The Institute for Sustainable Communities (ISC) is an independent nonprofit organization that helps communities in existing and emerging democracies resolve problems while building a better future for themselves and the world. ISC gives communities—and the organizations that support them—the training, advice, and grants they need to solve their own problems and shape their destinies long after ISC’s work with them is finished. It focuses on environmental, economic, and social concerns, and on the need to address all three to succeed. To ensure that its work is successful, ISC involves different groups within a community, from the most to the least powerful, to encourage fair and lasting results.  

ISC is based in Vermont, a state that values grassroots democracy and environmental stewardship, and it has international offices in Macedonia, Serbia, Kosovo and China. Since its founding in 1991 by former Vermont Governor Madeleine M. Kunin, ISC has managed international projects in more than 16 countries with support from individual donors, private and corporate foundations, and the U.S. government. The majority of ISC’s employees speak multiple languages and many have advanced degrees in their fields of expertise, ranging from community and organizational development to pollution prevention and resource management. Its board of directors includes highly respected U.S. and European leaders from the government, nonprofit, academic, and business sectors.