Model and Strategy
Warm Cookies of the Revolution addresses loneliness by focusing on a simple but often overlooked challenge: getting people to show up. In a culture where time is scarce and connection increasingly happens online, many people—especially those most at risk of isolation—are not participating in community life, even when opportunities exist.
Warm Cookies responds by making in-person connection irresistible. As the country’s first “Civic Health Club,” it creates joyful and culturally relevant experiences that bring people together face-to-face. The emphasis is not on civic participation for its own sake, but on building the social bonds that make belonging and shared life possible.
Its work spans more than 50 programs designed to meet people where they are. From intergenerational storytelling and music-based gatherings to neighborhood house parties and hands-on creative events, these experiences lower the stakes of participation and invite people in through culture and curiosity—driven by fun rather than obligation.
This approach is paired with a deep commitment to accessibility. Programs are free or pay-what-you-can and include childcare, food, and language support, ensuring that participation reflects the full diversity of the community, including those typically excluded from civic and social spaces.
What begins as a single gathering is designed to grow. Participants are encouraged to host their own events, bring others into the fold, and shape programming around their own communities. Initiatives such as Civic House Parties and Future Town support residents in building ongoing relationships and shared ownership over local spaces and issues.
Warm Cookies’ model is deeply rooted in place, but it is no longer contained by it. After years of intentionally limiting growth, the organization is now scaling with purpose. Rather than replicating a fixed model, Warm Cookies is building a system for spread: a “cookbook” of adaptable program designs, a national Civic Health Club network, and tools that allow communities to take ownership of the work. At this moment, the organization is moving from a locally rooted innovation to a model with the potential to scale connection-building practices nationwide.
Impact
Warm Cookies has demonstrated a rare ability to engage people who are often least likely to participate in organized community life, creating repeated, meaningful opportunities for connection at scale.
Since its founding, the organization has engaged more than 1 million participants through hundreds of programs across Colorado and beyond. Participants reflect a broad cross-section of the community, including working-class residents, immigrants and refugees, and individuals who would not typically be in the same room together.
The organization’s approach translates directly into sustained engagement and social connection. Seventy-four percent (74%) of participants report taking meaningful action in their communities following participation, reflecting increased connection, confidence, and a sense of ownership.
Programs are designed to foster not just attendance, but ongoing relationships. Initiatives such as Civic House Parties have led to repeated gatherings among neighbors, the formation of new social networks, and participant-led efforts addressing issues ranging from mental health to education and public safety.
Warm Cookies’ work is particularly impactful in communities where opportunities for connection are limited. In suburban and rural settings, programs have brought together residents across lines of age, culture, language, and geography, helping to rebuild social bonds and create new shared experiences.
Beyond Colorado, demand for the model is accelerating. With early adoption underway in approximately 8–10 states and additional communities expressing interest, Warm Cookies is beginning to translate its locally proven approach into a broader, national movement.
Taken together, these outcomes point to a model that not only brings people together in the moment, but builds the conditions for ongoing connection, turning one-time participation into sustained relationships, local leadership, and stronger community fabric.
Leadership
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Evan Weissman
Founding Executive Director
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Adrian Molina
Director of Future Town and Rural Work
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Jane Kirema
Project Coordinator
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Mary Grace Legg
Board of Directors