Many upstate New York communities have distinctive qualities and resources that can be valuable assets for community development. However, decades of population and job loss and historic disinvestment keep these communities from thriving. The Creating Our Futures network aims to provide the social infrastructure that has been lost to these communities, supporting them as they rebuild this infrastructure locally.

A three-year Public Issue Network Grant is supporting this groundbreaking partnership among local communities, Cornell University, Cornell Cooperative Extension and the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC). Through coordination and networking infrastructure — such as a communication platform and resource commons — the team will strategically link network participants so they learn from and with one another and act collaboratively to advance shared goals. While recognizing and seeking to honor the wisdom and assets existing in the historically disinvested and underserved communities, the team’s goal is to support, augment and increase those assets through access to a statewide community of people committed to revitalizing these communities.