For Alamance Initiative

Alamance County Initiative to Catalyze Community-led Transformation

A Foundation for Lasting Change

For Alamance was launched in 2022 as a community initiative designed to empower residents to take action on the issues that matter most to them. Created through a partnership between Impact Alamance and The Harwood Institute for Public Innovation, the initiative was established to help spur community-led transformation across Alamance County.

The Harwood Institute for Public Innovation is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that has spent more than 30 years equipping people, organizations, communities, and networks with tools to bridge divides, create a culture of shared responsibility, and strengthen civic capacity. The Institute’s Turning Outward practice has spread to all 50 U.S. states and 40 countries, with thousands of people adopting the approach in their own communities.

From the beginning, For Alamance has focused on two primary goals:

Generating community-led transformation on concerns that matter to residents.
Strengthening the civic culture of Alamance County so the community can take effective, sustainable action.

At the heart of this work is the belief that, by working together, the people of Alamance can build a more inclusive and hopeful path forward.

To help shape the initiative, Impact Alamance and The Harwood Institute engaged residents and community leaders in in-depth conversations to better understand the key issues and underlying conditions affecting life in Alamance County. In November 2022, the partners released Alamance Choosing Hope, a report that reflects how people across the county see and experience their community. The report also identifies opportunities to strengthen Alamance’s civic culture so people can come together to determine how to move forward.

The full report can be viewed below.

Turning Insight into Action

That report became the foundation for the next phase of work.

In February 2023, more than 50 residents from across Alamance County participated in a two-day Public Innovation Lab hosted by The Harwood Institute and Impact Alamance, where five community-led Action Teams were formed around priorities identified in the Alamance Choosing Hope report:

Youth Wellness: Supports young people in expressing what they need to thrive and helps turn their voices into actions that strengthen well-being across the community.

Arts & Culture: Uses creative expression to bring people together, build connection and celebrate the diversity of experiences in our community.

Bridging: Sparks the creation of shared spaces for people with different experiences and perspectives to listen, learn from one another and work toward shared understanding and action.

Faith: Brings together people from diverse faith traditions to build relationships, deepen trust and ignite community-led action grounded in shared values.

Narrative: Creates and distributes community stories that show change is possible.

Each team was paired with a Harwood coach and supported in putting the Institute’s approach into action. Over the next three years, team members built relationships, engaged residents, identified community priorities, and launched efforts that created meaningful local impact.

Ripples of Change Report

As this work continued to grow, it was captured in Alamance County’s Ripples of Change: Choosing Hope Over Division, released in March 2026.

The report highlights how collaboration, shared learning, and local leadership are creating meaningful change across Alamance County. It also shares the evolving stories of each Action Team, how their work has progressed over time, and the accomplishments and ripple effects that emerged along the way.

To learn more about the teams and the impact of their work, view the full report below.

Growing the Impact

Impact Alamance remains committed to supporting the continued growth of For Alamance and the community leaders driving this work forward.

In 2025, Impact Alamance launched a dedicated grant cycle that allows For Alamance Action Teams to apply for funding to advance their efforts, with the first round of awards approved in November 2025.

As the formal partnership with The Harwood Institute concluded in February 2026, Impact Alamance also invested in staff and Action Team member training through the Harwood Catalytic Guide program to help sustain and strengthen the work for the future.

Together, these efforts help maintain momentum and ensure teams are equipped to lead with confidence, clarity, and lasting community impact.

How to Get Involved

Impact Alamance and The Harwood Institute believe deeply that local communities must shape and drive their own future. We hope that you will want to become a part of this important initiative. To get involved and learn more, please contact our Program Director, Jewel White, at (336)221-0011 or jewel.white@conehealth.com.

‟

We’re often talking about civic engagement more on one level topics, which can get technical really quickly, but tonight, we struck at the heart of what I hear every day in the community which is talking about trust and vulnerability. This conversation left me curious and wanting to lean into that discomfort of vulnerability.”