Who: The Tillamook Cowpies team in Tillamook, Oregon

Problem Identified: Need for financial education and empowerment in Tillamook County

Action Taken: As part of UR Action's Uniting for Action on the Oregon Economy, we worked with Financial Beginnings Oregon to develop a plan to train volunteers and offer financial literacy classes through community partners and area schools.

Secret Sauce: We’re humanizing the topic of financial literacy by showcasing local heroes' journeys from financial frustration to financial freedom.

Award: Dan & Ellen Kaplan Bridge-Builder Award

Who: The Climate Conversations team in Lexington, KY

Problem Identified: We need a network of people engaged in creating community resilience in the face of climate change

Action Taken: Recognizing that conversation is a powerful tool to effect change but that conversations about climate change can be intimidating, we facilitate conversations between community members in ways that generate genuine connections between people

Secret Sauce: We manage a yard sign library full of positive messaging to stir conversation!

Award: Kyle Forinash Bridge-Builder Award

Who: A team with no little I’s or capital T’s in Muskegon County, MI

Problem Identified: A lack of housing and safe places for youth to gather

Action Taken: We’ve upgraded a city park, revitalized a high school field, created a community center, and helped youth learn how to build houses.

Secret Sauce: We engage the rest of our community to ensure our actions align with their vision of bettering our surroundings.

Award: Brian & Emily Soloway Bridge-Builder Award

Who: The Pennsylvania Uniters of Franklin County, PA

Problem Identified: Targeted violence can occur when we lose sight of each other’s humanity. Our current political division increases tribal ways of viewing each other.

Action Taken: Through UR Action’s Uniting to Prevent Targeted Violence in South-Central PA, we’re working to expand Franklin County residents’ awareness of resources currently available to meet basic life needs.

Secret Sauce: We all have a desire to address violence by collaborating with people with different perspectives, and that starts with active listening.

Award: Lisa Inks Bridge-Builder Award

Who: Emporia Spanish Speakers in Emporia, KS

Problem Identified: Our Hispanic community is experiencing poor health outcomes due to unequal access to health information and services.

Action Taken: We organized the first-ever Spanish-language health fair with 20 community health partners committed to supporting our Spanish-speaking community members. Numerous providers have now created their first-ever Spanish language materials or expanded their Spanish language offerings.

Secret Sauce: While we may not always see eye to eye, we foster an environment of mutual respect and value every individual's perspective. By embracing collaboration, we recognize that our collective strength lies in our shared goal of making Emporia a community where Spanish thrives as a secondary language.

Award: Linda Inks Bridge-Builder Award

Who: A bipartisan intergenerational team led by criminal legal system-impacted Louisianans

Problem: Incarcerated Louisianans suffering from unconstitutional, non-unanimous convictions without a judicial remedy

Action Taken: We formed the Unanimous Jury Coalition and succeeded in mobilizing Louisiana voters to abolish a Jim Crow era law in LA that allowed non-unanimous convictions.

Secret Sauce: We built out the largest ballot initiative campaign in Louisiana's history with some of the most conservative Republicans and most liberal activists leading the movement, together speaking to values that resonated with people across the state.

Award: Allison & David Soloway Bridge-Builder Award

• Detra Miller

• Eunice Lin Nichols

• Jessica Baylor

• Joseph Croskey

• Kamy Akhavan

• Kristin Hansen

• Prabha Sankaranarayan

• Sarah Décarpentrie

• Stephen Ruckman

• Theo Sitther