Read our latest media releases featuring Foundation news, events and developments in our Project Towns.
Last month, the CommunityMatters® partnership offered a workshop for 40 representatives of Newport, VT’s local government, business community, non-profit sector, service clubs, and community volunteers to develop a framework for action to improve community decision-making and problem solving.
Sometimes it just takes a spark to ignite the potential of a city. In the case of Biddeford, Maine, that spark was Heart & Soul Community Planning.
Lyman Orton, Orton Family Foundation founder and Board Chair, announced today that David Leckey has joined the Foundation as Executive Director. Leckey will help bring the organization’s signature Heart & Soul Community Planning program and other initiatives to wider prominence and use.
The Orton Family Foundation is excited to announce that it will partner with the National Endowment for the Arts, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Project for Public Spaces, and the CommunityMatters partners to lead the Citizens’ Institute on Rural Design (CIRD).
The Orton Family Foundation is proud to announce the launch of a national CommunityMatters partnership, including Orton and six other leading community building organizations.
Lyman Orton, Orton Family Foundation founder and Board Chair, announced today that Bill Roper, President & CEO of the Foundation, has decided to leave after 14 years with the organization. Roper joined the Foundation in 1998 and was made President & CEO in 2006.
The Orton Family Foundation announced today its selection of five communities to receive $100,000 each over two years to pursue a process that will reveal the places and qualities that matter most to residents and make each town special.
Vermont Speaker of the House, Shap Smith recently appointed Bill Roper, President and CEO of the Orton Family Foundation, to Vermont’s Housing and Conservation Board.
As part of the emerging Heart & Soul Community Planning approach, Damariscotta’s story illustrates how important it is to take the long view. It’s more than one vote or one action that builds community. It takes many actions, large and small over many years to ensure that communities are vibrant and enduring.
Small towns to embark on groundbreaking two-year, citizen-driven community planning projects. This marks the second phase of the Foundation’s $10M five-year Heart & Soul Community Planning initiative.