2026 So Far: A Year of Wins for CivicLex

Y'all, 2026 has been a YEAR so far over here at CivicLex! I'm struck looking back at what this amazing team has been able to accomplish since January and how it's possible.

I'm so glad to be hearing a lot of talk right now about "the power of the local" in rebuilding trust and connection in American life. But is "local" enough? The deep scale of the work below is only possible when a community is equipped to reimagine its own civic life over the long term, not just doing a one-off project. To me, "Local" isn't needed because of its geography, but because of how proximity to place enables the relational, participatory, and generational nature of the work to build deeper, more lasting transformation.

Something to chew on!

Alright, a few hits from 2026 so far:

Kit ran Lexington's first-ever Civic Assembly: 30 randomly selected residents deliberated on the city charter and passed 3 recommended changes, now headed to voters on the ballot this fall. One of the first fully locally-run Civic Assemblies in the country!

We announced a $1M challenge gift to build a permanent endowment for youth civic education at Blue Grass Community Foundation.

Thanks to a $900k investment from Knight Foundation, we launched a new multi-city civic health collaborative with Wichita, Tallahassee, and Columbia.

Hired three new staff!! Nicole Weir, Aaron Mudd, and James Soderling.

Vote Local Lexington, our digital voter guide, was used by 56% (!) of Lexington voters in the primary election.

Stephanie hosted our biggest Civics Day yet with Fayette County Public Schools (KY): 78 FCPS students presented civic engagement projects to hundreds, including former US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy and Ross Wiener (!). We also directly taught 1,500+ FCPS students through our workshops and expos this spring.

Lilly (& Kit) wrapped up work on Lexington's Downtown Master Plan, going the extra mile to meaningfully engage Lexington's unhoused community, and started on Lexington's Parks Master Plan, guiding how parks will develop in Lexington for years to come.

Our Reimagining the Civic Commons team did so much, including working with 11 middle schoolers to imagine the future of Gainesway Park, including a visit to Project for Public Spaces Placemaking Week!

Co-hosted our first Lifelong Civic Learning Convening with Democracy Notes.

Megan supported and funded three club cross-pollenation projects with The Marafiki Center, AfroLex, Institute 193, Seedleaf, and groups in Southland Park, as well as six block parties in Dixie Park, Port Royal, Arcadia Park, West Short St., Green Acres, and Fox Den.

Hosted so many events, including our second annual Field Day at Castlewood Park and Pancake Breakfast at Woodhill Community Center.

Helped pilot a new partnership with Press Forward Blue Grass and Report for America.

Published 50+ stories on local government, including a new series called Civic Spotlight with Solutions Journalism Network.

cc the rest of our amazing team: Noel, Haley