About Us

Who We Are

Universally, Inc. is a nonprofit dedicated to strengthening civic capacity by giving people the tools to understand one another and work together with purpose across communities, strengthening the places where we all live, learn, and grow.

Our Mission

To advance communities where all people can thrive.

Our Vision

A nation grounded in human dignity and shared purpose, where our common goals drive progress and everyone fully participates in and benefits from our collective success.

What We Do

We build civic capacity in classrooms and communities , helping children, teens, and adults develop the mindset and skills to connect, collaborate, and contribute to thriving communities.

The Problem We’re Solving

American society is increasingly fragmented. Divisiveness, isolation, and lack of social cohesion make it harder for communities to come together to solve shared challenges. We need generations who know how to engage, listen, collaborate, and build solutions — together. Without that capacity, communities struggle, and many voices go unheard.

To reverse this trend, we must:

1. Ensure children grow up with tools to connect and collaborate across communities.
2. Provide opportunities to sustain those skills into adulthood.
3. Support adults with opportunities to lead, govern, and solve problems collaboratively.

The Problem We’re Solving

We build civic capacity by equipping people with tools and a shared-purpose mindset to:

• Foster shared purpose
• Build connection across communities
• Collaborate on solutions to real-world challenges

Through this work, we strengthen relationships, build trust, and help communities work together effectively — creating resilient, inclusive, and thriving places for all.

Our Result

Universally helps increase people’s ability and willingness to work together across communities. Our programs produce measurable improvements in participants’ skills, attitudes, and civic engagement — building a nationwide network of individuals and organizations ready to collaborate, serve, and lead. As this network scales, it helps create a tipping point for communities where everyone can fully participate and prosper.

How We Work — Our Flagship Programs

360-Degree Storytelling
A multimedia storytelling series that presents real, authentic portrayals of American life. The series aims to combat negative assumptions and broaden perspectives by showing everyday experiences across America’s many diverse communities.

By sharing real and relatable stories, we help people understand each other better, recognize shared values, and build connection across communities.

Bright Ambassadors
Through volunteer service and community projects, Bright Ambassadors brings people together to work side-by-side on shared goals: rebuilding after disasters, community support, beautification, and more.

Volunteers and community members engage in dialogue, reflection, and shared work to build empathy, collaboration, and long-term relationships. Some projects are documented and featured by 360-Degree Storytelling to amplify their impact and show how civic action builds connection.

Change Makers
Change Makers equips teens (grades 8–12) with tools to understand societal challenges, collaborate with peers, and co-create practical solutions. Through workshops, team-based projects, and real-world problem-solving, students build leadership, critical thinking, and civic engagement skills.

This program is designed to prepare the next generation of community leaders — young people who can work together with purpose, empathy, and vision to shape their communities and our nation’s future.

Community-to-Classroom Connections
This program brings authors, creators, and local community voices into schools and community programs to connect creative work with real life. Through reading sessions and interactive workshops, children build literacy, emotional awareness, community-building and creative skills.

Whether through a single story session or longer residencies, students engage in storytelling, writing, arts, and creative reflection — learning not just to read, but to connect, imagine, and see themselves as contributors to their communities.

Our Approach: Content • Experience • Practice

We believe meaningful change comes from a foundation of well-crafted content, shared experiences, and real-world collaboration.

• Content: Thoughtfully crafted stories, media, and curricula that reflect real lives and real challenges.
• Experience: Hands-on programs, volunteer service, creative workshops, and collaborative learning across generations.
• Practice: Repeated opportunities to apply learning — through service, creative work, collaboration, and civic action.

This approach builds the social and civic capacity to solve problems, strengthen community bonds, and create spaces where everyone can participate and thrive.

Community-to-Classroom Connections

Brings creators of children’s literature and products into classrooms and communities to teach about the tools, techniques, and technical aspects of their craft while providing children with positive representation and introductions to professionals from a multitude of backgrounds.

Literacy Leap Initiative

Provides books, curriculum, and author readings that reinforce literacy and reading comprehension while promoting belonging and community building for children in schools and community programs. An initiative under Community-to-Classroom Connections.