What this is
National initiative supporting local leaders who strengthen community connections and rebuild trust in neighborhoods across America.
Aspen is a place for leaders to lift their sights above the possessions which possess them. To confront their own nature as human beings, to regain control over their own humanity by becoming more self-aware, more self-correcting, and hence more self-fulfilling. Walter P. Paepcke, Aspen Institute Co-Founder
Aspen is a place for leaders to lift their sights above the possessions which possess them. To confront their own nature as human beings, to regain control over their own humanity by becoming more self-aware, more self-correcting, and hence more self-fulfilling.
“America is fractured and living a quiet crisis of disconnection. We have lost our trust in each other and our institutions. Divided, we face uncertainty, social turmoil, and political gridlock. Yet, within every community lies an answer.”
David Brooks
“America is fractured and living a quiet crisis of disconnection. We have lost our trust in each other and our institutions. Divided, we face uncertainty, social turmoil, and political gridlock. Yet, within every community lies an answer.”
Weave: the Social Fabric Project invests in trust and the people who build it.
Creating a strong and caring America
The Weave Newsletter
Read full text
“America is fractured and living a quiet crisis of disconnection. We have lost our trust in each other and our institutions. Divided, we face uncertainty, social turmoil, and political gridlock. Yet, within every community lies an answer.”
Weave: The Social Fabric Project tackles the problem of broken social trust that has left Americans divided, lonely, and in social gridlock. Weave connects, supports, and invests in local leaders stepping up to weave a new, inclusive social fabric where they live. The project was founded by New York Times columnist and author David Brooks at the Aspen Institute.
The US is living through a crisis of connection. Suicide rates have risen dramatically, especially among youth. The opioid epidemic has devastated communities. 58% of Americans say they are lonely. Violence, hatred, and political gridlock have become normal. Yet there is a way out. In communities throughout the country, in ways big and small, people are showing up for each other and building connection and trust. You probably know some of them. They are the people neighbors count on. They value everyone no matter our differences, make us feel we belong, and act to bring people together to address shared needs. We call them weavers. You may be one of them.
Weavers help their communities grow – and they grow, too
Weave’s Executive Director, Frederick J. Riley, shares how Weave is working to meet one of the defining challenges of our time: the erosion of trust in our communities.
Weave supports the trust builders
Weave connects and invests in the people weaving our communities together. We work to inspire all Americans to weave. And we make it easy to take the first steps into weaving.
A weekly dose of weaver stories, resources to fuel weaving, and reflections from many perspectives on what it means to invest in relationships and weave a strong, inclusive social fabric from the ground up.
Weaving Us community
An online home where you will find weavers from all over the country willing to offer tools, resources, advice, and friendship to help you bring neighbors together to address shared needs.
You’ll also find a new Learning Center to help you meet a specific goal like learning how to write a grant, prepare a presentation, or design your next gathering.
Weaver Awards
The Weaver Awards unleash the power of philanthropy for neighborhoods. The Awards are a community-led model that enable foundations and corporations to find and invest through microgrants directly in the people weaving trust locally.
The Weave Speakers Bureau
The Speakers Bureau trains and places weavers on stages large and small across the US to inspire others and create a nation of weavers.
News & Ideas
Weavers help their communities grow – and they grow, too
UnfavoriteFavoriteApril 27, 2026
Frederick J. Riley
These neighbors launched a movement of care from their front porch
UnfavoriteFavoriteApril 16, 2026
Can a house with an open-door policy change a neighborhood?
UnfavoriteFavoriteApril 15, 2026
These weavers are embracing fun and weird ways to get neighbors engaged
UnfavoriteFavoriteApril 15, 2026
The social club patching Madison together
UnfavoriteFavoriteMarch 17, 2026
Key details
- Topic: Community building support program
- Founded by: David Brooks at Aspen Institute
- Focus: Local leaders strengthening neighborhoods
- Reading time: 2 minutes
Why it matters
Your community gets stronger when neighbors help each other. Weave supports local leaders who bring people together, fight loneliness, and solve neighborhood problems. This means better programs, more connections, and help when your community faces challenges.
How to dig in
- 1Start with the snapshot above to know what this is in a glance.
- 2Read through to understand how it connects to the bigger picture.
- 3Open it using the button above.
By the numbers
Led byAspen Institute
Counted from the Community Exchange connection graph.