:

• Community Engagement
• Collective Impact
• Family Strengthening
• Leadership Development
• Participatory Action Research
• Strategic Facilitation
• Faith & Community Transformation

The POLIS Project & POLIS Pulse

Hosted by Leanne Youngman, The POLIS Project is a podcast and interview series featuring conversations with leaders, researchers, practitioners, and community changemakers.

Each episode explores innovative ideas, practical solutions, and inspiring stories that help strengthen families, organizations, and communities.

The series serves as a platform for sharing the voices and experiences that are shaping the future of community transformation.

Legacy on Location Documentary

Legacy on Location is a documentary storytelling initiative that captures the people, places, and organizations making a lasting difference in their communities. Each feature highlights stories of leadership, resilience, innovation, and service, preserving the legacy of community builders while inspiring others to create positive change.

Through film, interviews, and digital media, Legacy on Location celebrates the impact of ordinary people doing extraordinary work.

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50 Fathers Case Study & Documentary

A regional effort to elevate the voices of fathers and better understand their role in strengthening families and communities.

The initiative includes interviews, listening sessions, research, documentary storytelling, and the development of practical recommendations that support fathers and families.

Our Role:

• Community engagement
• Participatory research
• Documentary production
• Leadership development

CLICK HERE if You Are a Father Who Wants to Get Involved

Emerging Initiatives

Wealth & Well-Being (WWB)

A partnership initiative focused on helping individuals, families, and entrepreneurs build stronger financial futures through education, coaching, and access to resources.

Developed in partnership with financial institutions and community organizations.

IMPACT

For more than two decades, POLIS has helped strengthen programs, support leaders, inform funding decisions, and improve community outcomes.

By learning while doing the work and sharing what we learn, we help communities create lasting change.