A free online resource helping local government leaders identify and implement evidence-based strategies to improve upward economic mobility for their residents.

Over 50 high-level strategies and nearly 200 specific programs backed by rigorous research. From early childhood to workforce development, housing to financial security.

Why This Matters

• For Renters: Rent jumped 9% in one year. Many families must choose between rent and other basic needs.

• For Homebuyers: Home prices rose faster than incomes. The typical family can't afford the typical home.

• For Communities: Over 500,000 people live in areas threatened by floods, heat, and bad air.

• For Policy Makers: Climate and housing problems are connected. Solutions must address both.

• For Our Future: Houston is becoming less affordable and less safe to live in.

How do the places where we gather shape how we connect? From housing to green spaces, public libraries to digital forums, the environments around us play a vital role in fostering belonging and community.

Who is having the hardest time:

• Families making less than $25,000 per year

• Only 1 in 3 low-income families say they have fully recovered

• People who couldn't afford to make all the repairs they needed

• Families who lost food, wages, and had to pay for emergency costs

Compare this to higher-income families:

• 8 out of 10 families making over $100,000 say they have fully recovered

• They were more likely to have savings to pay for repairs

• They were more likely to have insurance that covered damage

How to Make Your Voice Heard

• Find Your Representatives: Visit Texas Legislature Online to find who represents you

• Email the Bill Sponsors: Use the sponsor emails in each issue below to share your experience

• Contact Your Local Officials: Reach out to your state senator and representative about what matters to you

• Share This Article: Help others learn about the issues that quietly shape our lives

• Focus on Your Experience: Personal stories about how these issues affect your family, business, or community are powerful

Why This Matters

• The loudest political fights are about identity and culture

• Polling shows Texans already agree on practical issues like energy and healthcare

• These "boring" problems are where surprising alliances form

• Boring issues are where trust can be rebuilt across political divides

• This is where politics can actually make everyday life better

"More than ever, people and organizations need space to come together to discuss, imagine, and chart a path to a more just world. We hope the center helps to fulfill this need."

— Ford Foundation

American Enterprise Institute

Defending human dignity, expanding human potential, and building a freer and safer world.

Since 1938, AEI has been advancing ideas rooted in democracy, free enterprise, American strength and global leadership, individual liberty, and a pluralistic, entrepreneurial culture through rigorous research and open debate.

"The way we foster good public policy is through bipartisanship. Americans share a common ground that is deeper than the partisan disputes that divide us, and people on both sides of the aisle have good intentions."

— Bipartisan Policy Center Mission Statement

World Grid Project

A comprehensive initiative to map and promote the development of a globally interconnected electric grid powered entirely by renewable energy, building on Buckminster Fuller's vision of universal carbon-free electricity access.

A national initiative transforming public spaces to build stronger, more connected communities across America.

Parks, libraries, trails, and main streets become places where people of all backgrounds gather, trust grows, and neighborhoods thrive.

Highlights

Why it matters: Youth report widespread climate distress; higher severe‑weather exposure aligns with stronger distress and desire for action. Use this to normalize feelings, add supports, and create constructive action pathways.

Use in programs: Pair discussions about emotions with coping tools and a short local action step; invite cross‑viewpoint dialogue to reduce polarization.

The mission of The Chisholm Legacy Project is rooted in a Just Transition Framework. The project serves as a vehicle to connect Black communities on the frontlines of climate justice with resources to traverse the path from vision to strategy to action plan to implementation to transformation. In support of frontline leadership, the project seeks to link movements and mainstream entities with the tools necessary to advance systems change centered in equity and justice. With Black women on the frontlines of advancing systems change, this project ensures that these leaders have the support they need as they transform society from extractivism to a living economy that cares for sacred relationships between people and with Mother Earth, through regenerative, cooperative, democratic systems.

The Climate Mental Health Network supports emotional well-being in the face of climate change by empowering communities with resources, conversations, and intergenerational healing tools.

Local ecosystems like coastal marshes, pine savannahs, and prairie meadows provide critical services—from flood resilience to climate mitigation. Houston Wilderness supports large‑scale planting, green infrastructure, and planning frameworks—empowering underserved communities and building climate‑smart infrastructure regionall

Litter and pollution don’t just harm the environment — they threaten public health, strain municipal budgets, and affect everyday Texans. By focusing on upstream systems like packaging responsibility and recycling infrastructure, Texans for Clean Water works toward long-term, sustainable solutions that benefit people and the planet.

It all begins with an idea.