This summer, bring your whole community together through the power of a shared meal.
In 2025, Innovia sponsored To-Go & Gather, a free community table event in Pullman, WA
The Longest Table is a growing movement built on a simple, powerful idea: sharing a meal. As our nation marks the 250th anniversary of its founding, this initiative offers a meaningful opportunity to reflect on where we are today—both as a country and as a region—and to imagine the hopes and possibilities we hold for the future.
Longest Table gatherings transform public spaces into welcoming places of connection, where strangers become neighbors and neighbors become friends. By coming together around the table, participants are invited into conversation that fosters understanding, reduces isolation, and strengthens trust across communities.
Beginning in April 2026, Innovia is offering microgrants of up to $2,500 to support community-led Longest Table events. These funds can be used for organizing costs such as tables and chairs, permits, promotional materials, and youth activities.
From small-town main streets to city blocks and campuses, The Longest Table creates shared experiences that spark dialogue and deepen a sense of belonging. As we mark this historic national milestone, these gatherings provide a local way to reflect, connect, and envision a stronger, more united future together.
Innovia will fund a minimum of 60 Longest Table events across Eastern Washington and North Idaho. Applications open April 17, with review beginning May 5. Grants will be awarded on a rolling basis until funds are exhausted. Events must take place between June 1 and September 30.
Learn More
View a recording of our informational webinar from April 30, 2026.
The national toolkit was developed by The Longest Table, founded in New York. Please contact the Innovia Foundation team with questions about hosting locally.
We will host Sandpoint High School Stronger Together as our annual First Friday kickoff event, bringing together students and staff to foster belonging, school pride, and meaningful connections. The event will feature a shared meal, conversation activities, a collaborative art project, and a carnival-style celebration designed to strengthen school culture and build lasting relationships. This […]
We will incorporate a Longest Table experience into our annual Logan Neighborhood Block Party, bringing together Gonzaga students, staff, and neighborhood residents. The event will feature shared meals, conversation, activities, and community resources that strengthen campus-neighborhood relationships. This event is organized by a community partner; details are subject to change. Please check back closer to […]
We will host a Longest Table Community Meal at Coeur d’Alene City Park, immediately following our annual Recovery Celebration, bringing together individuals, families, community partners, and residents for a shared meal and meaningful connection. The event will feature one continuous community table, conversation activities, live music, family-friendly activities, and a Wall of Hope designed to […]
We will host our second “To-Go & Gather” community meal event in downtown Pullman, inviting residents to share a meal while supporting local businesses and building connections. The event will create a welcoming space for neighbors to gather and engage with one another. This event is organized by a community partner; details are subject to […]
We will host the Moscow Longest Table on Main Street, bringing together community members for a shared meal in the heart of downtown. Tables spanning two city blocks will create a welcoming gathering space where neighbors can meet, share conversation, and strengthen community connections. This event is organized by a community partner; details are subject […]
We will host a Longest Table gathering at Sandpoint Community Hall, bringing together neighbors, families, local leaders, businesses, and community partners for a shared meal and meaningful conversation. The event will celebrate Sandpoint’s unique character while creating a welcoming space for people from different backgrounds to build relationships, strengthen connections, and foster a sense of […]
We will host a Longest Table on Maine Street in Spirit Lake, bringing together residents and local organizations for a community meal designed to encourage new connections and conversation. Local organizations will host and decorate sections of one continuous table, creating a welcoming and collaborative celebration of the Spirit Lake community. This event is organized […]
We will host a Longest Table gathering at Union Stadium, bringing together more than 2,000 students, families, staff, and community partners to strengthen school connectedness and foster a sense of belonging. The event will feature a shared meal, student-led activities, and community-building experiences designed to encourage positive relationships and support student well-being. Get Involved: Mead […]
We will host a Longest Table gathering in Chewelah, bringing community members together over a shared meal to connect, engage in conversation, and find common ground. The gathering will include facilitated discussion and local perspectives on healthcare and housing, along with opportunities to reflect on community and America’s 250th anniversary. This event is organized by […]
We will host "Ncaliwm Strong," a community dinner, bringing together community members in solidarity and connection following the Modrite Fire. The gathering will feature a longhouse-style meal along Main Street and provide space for families and neighbors to reconnect, share stories, and celebrate the strength, history, and resilience of the community. This event is organized […]
We will host a Longest Table gathering on our Coeur d’Alene campus, bringing together students, employees, alumni, veterans, civic leaders, businesses, nonprofits, and community members for a shared meal and meaningful conversation. The event will celebrate America’s 250th anniversary while fostering relationships, civic dialogue, community belonging, and connection across North Idaho. This event is organized […]
We will host a Longest Table community potluck, bringing together refugees, immigrants, their families, and the broader Spokane community to foster belonging, cultural exchange, and meaningful connections. In partnership with the Eastern Washington Refugee Coalition, the event will feature a shared meal, interactive activities, community conversations, and family-friendly programming that celebrates diverse cultures and explores […]
This virtual series is designed to help communities assess their strengths and readiness to successfully implement the Community Heart & Soul Program and prepare their grant application. Viewing all three sessions of the series is mandatory for all grant applicants. Participants should have reviewed the Getting Started with Community Heart & Soul workbook in advance and have it on hand to reference during the webinars.
