StepUP Platform
Bridging divides through civic action.
Connecting neighbors.
Linking people to services.
Making government accessible and accountable.
Fiscally Sponsored by
8
Civic Pathways
105
Focus Areas
25K
Target Users Year 1
01. Executive Summary
The opportunity to convert digital drift into civic action.
Americans are increasingly divided, yet 67% want to bridge differences and connect across divides—they just lack accessible pathways.2 Meanwhile, people spend 4.5 hours daily on phones,1 seeking connection, information, and belonging.
StepUP meets people where they are: on their devices, craving purpose. We're building a gamified civic platform that reduces divisiveness through local action, connects neighbors to essential health and human services, makes public policy transparent, and links every issue to the officials responsible for solving it.
Through 8 pathways, 105 focus areas, and 3 engagement levels, we transform everyday screen time into meaningful civic participation.
StepUP meets people where they are: on their devices, craving purpose. We're building a gamified civic platform that reduces divisiveness through local action, connects neighbors to essential health and human services, makes public policy transparent, and links every issue to the officials responsible for solving it.
Through 8 pathways, 105 focus areas, and 3 engagement levels, we transform everyday screen time into meaningful civic participation.
The Connection Gap
We're more digitally connected than ever—yet Americans report feeling increasingly isolated and divided. People want to bridge differences, access services, and hold government accountable, but don't know where to start. StepUP provides the missing infrastructure.
Meeting People Where They Are
With 4.5 hours daily on phones,1 mobile is where connection happens. We're applying proven engagement mechanics—not to capture attention, but to channel it toward belonging, service access, and civic power.
02. Proven Track Record
Two decades of building transformative community infrastructure from the ground up.
2002 — Founded Spacetaker
David sold his 1985 GMC cherry red pickup truck to launch Spacetaker, an artist-run organization focused on creating opportunities and infrastructure for Houston's creative community. Started with vision, grit, and deep commitment to artist sustainability.
2006 — Opened Artist Resource Center
Established Houston's first dedicated resource center for artists, providing professional development, business skills training, and community support. Built organizational capacity and infrastructure that would serve hundreds of artists annually.
2012 — Merger with Fresh Arts
Led strategic merger between Spacetaker and Fresh Arts, creating a stronger, more sustainable organization. Developed comprehensive succession plan and hired the next Executive Director, ensuring continuity beyond founder leadership.
2012-2020 — Artist District State Designation
Managed Washington Avenue's Artist District State Designation process with a committee of community members. Successfully established what became the foundation for the second-largest artist community in the United States—a testament to sustained community organizing and coalition building.
What This Means for StepUP
The same skills that built Houston's Artist District—community organizing, coalition building, organizational capacity development, and sustainable succession planning—are now being applied to civic infrastructure at scale. StepUP isn't a first attempt; it's the next evolution of proven community-building methodology.
The same skills that built Houston's Artist District—community organizing, coalition building, organizational capacity development, and sustainable succession planning—are now being applied to civic infrastructure at scale. StepUP isn't a first attempt; it's the next evolution of proven community-building methodology.
This is a great tool you're building. We're in really dark times right now, and I think this is a great answer that needs to be applied on a massive scale. I'm reading a lot about the importance of community… Please keep going with this project.
University Student
03. Why Now?
A nation stretched to breaking—exhausted, lonely, and searching for a way forward.
The Exhaustion Crisis
- 190M in the "Exhausted Majority": Americans seeking alternatives to endless polarization3
- Economic survival mode: 43% of U.S. households struggle to afford basics—the ALICE population (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed)
- Civic burnout: People want change but feel powerless to create it
The Loneliness Epidemic
- Social isolation: Americans report record levels of loneliness despite digital connectivity
- 67% want connection: Strong desire to bridge differences but lack safe pathways2
- Fractured communities: Traditional institutions and gathering spaces have eroded
The Opening
- Hunger for belonging: People are searching for meaning, purpose, and community
- Local action unites: Shared neighborhood challenges transcend political divides
- Technology ready: Mobile-first infrastructure can now channel attention toward civic good
04. The Problem
Three structural barriers prevent Americans from transforming intention into action.
