Innovia Foundation to receive $225K as a host for Weaver Awards in Coeur d'Alene

COEUR d'ALENE —  Innovia Foundation has been selected as one of 25 Community Host organizations nationwide for the 2026 Weaver Awards, an initiative of Weave: The Social Fabric Project at the Aspen Institute. 

Innovia will bring this national program to Coeur d'Alene, working alongside community partners to celebrate the people and organizations that make Kootenai County a place of trust and collaboration.

"Innovia is excited to serve as a Community Host for the Weaver Awards in Coeur d'Alene, creating new opportunities to increase connection and belonging in our region," said Shelly O'Quinn, CEO of Innovia Foundation, in a press release. "Through the Weaver Awards, we envision a future that includes stronger social connections, increased civic engagement, and people working together across differences. This is a true reflection of our commitment to make more possible in every community we serve."

The Weaver Awards celebrate "weavers" — everyday neighbors who are building relationships, strengthening belonging and weaving trust into the social fabric of their communities. 

A press release said that over the next four years, Innovia will work with local partners to promote a culture of weaving in Coeur d'Alene by:

• Identifying local weavers and sharing their stories with the community

• Launching a local Weaver Awards program, distributing 20+ microgrants each year for four years to individuals and small nonprofits

• Convening gatherings that bring people together and help them learn the skills of weaving

• Joining a national network of local leaders rebuilding trust in communities across the U.S.

Innovia Foundation Board President Ryan Nipp said bringing the Weaver Awards to Kootenai County offers the opportunity to recognize and strengthen everyday connectors who are quietly rebuilding relationships across cultural, political and social divides. 

"These nontraditional leaders are the ones crafting trust — not through top-down directives, but through neighbor-to-neighbor acts of care, listening and collaboration," he said.

Former Innovia Board President Rick Rasmussen sees the program's potential to bring new investments, possibilities and opportunities to strengthen trust and belonging in the community.

"Innovia's long-standing reputation as an organization that brings people together makes them an ideal Community Host," said Rasmussen. "The foundation's participation in the Weaver Awards initiative will drive positive impact in Kootenai County — strengthening relationships locally and building trust."

National Partnership, Local Impact

Each Community Host receives $225,000 in startup funding, along with training, tools, technical assistance and ongoing support from Weave. 

This partnership represents a four-year commitment to the community, signaling Weave's belief in the strength, creativity and leadership already alive in Kootenai County, the release said. The first cycle of the Weaver Awards launches this fall.

"While loneliness, isolation, and division seem to define our national story, these 25 Community Hosts show us another truth—that trust grows when neighbors show up for one another, build relationships, and work together," said Frederick J. Riley, executive director of Weave: The Social Fabric Project at the Aspen Institute. "Each organization is already deeply woven into the life of its community, and by going even deeper, they're proving that a culture of belonging isn't just possible — it's already taking hold, block by block."