StepUP Platform
Bridging divides through civic action. Connecting neighbors. Linking people to services. Making government accountable.
01. Executive Summary
The opportunity to convert digital drift into civic action.
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.
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.
02. Why Now?
Unprecedented division meets unprecedented desire for connection and accountability.
Bridging the Divide
Service Access Crisis
- National resource networks: Millions of annual requests for health and human services—now becoming digitally accessible
- Unmet needs: People don't know what help exists or how to access it
- Navigation gap: Complex systems require simple, mobile-first interfaces
Accountability Deficit
- Who's responsible? Citizens can't link issues to officials with power to solve them
- Policy opacity: Government decisions feel distant and inscrutable
- Civic literacy gap: People want to engage but need clear pathways and transparency
03. The Problem
Division deepens while service access and civic accountability remain opaque.
Growing Divisiveness
- Unprecedented polarization: Americans increasingly sorted into ideological bubbles
- Eroding trust: Declining faith in institutions, neighbors, and shared reality
- Missing bridges: 67% want to connect across differences but lack safe, structured pathways2
- Isolation epidemic: Digital connection fails to create belonging
Service Access Barriers
- Hidden help: Essential health and human services exist but are invisible to those who need them
- Navigation complexity: Millions call for help annually—people need digital, mobile-first access
- Policy opacity: Citizens can't connect issues to responsible officials
- Accountability vacuum: Government decisions feel distant and unchangeable
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.
04. The Solution
Bridge divides. Connect to services. Make government accountable. Meet people on their phones.
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
- 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
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.
How It Works: Connection + Services + Accountability
- 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
05. The 8 Civic Pathways
Comprehensive framework covering all dimensions of civic life. Hover over focus areas to learn more.
Understanding and shaping how power, justice, and democratic systems work.
Ensuring everyone has housing, food, income, and opportunity to thrive.
Supporting physical, mental, and community health across all ages.
Creating pathways to learning, skills, and economic mobility for all.
Building sustainable, resilient communities that protect our planet.
Building connections across difference and creating inclusive public spaces.
Addressing root causes and transforming institutions for equity.
Lenses and approaches that strengthen work across all pathways.
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.
06. Success Metrics
Clear measures from attention to action to belonging.
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
07. Leadership
Experienced leaders in civic design, community organizing, and systems change.
David A. Brown
Creative strategist, nonprofit founder, and former chef. 2025–2026 Catalyst Fellow, Democracy & Belonging Forum, UC Berkeley Othering & Belonging Institute. Award-winning photographer (Houston Press, Best Photographer 2010, 2011). Leadership Houston graduate, Houston Business Journal 40 Under 40 honoree. University of Houston graduate.
Board of Directors
Vice President, Government Relations at College Board. Extensive experience in education policy, public affairs, and community relations.
Mixed media sculptor and Senior Preparator at Museum of Fine Arts Houston. M.F.A. from Kent State University. Work in MFAH permanent collection.
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, UC Berkeley. Managing 350+ member network.
Executive Director, Alameda County Community Food Bank. Former Chief Strategy Officer, Houston Food Bank.
08. Current Partners
Building with trusted organizations across sectors.
09. Investment Opportunities
Clear pathways, defined outcomes, transparent reporting.
Three-year commitment. Supports: core operations, 1 staff member month, quarterly funder updates with data dashboard access.
Design & publish 5 DIY StepUP toolkits. Impact: 50+ community organizers equipped, 500+ citizens activated through local campaigns.
Fund 10 neighborhood gatherings (25 people each). Impact: 250 face-to-face connections, 3 new neighborhood leadership teams formed.
Sponsor 1 of 105 areas (e.g., "Voting Access"). Impact: 15 partnerships, 200 volunteers mobilized, 5,000 people reached with resources.
Fund 1 of 8 pathways with full programming. Impact: 50+ partner orgs, 1,000+ active users, 10,000+ actions taken in 6 months.
Create 20 courses & primers. Impact: 2,000 users trained, 80% knowledge retention, open-source curriculum for national replication.
Full MVP build + service network integration. Impact: 25,000 Houston users Year 1, track 100,000 civic actions, prove model for national scale.
10. Timeline & Milestones
18-month roadmap from pilot to scale.
Finalize MVP, onboard 5 partner organizations, launch Houston zip-code pilot with 500 early users. Success metric: 30% complete first action within 7 days.
A/B test engagement prompts, refine pathways, publish early outcomes and belonging metrics. Target: 30% weekly activation rate, NPS >40.
Scale to 10 Texas cities (Austin, Dallas, San Antonio, El Paso), deepen 211 integration, publish StepUP playbook. Target: 10,000 active users.
Coalition growth to 25 cities, shared datasets, open badge system, spotlight local wins. Target: 50,000 users, 250,000 civic actions logged.
11. 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.