The Lightstand Project’s mission is to expand access to community engagement and applied learning practices that support individual and organizational capacity across education, nonprofit, and civic sectors. Communities face increasing pressure across sectors to address complex social challenges, yet organizations often lack sufficient staff capacity, evaluation expertise, and trained collaborators. At the same time, community-engaged students and early-career professionals seek meaningful, real-world experience but lack clear pathways to engage ethically and effectively with communities.
The Lightstand Project works with nonprofits, higher education institutions, and community-based organizations, particularly churches and other faith-based organizations. Growing pressure on organizations to demonstrate clear outcomes and accountability when seeking funding forms part of the context in which the Lightstand Project’s areas of community work take place.
The purpose of the Lightstand Project is to provide support that helps organizations and individuals clarify goals, strengthen internal practices, and engage communities with intention and care. This work is grounded in applied learning, community-engaged practice, and evaluation-informed approaches aligned with organizational context and capacity.
The Lightstand Project does not engage in grantmaking or grantseeking. Its role is to support community organizations as the organizations carry out their own missions, meet external expectations, and sustain their work responsibly over time.
The Lightstand Project emphasizes ethical practice, respectful collaboration with community stakeholders, and responsible documentation across its programs and activities.