No Pathways to Bridge
- Contact without structure fails: People lack safe, facilitated ways to connect across difference
- Digital bubbles intensify: Algorithms keep us in echo chambers
- One-time events don't stick: No sustained infrastructure for ongoing bridging work
- Missing playbooks: Communities want to build connection but lack tested frameworks
Invisible Service Networks
- Help exists but can't be found: Essential services are hidden behind complex systems
- 211 is a phone call: Critical resource networks aren't integrated into where people already are—their phones
- No digital doorway: Those who need services most lack simple, mobile access
- Fragmented systems: No single place connects people to food, housing, healthcare, job training
Accountability Black Box
- Can't connect issue to power: Citizens don't know which officials control which decisions
- Policy is opaque: Government processes feel intentionally obscured
- No clear line of sight: From problem → responsible agency → elected official
- Engagement dead-ends: People want to act but don't know where to apply pressure
We're excited to fiscally sponsor The Change Lab as they bring StepUP to life! The vision for the platform is to invite people into a process that can often feel daunting for many. The platform is designed to make civic engagement more accessible and approachable, showing people that even the smallest actions can make a meaningful difference in our communities.
Impact Hub Houston
05. The Solution
A comprehensive civic platform that bridges divides, connects people to services, and makes government accountable.
StepUP Architecture
- 8 Civic Pathways covering every dimension of community life
- 105 Focus Areas from voting rights to mental health to climate justice
- 3 Engagement Levels from learning to taking action to leading
- Community & Civics Guide providing foundational knowledge and practical tools
- Service Integration connecting people to essential health and human services
- Policy Transparency linking every issue to responsible officials and agencies
- Bridging Focus designed to reduce divisiveness through shared local action
What Makes Us Different
We're not just mobilizing supporters—we're bridging divides. We're not just listing volunteer opportunities—we're connecting neighbors to vital services. We're not just raising awareness—we're making government accountable by showing exactly who has power to solve problems.
We're not just mobilizing supporters—we're bridging divides. We're not just listing volunteer opportunities—we're connecting neighbors to vital services. We're not just raising awareness—we're making government accountable by showing exactly who has power to solve problems.
06. How It Works
Connection + Services + Accountability in six steps.
- Choose your pathways: Select from 8 areas matching your interests and values—from education to environment to community.
- Connect to services: Integrated resource networks reveal local help for food, housing, healthcare, job training, and more—right in your neighborhood.
- See who's responsible: Every policy issue linked to the officials and agencies with power to solve it. Know who to contact and how.
- Take micro-actions: Daily suggestions matched to your capacity—from 5-minute learning to 15-minute volunteering to sustained leadership.
- Bridge across difference: Join neighborhood teams that unite diverse residents around shared local goals—transcending political divides through structured contact.6
- Track your impact: Build streaks, earn recognition, see collective progress as your community creates change together.4
07. The 8 Civic Pathways
Comprehensive framework covering all dimensions of civic life. Click each pathway to explore all focus areas.
The StepUP Pathway Framework
View our visual framework that maps how we guide people from awareness to sustained civic leadership through 8 pathways and 105 focus areas.
View Full Framework →
Pathway 01
Governance, Rights & Democracy
Understanding and shaping how power, justice, and democratic systems work.
Civic LiteracyUnderstanding how government, law, and democracy work
Voting AccessEnsuring everyone can vote and that elections are fair and secure
Criminal Justice ReformChanging the criminal justice system to be fairer and more equitable
+17 more areas - Click to view all
Pathway 02
Basic Needs & Economic Security
Ensuring everyone has housing, food, income, and opportunity to thrive.
Affordable HousingEnsuring housing is available and affordable to all
Food SecurityEnsuring everyone has access to enough healthy food
Living WageAdvocating for fair pay and job opportunities
+15 more areas - Click to view all
Pathway 03
Health, Wellness & Care
Supporting physical, mental, and community health across all ages.
Universal HealthcareEnsuring everyone can get affordable health care
Mental HealthSupporting mental health and emotional well-being
Addiction RecoveryHelping people recover from addiction and reducing harm
+12 more areas - Click to view all
Pathway 04
Education & Opportunity
Creating pathways to learning, skills, and economic mobility for all.
Early ChildhoodSupporting healthy learning and growth for young children
K-12 EquityMaking public schools fair and high-quality for all
Higher Education AccessMaking college and university accessible and affordable
+10 more areas - Click to view all
Pathway 05
Environment & Infrastructure
Building sustainable, resilient communities that protect our planet.
Climate JusticeEnsuring communities can respond to and recover from climate change
Clean EnergyExpanding clean energy options and promoting sustainability
Clean WaterEnsuring everyone has safe water and sanitation
+9 more areas - Click to view all
Pathway 06
Community, Culture & Belonging
Building connections across difference and creating inclusive public spaces.
