Elevate Cities

About Elevate Cities

Elevate Cities is a bold, place-based movement reimagining how cities thrive - by elevating the people and communities driving change from the ground up. We partner with cities to connect, inspire, and celebrate local changemakers - and all those who make their city stronger - sparking belonging, civic pride, and action. Through joyful, high-signal activations, storytelling, and partnerships, we help cities rediscover what’s working, who’s leading, and what’s possible. Our mission is simple: to make good impossible to miss. By amplifying local heroes and strengthening the connective tissue of civic life, we help transform how communities see themselves - building trust, pride, and momentum that endure. Elevate Cities designs experiences that bring people together at the neighborhood level: awards that recognize unsung hometown heroes, convenings that spark connection, storytelling that reshapes narrative, and city-wide moments that invite everyone in. We don’t parachute in. We partner with local leaders and organizations to lift from within - co-creating civic infrastructure rooted in joy, belonging, and possibility. We believe joy is a powerful strategy for change. When people feel seen, valued, and connected, they act differently - and cities thrive. Elevate Cities is a standalone organization being incubated within the Elevate Prize Foundation, now in its sixth year. To date, EPF has invested over $48 million in more than 150 social entrepreneurs across 144 countries, generating 31B+ media impressions by proving that recognition and storytelling accelerate impact. Join us as we build a civic movement that endures - transforming the world, one elevated city at a time. #ElevateCities