The Community-Led Transformation (CLT) Principles

The Community-Led Transformation (CLT) Principles are a set of values to help guide work with communities. The CLT principles were originally developed alongside collaborative work in immigrant and refugee communities, but we believe they are applicable to a potentially unlimited number of communities. The principles are flexible and dynamic; sometimes all may be used simultaneously while at other times only a few will be in focus. We believe that the principles that lead community transformation will continue to evolve.

Community-led: We uplift community power by authentically engaging and partnering with historically underserved communities. We center people who are of the community, aiming to co-create tailored solutions reflective of a community's values and priorities.
Co-designed: We support local leaders by amplifying their lived experiences and building on their community’s strengths. We co-create alongside community partners to address needs based on the community’s evolving priorities.
Partnership-based and trust-driven: We cultivate deep, trusting relationships with diverse community partners, grounded in shared values and mutual accountability. We understand trust is earned by consistently showing up, respecting differences, and valuing lived experiences. We are responsive to community feedback and share the impact and results of our collective work.
Cultural humility: With dignity and respect, we strive to deeply understand and honor the rich and diverse backgrounds of communities we serve, recognizing the pivotal role of our community partners as cultural stewards. We strive to demonstrate patience, empathy, and care while navigating diverse perspectives.
Healing-centered: We recognize the holistic wellbeing of a community and provide intentional spaces to acknowledge and address past and current injustices. We foster respectful collaboration while centering trauma-informed practices and cultural tradition.
Strengths-based learning: We collaborate with communities to identify assets and talents that are inherent powers to build upon. We leverage cultural knowledge, community expertise, and lived experience to develop impactful, tailored solutions.
Adaptive and responsive: We approach our work with flexibility and openness, continuously learning from and adapting to feedback. We meet partners where they are, adapting to their contexts while connecting them to the resources they need.
Collaborative funding: We partner with organizations to identify and apply for grants, leveraging each other’s strengths and resources. We prioritize equitable funding strategies and embrace regranting models to ensure fair resource distribution among partners.
Sustainable: We co-create resilient community systems, supported by networks and infrastructure that sustain long-term growth. We ensure sustainability by developing partnerships that foster collaboration, organizational capacity building, and shared learning that supports the next generation.
Community ownership: We co-develop research that balances scientific methods with community ownership over questions, methods and outcomes. We prioritize data transparency with a focus on community control of how information is collected, analyzed, used, and shared.