Bridging Across DifferenceBuilding connections across lines of difference
Arts & CulturePromoting creativity, arts, and cultural engagement
Youth LeadershipSupporting young people as leaders and changemakers
+11 more areas - Click to view all
Pathway 07
Systems Change & Structural Power
Addressing root causes and transforming institutions for equity.
Root Causes of PovertyAddressing the deeper reasons for poverty
Policy AdvocacyOrganizing to change laws and public policies
Community WealthHelping communities build and keep wealth
+10 more areas - Click to view all
Pathway 08
Cross-Cutting Themes
Lenses and approaches that strengthen work across all pathways.
IntersectionalityUnderstanding how identities and systems overlap
Trauma-InformedCentering healing and awareness of trauma in all work
Systems ThinkingLooking at the big picture and how things connect
+5 more areas - Click to view all
Wow! This is an amazing site and I am only seeing a small part of this platform… It is like the ultimate hub.. Bridge-gap, when one entity needs help or has questions, others who are more experienced can assist in answering questions.
LinkedIn User & Beta Tester
08. Success Metrics
Clear measures from attention to action to belonging. Hover over each metric to learn more.
DAU/MAU
Engagement Ratio
Daily Active Users divided by Monthly Active Users. Measures how often users return to the platform. A higher ratio means stronger habit formation and sustained engagement.
TTS
Time to Step
Time-to-Step tracks how many days it takes from signup to a user's first civic action. Shorter times indicate effective onboarding and clear pathways to participation.
% Local
Zip-Code Actions
Percentage of actions taken within the user's local zip code. Higher percentages mean we're successfully connecting people to their immediate community and local issues.
NPS
Belonging Score
Net Promoter Score measuring whether users feel more connected to their community. Tracks if the platform is successfully building social cohesion and reducing isolation.
Engagement Metrics
- Daily/Monthly Active Users: Frequency of platform use
- Time-to-Step: Days from signup to first action
- Streak maintenance: Consecutive days of engagement
- 30-day activation: % completing 5+ actions in first month
Impact Metrics
- Local action %: Actions taken within user's zip code
- Belonging score (NPS): Do users feel more connected?
- Resources activated: Service connections made
- Referral rate: Organic growth through networks
09. Leadership
Experienced leaders in civic design, community organizing, and systems change.
David A. Brown
CEO & Board Chair
David is a creative strategist, nonprofit founder, and former chef with deep experience building community-changing organizations. He sold his 1985 GMC cherry red 1/2 ton pickup truck to start Spacetaker (DBA Fresh Arts), which became the foundation for the Artist District of Washington Avenue—now home to the second-largest artist community in the United States. His journey from "wreckage to welcome" informs his approach to building inclusive civic infrastructure.
David is a 2025–2026 Catalyst Fellow with the Democracy & Belonging Forum at UC Berkeley's Othering & Belonging Institute. Active American Leadership Forum Class XXXIII Alumni. Award-winning photographer (Houston Press Best Photographer 2010, 2011), Leadership Houston graduate, and Houston Business Journal 40 Under 40 honoree. University of Houston graduate.
Board of Directors
David A. Brown serves as Board Chair
Board Member
Vice President, Government Relations at College Board. Extensive experience in education policy, public affairs, and community relations.
Board Secretary
Mixed media sculptor and Senior Preparator at Museum of Fine Arts Houston. M.F.A. from Kent State University. Work in MFAH permanent collection.
Board Treasurer
Award-winning writer, educator, and performer. Upper School English Teacher at The Kinkaid School, Houston. Featured in NYT and Houston Chronicle.
Advisory Board
Founder, The Storytellers Project (USA TODAY). Columbia Journalism graduate. 7,000+ stories coached.
Founder, The Quiet Rebel. DEI facilitator. Creator of "100 Voices" dialogue program.
Executive Director, PAIR Houston. Refugee resettlement and educational equity expert.
Guggenheim Fellow, Creative Capital awardee. Lecturer at Princeton. Co-author "The City We Make Together."
President, Discovery Green Conservancy. Previously COO at Legacy Community Health.
SVP Global Public Policy, FuelCell Energy. 30+ years in policy. J.D. from George Washington.
Assistant Professor, George Washington University. Creative Capital awardee. Houston native.
Head of Community, Democracy & Belonging Forum at the Othering & Belonging Institute, UC Berkeley. Managing 350+ member network.
