History

In 2001 Civic Ventures began to explore what seemed at the time a simple idea: the creation of a place – a "student union," if you will – for older adults to connect with others and get help with their life transition. It was envisioned as a physical space where people could get information about life planning, opportunities for service, and continuing education; make social connections; and get help thinking through their own transitions.

Since 2001, Civic Ventures has collaborated with funders, program developers, policy makers, and many other groups and institutions to move this concept from idea to reality.

As one of its first efforts, Civic Ventures helped The Cleveland Foundation create its Successful Aging Initiative, which has resulted in the launch of six new Lifelong Learning and Development Centers that reflect the principles of The Next Chapter model.

In 2002, Civic Ventures joined together with Libraries for the Future and The Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust to implement the Maricopa County Next Chapter Initiative that is supporting planning and development of four Next Chapter projects in Arizona.

In Illinois, the Chicago Community Trust has funded the development of a community collaborative and supported the national Next Chapter network. In Florida, Oregon, and Arizona, community colleges have taken the lead on new projects. In New York, the Helen Andrus Benedict Foundation is supporting a Yonkers project and the UJA-Federation of New York is behind projects in Westchester County and Brooklyn. Other innovations are emerging through local leadership in California, Pennsylvania, Florida, Illinois, and Virginia.

As The Next Chapter initiative has taken shape, it has explored and planted the seeds for creating community-level institutions and strategies to capture what Civic Ventures calls the “experience dividend.”

Note: At the outset, this initiative was called Life Options; the name was changed to The Next Chapter in 2004.