Mission

Founded in 1989, Essential Partners helps people build relationships across differences to address their communities’ most pressing challenges. Essential Partners gives people the means to strengthen relationships, deepen belonging, and renew hope in their communities. Through richer, healthier, more inclusive dialogue, people strengthen relationships while gaining new insight into themselves and each other as well as the problems they face together. The strength of relationships rooted in trust and mutual understanding empowers people to address the most pressing challenges—from partisan polarization and political dysfunction to interfaith conflicts and abortion access—without compromising their deepest values or identities. We believe that the most urgent problems can only be addressed by people who live and work together every day. That's how we change the world: one community at a time. Our vision is a world of thriving communities strengthened by difference, connected by trust. Essential Partners collaborates with civic groups, schools, faith communities, colleges, and organizations across the globe to build resilience, belonging, and trust across differences of values, beliefs, and identities. We do this in several ways: - Training people in our trademark approach - Through long-term support, coaching, and mentorship - Initiatives to shift community or institutional cultures - Crafting new programs and resources with our clients - Facilitating dialogue around particularly explosive issues - Continuous research, evaluation, and innovation