Executive Director, Alameda County Community Food Bank. Former Chief Strategy Officer, Houston Food Bank.
10. Current Partners
Building with trusted organizations across sectors.
11. Investment Opportunities
Clear pathways, defined outcomes, transparent reporting.
$1,000
Founders Circle
Three-year commitment. Supports: core operations, 1 staff member month, quarterly funder updates with data dashboard access.
$2,500
Action Kits
Design & publish 5 DIY StepUP toolkits. Impact: 50+ community organizers equipped, 500+ citizens activated through local campaigns.
$5,000
MeetUps
Fund 10 neighborhood gatherings (25 people each). Impact: 250 face-to-face connections, 3 new neighborhood leadership teams formed.
$7,500
Focus Area
Sponsor 1 of 105 areas (e.g., "Voting Access"). Impact: 15 partnerships, 200 volunteers mobilized, 5,000 people reached with resources.
$15,000
Pathway Hub
Fund 1 of 8 pathways with full programming. Impact: 50+ partner orgs, 1,000+ active users, 10,000+ actions taken in 6 months.
$25,000
Learning Center
Create 20 courses & primers. Impact: 2,000 users trained, 80% knowledge retention, open-source curriculum for national replication.
$50,000
Tech Platform
Full MVP build + service network integration. Impact: 25,000 Houston users Year 1, track 100,000 civic actions, prove model for national scale.
All funders receive: Quarterly impact reports, data dashboard access, invitation to annual gathering, and public recognition (unless anonymous preferred).
Mail checks to:
Impact Hub Houston (with "The Change Lab" in memo)
1417 Lawrence Street
Houston, Texas 77008
Impact Hub Houston (with "The Change Lab" in memo)
1417 Lawrence Street
Houston, Texas 77008
12. Timeline & Milestones
18-month roadmap from fundraising to scale.
Now–Q1 2026 — Fundraising & Foundation
Raise $350K seed funding, finalize MVP specifications, onboard 5 founding partner organizations, establish data infrastructure. Success metric: Funding secured, partnerships confirmed, tech roadmap complete.
Q1–Q2 2026 — Pilot Launch
Launch Houston zip-code pilot with 500 early users, integrate 211 service network, test engagement mechanics. Success metric: 30% complete first action within 7 days.
Q2–Q3 2026 — Learn & Iterate
A/B test engagement prompts, refine pathways based on user feedback, publish early outcomes and belonging metrics. Target: 30% weekly activation rate, NPS >40.
Q3 2026–Q2 2027 — Texas Expansion
Scale to 10 Texas cities (Austin, Dallas, San Antonio, El Paso), deepen 211 integration, publish StepUP playbook. Target: 10,000 active users, 50,000 civic actions logged.
Q2 2027+ — National Network
Coalition growth to 25 cities, shared datasets, open badge system, spotlight local wins. Target: 50,000 users, 250,000 civic actions, replication in 10 states.
13. Research Foundation
Evidence-based design grounded in behavioral science and social cohesion theory.
- Pew Research Center. (2024). Mobile Fact Sheet: Smartphone Ownership and Usage Statistics.
- More in Common. (2024). The Connection Opportunity: Understanding America's Desire for Bridging Across Difference.
- More in Common. (2018). Hidden Tribes: A Study of America's Polarized Landscape.
- Hamari, J., Koivisto, J., & Sarsa, H. (2014). Does gamification work? A literature review of empirical studies on gamification. Proceedings of the 47th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, 3025-3034.
- Thaler, R. H., & Sunstein, C. R. (2008). Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness. Yale University Press.
- Allport, G. W. (1954). The Nature of Prejudice. Addison-Wesley.
- Putnam, R. D. (2000). Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community. Simon & Schuster.
- Sampson, R. J., Raudenbush, S. W., & Earls, F. (1997). Neighborhoods and violent crime: A multilevel study of collective efficacy. Science, 277(5328), 918-924.
- Ostrom, E. (1990). Governing the Commons: The Evolution of Institutions for Collective Action. Cambridge University Press.
- Gaertner, S. L., & Dovidio, J. F. (2000). Reducing Intergroup Bias: The Common Ingroup Identity Model. Psychology Press.
→ Let's Build This Together
We're raising $350K for our Houston pilot and Texas expansion.
Join us in converting screen time into civic action for 25,000 people.
Mail checks to:
Impact Hub Houston
(write "The Change Lab" in memo)
1417 Lawrence Street
Houston, Texas 77008