Innovia seeks to honor Kootenai County community weavers

In Kootenai County, some of the most important civic work happens far from a microphone or a ballot box. It looks like a potluck in the park, a recovery center that keeps people connected, or steady care for families living with developmental disabilities. Innovia Foundation is now asking residents to notice the people behind that work and call them what it sees them as: weavers.

Britt Towery, Innovia’s North Idaho regional engagement director, has framed those community builders as the people who bring others together, bridge gaps and create a sense of belonging. The foundation’s local Weaver Awards effort is built around that idea, with the goal of recognizing everyday people in Kootenai County who strengthen trust and help neighborhoods, schools, churches and volunteer groups function as the county grows.

The nomination period opens June 15 and runs through August 31. Innovia says 20 individuals or organizations will each receive $2,500 microgrants at a Weaver Awards celebration scheduled for November 2026. The Coeur d’Alene-based effort is part of the 2026 Weaver Awards, an initiative of Weave: The Social Fabric Project at the Aspen Institute. Innovia was selected January 22 as one of 25 Community Host organizations nationwide, and the host role comes with $225,000 in support.

Innovia says it serves as the community foundation for Eastern Washington and North Idaho, working with donors, nonprofits and community leaders to create long-term solutions and sustainable change. The Weaver Awards Kootenai County site says the program is designed to recognize and support ordinary people who are bringing neighbors together, building trust and strengthening belonging. In practice, that means people who host conversations, create bridges and help others participate in shared life.

The push comes as Innovia has been getting wider recognition for its convening role. A June 4 report said the foundation received the Council on Foundations’ inaugural Building Together award for bringing nonprofits, civic leaders, donors and residents together around local priorities. In Kootenai County, that same logic now extends to the smaller acts that keep civic life stitched together, one relationship at a time.