Community Engagement Practitioners

This organization works to build a sustainable, equitable economy in Appalachia through coalition-building, policy advocacy, and community-led development. They can support CBAs by mobilizing grassroots networks and ensuring regional voices shape economic and infrastructure projects.

Service base: Communities in the Ohio River Valley States of Appalachia (Kentucky, West Virginia, Ohio, Pennsylvania)

Hummingbird specializes in inclusive engagement strategies, participatory design, and community-centered decision-making. Hummingbird works at the intersection of equity, storytelling, and strategy—making them an ideal partner for facilitating trust-building and equitable negotiations throughout Community Benefit Agreement processes.

Service base: The firm maintains physical offices in Atlanta, Georgia, and Washington, D.C., and extends its services across the United States.

Fair Shake provides legal support and environmental justice advocacy for underserved communities. They can assist CBAs with legal insight, negotiation support, and ensuring agreements are enforceable and community-driven.

Service base: Communities throughout Pennsylvania, Ohio, and West Virginia.

Navigating Grey specializes in impact strategy and equity-centered consulting. They help communities and institutions co-create strategies that balance stakeholder needs, ideal for aligning interests during the CBA process.

Service base: The firm is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, and extends its services across the United States.

P3 provides equitable engagement frameworks, inclusive facilitation, and long-term participation planning. They can design and lead processes that ensure all voices are heard in CBA development.

Service base: P3 has offices in Raleigh and Winston-Salem, NC, and they are registered in South Carolina, Florida, Massachusetts, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Washington D.C.

CHIC delivers culturally responsive engagement strategies grounded in community trust-building. CHIC’s methods—centered on deep listening and communication—can guide equitable and respectful CBA negotiations.

Service base: CHIC is based in Boston, and most of their work takes place in Massachusetts.

The Cedric Group focuses on inclusive economic development and community resilience. They bring expertise in aligning diverse stakeholders and creating pathways for historically excluded groups to benefit from development deals like CBAs.

Service base: The firm is headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. Most of their work takes place in Ohio, but they have partnered with national organizations.

Green Empowerment partners with grassroots organizations to implement sustainable infrastructure in marginalized communities. While globally focused, they can connect local projects with international best practices and local partners for infrastructure-centered CBAs.

Service base: A global organization, Green Empowerment has offices in the U.S., Colombia, Nicaragua, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Uganda, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Indonesia, Philippines, and Malaysia.