Application Components:
In this second webinar of the series, community representatives will explore who lives, workshop and plays in their community, starting with a conversation about formal and informal groups and the connectors within those groups. This information becomes the foundation of an important Community Heart & Soul tool, the Community Network Analysis. and it will help you complete the required Community Connections Table, We will also discuss building your core leadership team as you will need to begin gathering support letters from partnering organizations. We will continue our conversation on the roles and responsibilities of the Project Coordinator.
Application Components:
In this third and final webinar of the series, community representatives will begin thinking about their budget for Community Heart & Soul and consider various types of investment (financial, time, and in-kind resources) that is needed for this work. Project coordination can be a significant budgetary item for a Heart & Soul effort, and this workshop will provide an opportunity to discuss successful project coordination models that have been implemented in other communities.
Application Components:
Contact Joshua Kaiel at [email protected] for grant guidelines and application information.
Innovia Foundation launched the Community Heart & Soul® Program to help rural communities throughout its 20-county service area BUILD COMMUNITY through a resident-driven process and TAKE ACTION on what matters most to its residents. Hundreds of communities across the country have implemented the program and experienced outcomes such as:
The Community Heart & Soul model was developed over ten years ago and it has been recognized nationally by the American Planning Association as a successful approach to community planning and development.
Community Heart & Soul is designed for rural communities with populations under 30,000. The model is not used in large urban centers or in neighborhoods.
Multi-town, regional and county-wide efforts may be eligible if the total population does not exceed 30,000.
The process can be initiated by residents, community-based organizations or units of local government such as a school, municipality, library or hospital district or port. The official grant applicant must be a nonprofit organization or unit of local government or there must be a fiscal sponsor that meets these qualifications.
Community Heart & Soul does not replace other community development programs or planning processes. It does complement other community initiatives (economic development planning, comprehensive planning, Main Street Programs, etc.). It can also be used to demonstrate a community engagement effort and support for programs and activities. Many Community Heart & Soul communities have used it to leverage grants and other funding for programs and activities.
Community Heart & Soul is a bottom-up, resident-driven process that determines a community’s future based on what matters most to residents in their communities. The strength of the model lies in the design: there is no agenda being promoted, other than a genuine desire to improve community relationships, planning, and collaborative decision-making through engaging in the process. Community Heart & Soul must not be driven by any political, social, or religious agenda.
Through the process, topics or themes will likely rise to the top of community priorities – and in some cases, this may happen early in the process. For example, workforce development and opportunities for graduating students are common community priorities. Innovia Foundation will work with communities to provide additional resources when this happens through other programs such as LaunchNW.
Innovia will award up to ten $30,000 grants to support community-based project coordinators and actions in the selected communities for up to two years.
Participating communities will be required to provide a $10,000 match over the two-year program period.
Technical assistance, including program training and assigned certified coaches, will also be provided. The coaches will provide capacity-building training and facilitation services for program coordinators and community leadership teams. Through this process, residents will learn how to create a network map, analyze demographic data, implement proven outreach and engagement strategies, build more authentic relationships with fellow residents, conduct community interviews, and develop a unique community plan. This support is free to the community and valued at over $50,000 per year.
Innovia Foundation has partnered with Community Heart & Soul to bring its resident-driven planning process to our 20-county service area in Eastern Washington and North Idaho. Our partnership with Community Heart & Soul is built on the shared belief that residents hold the key to meeting their toughest challenges through actively listening to what people value most about the communities in which they live. By inviting residents to take the lead in exploring their community’s past, present and future, Community Heart & Soul builds a community’s capacity to engage residents in planning and determining their future.
Community Heart & Soul is a resident-driven planning method for communities under 30,000 residents. The method helps identify the “heart and soul” of a community to inform planning and development. Field-tested in hundreds of communities over the last decade, Community Heart and Soul reconnects people with what they love most about their community and translates those personal and emotional connections into a blueprint that serves as the foundation for future community decisions and actions. It’s a barn-raising approach to community planning and development and has proven to increase participation in local decision-making and empower residents to shape the future of their communities in a way that upholds the unique character of each place. Communities across the country have used the Community Heart & Soul process to build community relationships, make lasting changes and develop long-term action plans.
Based on three powerful principles—involve everyone, focus on what matters most, and play the long game, Community Heart & Soul is a four-phase, step-by-step process that brings residents together to identify and honor the unique character of their community and the emotional connection of the people who live there. For most communities, completing the four phases takes about two years. But the completion of the Community Heart & Soul model is just the beginning. It launches a new way of doing business that nurtures a more vibrant and sustainable community far into the future.
Innovia’s Community Heart & Soul Program is intended to be a foundation-building and complementary program to Innovia Foundation’s other community initiatives, including LaunchNW and the 5% Campaign. It supports our vision of vibrant and sustainable communities where every person thrives.
To learn more about this program, please reach out to us at 509-624-2606 or contact Molly Sanchez at [email protected].
