Overview

The Institute for Sustainable Communities (ISC) believes in the power of communities—and their ability to help themselves grow stronger, healthier, more stable, more prosperous and more peaceful. We know that every community has within it the ability to find creative solutions to complex problems, and we help people realize this potential. We build capacity and infrastructure from the top-down and the bottom-up leaving a legacy of leadership as well as enduring results.

Bringing together best practices from the public and private sector, ISC uses creative, flexible training and mentoring to help communities produce breakthrough results.

We have a proven track record in helping communities move quickly toward a better future. To date, we have managed 77 projects in 22 countries, leaving a legacy of strong community leaders, organizations and networks with the capacity to keep building on our work.

We are in the business of unleashing the power of people to transform their communities. Our approach ensures solutions emerge from within the community, rather than being imposed from the outside. By combining technical expertise and leadership training with strategic investments in local organizations, we are sparking creative solutions and lasting change.

Since our founding in 1991 by former Vermont Governor Madeleine M. Kunin, ISC has led transformative community-driven projects across the globe. We garnered early recognition for connecting civic participation with environmental problem solving, and over the years we have developed an approach that accelerates a community's ability to meet challenges head on.

Whether the challenge at hand is halting air and water pollution, catalyzing HIV/AIDS prevention campaigns, or training new civic leaders, our work is making a real difference in millions of lives across the world. We get people involved in shaping their future and cultivate local talent—enabling people to become strong advocates and effective leaders in their communities.