The Village Square
The Village Square is a Tallahassee, Florida-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2006 that runs 30+ annual civic dialogue programs, including dinner series, faith-and-politics discussions, and an annual town hall, to bridge political, racial, and ideological divides locally and distribute content nationally via podcast and digital series.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2006
- HeadquartersTallahassee, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What The Village Square does
The Village Square is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit civic engagement organization founded July 4, 2006 in Tallahassee, Florida by Liz Joyner. It convenes politically, racially, and ideologically diverse residents for dialogue-based programming intended to bridge partisan and cultural divides at the local, "hometown" level. The organization runs more than 30 programs annually across a portfolio of named series: the Dinner Series (e.g., Let Friendship Redeem the Republic, Created Equal, Breathing Free), God Squad (faith-and-politics conversations now in its 16th season), UNUM (digital civic dialogue), Local Color (race and culture), Flying Pig Academy (civic education on polarization), Movies, Our Town, DIY, and the annual Tallahassee Town Hall (14th year in 2026). It also partners with Leon County Government on the Club of Honest Citizens project and distributes content nationally through the SquareCast podcast on podfollow, YouTube, and other platforms.
The underlying technology stack is minimal and non-proprietary: a WordPress-based website, standard podcast hosting, and live streaming via WFSU, YouTube, and Facebook. There is no API, SDK, AI component, or productized software platform; the "product" is fundamentally in-person facilitated dialogue, with digital channels serving as supplementary distribution rather than core infrastructure.
The business model is a nonprofit funding mix of small-dollar recurring revenue, grants, and event-related income: individual memberships at $76/year (with monthly $7 and quarterly $20 options), business memberships at $250/year, four-tier corporate sponsorships at $500/$1,000/$2,500/$5,000, individual donations at preset tiers ($25/$76/$100/custom) with monthly/yearly options, and grants from institutional funders including Knight Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities (CARES), Florida Humanities, Bank of America Foundation, Leon County, and the Community Foundation of North Florida. Revenue is not publicly disclosed. Customers are Tallahassee-area residents, local businesses (sponsorship and Member Deals discount partners), and institutional funders; end users engage through ticketed dinners, free town halls, podcast listens, and membership perks. The organization employs approximately 38 people and operates from Tallahassee with no disclosed parent company, venture backing, or subsidiaries.
The Village Square firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Village Square
- Legal name
- To the Village Square, Inc.
- Website
- https://tlh.villagesquare.us
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2006
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- The Village Square is a Tallahassee, Florida-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2006 that runs 30+ annual civic dialogue programs, including dinner series, faith-and-politics discussions, and an annual town hall, to bridge political, racial, and ideological divides locally and distribute content nationally via podcast and digital series.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Village Square industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Civic Engagement Services
- NAICS
- Civic and Social Organizations (81341)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Civic Education & Community Engagement (Voting, Local Government) (EDAAAFAC)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Community Centers & Neighborhood Support Services (BPAGAEAL)
Keywords
Where The Village Square is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Tallahassee
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
The Village Square business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Membership Dues: Annual membership at $76/year with benefits including member deals, stickers, invitations to annual celebrations, and insider updates. Monthly and quarterly payment options available.
- Donations: Tax-deductible donations from individual citizens supporting the organization's mission. One-time, monthly, and yearly donation options.
- Sponsorships: Business sponsorships at four tiers: $500 (2 memberships, logo on website), $1,000 (4 memberships), $2,500 (logo on promotional materials), $5,000 (title sponsor, welcome speech at event).
- Business Membership: Annual business membership at $250/year providing 2 individual Village Square memberships ($152 value) plus access to member deals.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Individual Membership - $76/year |
| Subscription | Annual | Individual Membership - Quarterly |
| Subscription | Annual | Individual Membership - Annual |
| Subscription | Annual | Bronze Sponsor - $500 |
| Subscription | Annual | Silver Sponsor - $1,000 |
| Subscription | Annual | Gold Sponsor - $2,500 |
| Subscription | Annual | Title Sponsor - $5,000 |
| Subscription | Annual | Business Membership - $250/year |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | General Donations |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
The Village Square product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Village Square is a nonprofit civic engagement organization that convenes forums, community dinners, speaker events, and small-group conversations designed to bridge political, racial, and ideological divides among Floridians. It produces 30+ programs annually and offers individual and business memberships to sustain the work.
Product overview
The Village Square is a nonprofit civic engagement organization that operates a portfolio of dialogue-based programs designed to bridge political, racial, and ideological divides in Tallahassee, Florida. The core offering consists of event programming including the Dinner Series (featuring events like 'Let Friendship Redeem the Republic,' 'Created Equal and Breathing Free'), the UNUM digital series, God Squad (faith and politics conversations), Local Color (race and culture discussions), and the Flying Pig Academy educational series. The SquareCast podcast extends these conversations to audio format. The organization also runs the annual Tallahassee Town Hall and Club of Honest Citizens partnership with Leon County. Revenue is generated through individual memberships ($76/year), business memberships ($250/year), and corporate sponsorships ($500-$5,000), with Member Deals providing discounts at local Tallahassee businesses as a membership perk.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- SquareCast: The Village Square's official podcast series featuring episodes on civic dialogue, UNUM discussions, God Squad conversations, and Flying Pig Academy content.
