Weaver Awards
Kansas City
Weaver Awards
Kansas City
American Public Square is partnering with the Aspen Institute to support local people building trust, belonging, and connection.
American Public Square has been selected as a 2026 Community Host for the Weaver Awards, a national initiative of Weave: The Social Fabric Project at the Aspen Institute.
Through this partnership, APS will help bring the Weaver Awards to the Kansas City region, recognizing and supporting everyday community builders who are strengthening relationships, reducing isolation, and helping neighbors work together across lines of difference with grant funding.
What APS Will Do?
As Kansas City’s Weaver Awards Community Host, American Public Square will:
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- Identify and celebrate local weavers across the Kansas City region
- Share stories of people building trust and connection in their neighborhoods
- Distribute annual Weaver Awards and micro-grants to individuals and small nonprofits
- Host gatherings, workshops, and learning opportunities for local weavers
- Connect Kansas City’s weavers to a national network of community builders
This work reflects APS’s belief that healthier democracy starts locally, through relationships, shared experiences, and communities where people know they belong.
What Are the Weaver Awards?
The Weaver Awards recognize people and small organizations who are building social trust by bringing neighbors together to address shared challenges where they live.
Awardees receive funding, visibility, connection to other local leaders, and opportunities for learning and support.
Projects may involve:
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- Neighborhood gatherings
- Youth engagement
- Civic renewal
- Arts and storytelling
- Community meals
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- Public space projects
- Dialogue across difference
- Mutual aid or community care
- Efforts that reduce loneliness and isolation
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- Neighborhood gatherings
- Youth engagement
- Civic renewal
- Arts and storytelling
- Community meals
- Public space projects
- Dialogue across difference
- Mutual aid or community care
- Efforts that reduce loneliness and isolation
What matters most is that the work helps people build relationships, trust, and belonging.
Interested in Applying or Nominating Someone?
Applications and nominations for the first Kansas City Weaver Awards cycle will open on July 1, 2026. Individuals, grassroots leaders, and small nonprofits interested in applying can learn more here:
