All Blog Posts
Why join Giving Hands? Find out here.
Posted on June 10, 2019 byYou can turn $5 into $100 and support a thriving communities movement! Dear Friend of FIC, Last week we announced that the Foundation for Intentional Community (FIC) has been challenged by the Fund for Democratic Communities (F4DC) to demonstrate that there are people out there that share the value of community. People just like you.… Read More
Life in De Kersentuin: Research in a Dutch cohousing community
Posted on June 10, 2019 byStudent researcher from the University of Amsterdam, Yannick Kiesel, shares the core findings of his Masters Thesis on life in a cohousing community. The research illustrates a new holistic view on cohousing and its complexities. Thanks for sharing Yannick! My research focused on the sustainable and pro-social communities that tackle the adverse effects of growing… Read More
Your Monthly Freebie: Think Outside the Boss
Posted on June 8, 2019 byThis month’s Free Resource comes from Sustainable Economies Law Center, an organization whose mission is to “cultivates a new legal landscape that supports community resilience and grassroots economic empowerment.” Think Outside the Boss is an extensive resource guide intended to serve individuals and groups seeking to develop a worker-owned cooperative business. The guide offers information… Read More
Bursting into Summer | All the updates from FIC, in case you missed any of it!
Posted on June 7, 2019 byInto summer full speed ahead! Dear friends, Phew! It was a busy spring for us here at FIC. So many big changes, exciting announcements, and powerful work. Let’s recap together… TRANSFORMED FIC Two weeks ago we announced our name change to the Foundation for Intentional Community. We completely transformed ic.org to create easier access to… Read More
Win FIC a $100 grant!
Posted on June 4, 2019 byNew Giving Hands Program Needs You! Dear FIC Supporters, The FIC is launching its first monthly donor campaign, Giving Hands, with an exciting grant incentive that you can make happen! Sign up for Giving Hands today and FIC will receive a $100 grant award! That’s right, your commitment to donate as little as $5 per… Read More
Sexual misconduct in the sphere of power: The nexus of gender, intimacy, and discrimination
Posted on June 4, 2019 by1 Comment
An unwanted, rebuffed sexual advance from a previously trusted community leader spirals into numerous, serious consequences in the victim’s personal and professional life.
Effective Community Justice
Posted on May 30, 2019 by“It wasn’t the first time someone I knew had raped me, but it was the only time I had an adequate response from my friends and community.” A rape survivor living in community recounts her story.
Community Accountability: The Struggles, Challenges, and Hope for Community Action on Sexual Assault
Posted on May 28, 2019 by1 Comment
When we think of sexual assault and boundary violations, it is common to think not in my community, or the person I know wouldn’t do that. As a result, our communities become especially vulnerable to predatory behavior.
Introducing the New FIC
Posted on May 27, 2019 by1 Comment
After 30 years of service to an ever-growing communities movement, it was time for a change. We’re excited to share with you about our new brand and why we made the update. You asked and we listened. Thanks to the input of over 100 FIC supporters who responded to a recent branding survey, we have… Read More
Cooperative Groups, the FIC, and Sexual Politics: Sharing, Learning, Healing, Persisting
Posted on May 26, 2019 by1 Comment
In trying to undo generations of conditioning and trauma, we need to start with the mistakes, learn from them, learn how to love a little more, and try, try again.
Notes from the Editor: Introducing the Sexual Politics Issue
Posted on May 24, 2019 bySharing the truth is not always easy, but as #MeToo has shown, breaking the silence is the first step toward healing and toward the evolution of healthier sexual politics.
Follow the Dirt Road: A film, a ghost story and more
Posted on May 22, 2019 by2 Comments
Back in 1989, a long-haired, tie-dyed PhD candidate and a swimsuit model & guest video jockey for MTV set out in a VW camper van to interview and document 40 intentional communities. Daniel was interviewing ic’s for his doctoral dissertation on Children in Community while Monique applied her interest in video production to produce a… Read More
Sexual Politics, #183 Contents and Free/By Donation Digital Download
Posted on May 22, 2019 byDirectly inspired by the #MeToo movement, Communities #183 (Summer 2019) focuses on Sexual Politics. Intentional communities are not immune to any of the challenges or problems that afflict the wider culture. How can communities respond when confronting the sometimes harsh realities of human behavior and relationships, especially in the realms of power, sexuality, and gender? Authors share their stories about sexual assault and harassment; power dynamics related to gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, and sexual expression; attitudes toward polyamory; understanding of consent culture; creating fulfilling relationships by combating climate change; getting pronouns right; and a host of other topics. Please join us!
Are you curious about intentional community?
Posted on May 21, 2019 byIntentional communities go by many names: ecovillage, commune, co-housing, housing co-ops and more. If you’ve spent time at one, you probably noticed that intentional community feels different than normal living. Some describe the feeling as a sense of greater freedom and belonging, room to experiment and be different, space to practice communication and collaboration skills,… Read More
Say goodbye to the old FIC… and welcome the new!
