West Valley City just proved a simple truth: the best investment in a neighborhood is the people who live there.This month, Cities Strong Foundation committed $53,900 to West Valley City. The money does two things. It brings three new Community Resource Centers to life in the NE Granger, Central Granger, and Valley View neighborhoods. And...
Our Executive Director, Michael Parker, joined Board Chair Dan England and Vice Chair Scott Anderson in authoring a Deseret News opinion piece titled "The Barn We're Still Raising." The op-ed reflects on the enduring pioneer tradition of the community barn raising—a powerful reminder that lasting progress has always been built through neighbors helping neighbors. While...
How Rancho Markets' roundup program is investing in Utah families—one checkout at a time....
We're excited to share our new film on the work the Cities Strong Foundation and are partners are doing across Utah....
Cities Strong Foundation and myHometown were proud to stand alongside community leaders for the kickoff of the Jordan River restoration at the Power District—an effort that represents a once-in-a-generation investment in Salt Lake City’s west side and the future of our shared public spaces.This initiative, led by the Larry H. Miller Company, will transform a...
Most people who volunteer for the first time say some version of the same thing afterward.They expected to feel good about helping. What they didn't expect was how much they'd enjoy it. The company. The work. The particular satisfaction of finishing something you can see — a yard cleaned, a fence painted, a garden planted...
The building belongs to a congregation. On Sunday mornings it is filled with worshippers. But on Tuesday nights, it belongs to the neighborhood.By six o'clock the parking lot is filling up. Inside, a room that was quiet an hour ago is now occupied by a dozen women sitting around folding tables, practicing English with volunteers...
Maria came to Utah fourteen years ago.She came legally, on a visa, with her husband and a daughter who was three years old at the time. They settled in West Valley City because someone from their home country lived there and said it was a good place. They found work. They learned English, slowly and...
There’s a moment that happens in Leader in Me schools that teachers describe the same way, over and over....
In November 2025, Cities Strong Foundation brought Dr. Raj Chetty to UtahDr. Chetty is the Harvard economist who has spent his career mapping opportunities across America — tracking, zip code by zip code, which children rise and which ones don't. His research is rigorous and his conclusions are, depending on where you sit, either encouraging...
