Civil Rights, Social Action, Advocacy

Essential Partners, Inc.

Bold explorations in community.

aka Public Conversations Project   |   Cambridge, MA   |  https://www.whatisessential.org

Mission

Essential Partners equips people to live and work better together in community by building trust, understanding, and connection across differences.

Ruling year info

1996

Co-Executive Director

Ms. Katie Hyten

Co-Executive Director

Mr. John Sarrouf

Main address

186 Alewife Brook Parkway, Suite 212

Cambridge, MA 02138 USA

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Formerly known as

Public Conversations Project

EIN

22-3432160

Cause area (NTEE code) info

Management & Technical Assistance (R02)

International Peace and Security (Q40)

Community Improvement, Capacity Building N.E.C. (S99)

IRS filing requirement

This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.

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Programs and results

What we aim to solve

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Too often, we avoid difficult conversations (on the issues most important to our communities), or we approach with fear. Many believe, often based on experience, that talking to people with different ideas threatens the stability of their community or results in unproductive debates where neither "side" feels heard or valued. Even when people do engage with difference, they often retreat further into what they know and understand: devolving into silence, heated disagreement, or sometimes violent conflict. In the stalemate, everyone loses the richest, most essential parts of living and working in diverse, pluralistic communities. In American democracy, disagreement is a fundamental principle of self governance and determination. But, disagreement becomes dysfunction without mutual trust and understanding. EP helps our communities develop skills for building and maintaining trust and understanding, allowing us to work together for mutually beneficial outcomes, whether or not we agree.

Our programs

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?

Open enrollment workshops

EP's open enrollment workshops are our standard offering to any individuals, teams, or organizations looking to build select skills in dialogue preparation and facilitation. OEWs are available for a variety of topics pertaining to EP's dialogic approach, and range between beginner, intermediate, and advanced skill levels. OEWs are offered year-round, usually at our headquarters in Cambridge, MA.

Population(s) Served
General/Unspecified

EP is working with a number of higher education partners to train students, faculty, and staff on cultivating more connected and resilient campuses through EP-style conversations. Each iteration is unique, but most involve long-term partnership with campus partners to ensure a solid, sustainable foundation for shifting campus culture.

Population(s) Served
Students
Academics

For 30 years, communities (towns, neighborhoods, faith groups, local organizations) have reached out to EP seeking resources for conversation/community building on contentious issues: immigration, economic justice, climate change, education, policing, race, and gender. We have found that “conversation projects” within towns or neighborhoods help communities maintain social cohesion while wrestling with conflict. Our goal is to build local capacity for sustainable cultures of inclusive, relationship-building dialogue.

Population(s) Served
General/Unspecified

Where we work

Affiliations & memberships

Massachusetts Nonprofit Network 2009

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Financials

Essential Partners, Inc.
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Operations

The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.

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Connect with nonprofit leaders

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  • Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations

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Essential Partners, Inc.

Board of directors
as of 7/21/2020
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Board chair

Mr. Julien Pham

Bob O'Hara

No Labels

Julien Pham

Essential Partners

Gary Sandhu

David March

Jeanne Emanuel

Nicole Morris

Brendan Abel

John Lloyd

Board leadership practices

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.

  • Board orientation and education
    Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? No
  • CEO oversight
    Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? No
  • Ethics and transparency
    Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? No
  • Board composition
    Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? No
  • Board performance
    Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? No

Keywords

Dialogue, Conflict resolution, Public Conversations (PCP), Peace building, Training