Posted on May 20, 2019 by1 Comment
Dear friends, Something big is cooking on our computers. A completely new look for FIC is almost here! Over the next week we’ll be unveiling the changes. Tuesday, May 28th will be the big launch – with a new name, logo, website, and newsletter in place. FIC will soon go by the Foundation for Intentional… Read More
Bodies in Isolation
Posted on May 18, 2019 byBeing immersed in mainstream culture and isolated from supportive, body-positive communities can prevent choice and body-awareness exploration. But living in a supportive community can make alternative choices and attitudes easier to sustain.
✔️Let’s come together! 🗓️ Events in 2019
Posted on May 15, 2019 by2 Comments
Conferences, Festivals, Gatherings Places where we can share stories, learn skills, and create the relationships we need to build our communities and our movement. Join us for these awesome events, co-sponsored by the Foundation for Intentional Community. Questions about an event? Please contact the event directly through their website. Village Building Convergence – Portland, OR –… Read More
Your Monthly Freebie: Peer to Peer-A Commons Manifesto
Posted on May 13, 2019 byPeer to Peer: The Commons Manifesto By Michel Bauwens, Vasilis Kostakis, Alex Pazaitis Not since Marx identified the manufacturing plants of Manchester as the blueprint for the new capitalist society has there been a more profound transformation of the fundamentals of our social life. As capitalism faces a series of structural crises, a new social,… Read More
🙂 Amazon Smile – have you picked FIC as your non-profit?
Posted on May 9, 2019 byClick and Smile on Mother’s Day to Benefit FIC If you’re going to shop at Amazon on Mother’s Day or any other day, use AmazonSmile and select the Foundation for Intentional Community (FIC) to benefit from most of your purchases. Not familiar with AmazonSmile? You can tie your existing Amazon account to AmazonSmile with the… Read More
Discounted Magazines Available Now!
Posted on May 2, 2019 byNow in our 182nd issue of Communities magazine, we have discounted all back issues to $4 from Summer 2017 (#175) and older! In publication since 1972, there is so much to explore. View all back issues at the main page or view by decade: 1970’s, 1980’s, 1990’s, 2000’s, and 2010’s. We’ve made it easier… Read More
Cross country tour of communities 🚗
Posted on April 30, 2019 byJourney into community. Communities are taking action to create more just and sustainable lives all across the United States. Our own Sky Blue took to the road these past months for a cross-country tour of intentional communities. Below are some of his dispatches from the journey. Where will Sky go next? Stay tuned to… Read More
Your Community and the Law
Posted on April 30, 2019 byEarthaven Ecovillage learns the hard way that it’s important for a community to choose its legal entities carefully, and to consult and listen to lawyers. A member shares some lessons from their ordeal.
Gain the 🦉Wisdom of Communities 🦉
Posted on April 24, 2019 byHave you ordered your copies of the Wisdom of Communities 4 volume set? Each volume can be purchased individually👇🏽 or buy the entire set at a discounted price. Also available as an ebook! What is Wisdom of Communities? Since 1972, Communities magazine, published by the Foundation for Intentional Community, has been collecting and disseminating the lessons… Read More
What Can We Learn from the Amish?
Posted on April 23, 2019 byTouch the soil, live simply, and be satisfied with “enough”: it’s worked for the Amish for almost 300 years and it can work for us as well.
In community, On the road – Dispatch #8 – Arcosanti
Posted on April 18, 2019 by1 Comment
I got a little out of order, but to wrap up my first cross-country tour I wanted to share a little about Arcosanti. I only stayed there a night on my way from Taos to San Diego, but I’ve helped host a couple gatherings there the last two years and I really enjoy the place.… Read More
In community, On the road – Dispatch #7 – Taos Initiative for Life Together
Posted on April 17, 2019 by1 Comment
“As Christians we have to atone and reconcile the atrocities done in the name of God.” That was Todd Wynward, during his 2 minutes in the intro go-round of the first Southwest Inter-Community Summit. I’d been kind of tuned out when he started talking, but that got my attention. I need to talk to that… Read More
Event season is here!
Posted on April 17, 2019 byThere are lots of great events coming up this year. FIC is proud to sponsor events that help bring people together to build your communities and build the movement. Info about all the events we’re sponsoring. Here are some of the new events on the schedule. The Farm’s Conference on Community and Sustainability – The… Read More
Emergent Strategy: Shaping Change, Changing Worlds
Posted on April 17, 2019 byEmergent Strategy: Shaping Change, Changing Worlds by adrienne maree brown “It is the end of the world as we know it, thanks to a lot of reasons. Now is the time to gird ourselves for the fight for a new world. Right now I can’t think of better girding than Emergent Strategy.” —Detroit Metro Times Inspired… Read More
In community, On the road – Dispatch #6b – Tools for Collective Self-Governance
Posted on April 16, 2019 byGleaning Wisdom from the Nonprofit Democracy Network In late March, Cassandra Ferrera, FIC Board member, and I participated in a training by the Nonprofit Democracy Network titled Tools for Collective Self-Governance. It was a 3 day exploration in how nonprofit organizations working can better embody the change they’re trying to make in the world. There… Read More
In community, On the road – Dispatch #6a – Relearning We
Posted on April 16, 2019 by4 weeks and 6 communities later My first cross-country communities tour of the year ended with a 3 day training on Tools for Collective Self-Governance in Oakland, CA with the Nonprofit Democracy Network. I got to spend 3 days with a bunch of badass organizers working for awesome organizations trying to make the world a… Read More