- God Squad
- UNUM
- Local Color
- Flying Pig Academy
- Dinner Series
- Club of Honest Citizens
- Created Equal
Products and services
- Community Civic Forums
- Community Dinners
- Speaker Events
Quantifiable outcome
- Statistically significant decreases in affective polarization and increases in empathy, respect, understanding, pluralistic norms, and intellectual humility among participants
Companies that use The Village Square
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
The Village Square technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
The Village Square partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
16 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, minor, core and major.
- University of Virginia Karsh Institute of DemocracyflagshipWith support from Karsh Institute, gathering with other groups from across the country to fully understand and share insights about hometown-based civic engagement. National leaders and funders beginning to listen to scale the model.
- Art of the RuralminorSignatory on New Civic Future letter - organization focused on rural-urban connections and civic engagement.
- Kentucky Rural-Urban ExchangeminorSignatory on New Civic Future letter - civic bridging organization.
- Department of Public TransformationminorSignatory on New Civic Future letter - civic engagement organization.
- Warm Cookies of the RevolutionminorSignatory on New Civic Future letter - civic engagement organization.
- Civic LexminorSignatory on New Civic Future letter - civic engagement organization.
- Falls Church ForwardminorSignatory on New Civic Future letter - civic bridging organization.
- Bethel Missionary Baptist ChurchcorePartner in Equality in Life series - presenting critical discussions about justice, law enforcement, business, and government in the community.
- Sachs Media GroupcorePartner in Equality in Life series and conducted community survey on equality issues in Tallahassee.
- Leadership TallahasseecoreAnnual Tallahassee Town Hall co-hosted with Leadership Tallahassee, bringing together city and county commissioners for constructive civic dialogue.
- WFSUcorePartnership with WFSU public media for Town Hall events, providing studio venue and broadcast/streaming capabilities for civic programming.
- Tallahassee DemocratcoreCo-hosting Annual Tallahassee Town Hall with local newspaper, providing coverage and promotion for civic engagement events.
- Listen First ProjectminorSignatory on New Civic Future letter. Leads a network of 500+ organizations doing bridging/civic work that Village Square considers part of 'The Calvary' working to solve the division problem.
- Florida HumanitiesmajorPartner on Let Friendship Redeem the Republic event series and other programming, providing humanities expertise and support for civic dialogue.
- Johnson & BlantonminorSeason sponsor for Let Friendship Redeem the Republic programming, supporting civic engagement events.
- Leon County GovernmentcoreLong-standing partnership for Club of Honest Citizens project and Created Equal civil rights programming. 5-Foot Challenge grants supported through Leon County.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
The Village Square competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Listen First Project: Convener of the 500+ organization bridging network of which Village Square considers itself a part; shares the Listen First coalition and signs the New Civic Future letter alongside Village Square.
- Braver Angels: National nonprofit dedicated to reducing political polarization through structured dialogue, workshops, and red/blue exchanges. Closest direct comparable to Village Square's dinner-based, cross-partisan civic engagement model.
- BridgeUSA: College-student-led organization that builds cross-partisan relationships and convenes civic dialogue on campuses — comparable youth/upstream-of-conflict framing to Village Square's Club of Honest Citizens.
- National Institute for Civil Discourse: University-of-Arizona-affiliated institute promoting civil political dialogue and depolarization research — comparable mission, evidence-driven programming, and emphasis on pluralistic norms.
- America Indivisible: Nonprofit working to counter political polarization and rebuild civic connection through community programming; operates in the same hometown-bridging niche as Village Square.
- More in Common: US/international organization that researches and addresses threats to inclusive democracy through dialogue and bridging programs targeting affective polarization.
- Village Square Salt Lake City: Direct affiliated Salt Lake City chapter announced in 2015 that replicates the Village Square model in another metro; a literal franchise peer demonstrating the replication thesis.
- Essential Partners: Provides dialogue training and frameworks for navigating polarizing conversations across communities — closely comparable methodology (structured reflective dialogue) to Village Square's dinner and Town Hall formats.
Broad incumbents
- Public Agenda: Established national nonprofit helping communities deliberate on public issues and bridging divides; broader portfolio but overlapping mission in civic dialogue and polarization research.
Others
- Karsh Institute of Democracy (University of Virginia): Academic flagship partner working with Village Square to study and scale the hometown-bridging model; comparable mission focus on democratic renewal but operates as a research/training institution rather than a community dialogue convener.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
The Village Square social profiles
Digital presenceThe Village Square compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
The Village Square financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Village Square leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
The Village Square funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Village Square M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Village Square
What does The Village Square do?
The Village Square is a nonprofit civic engagement organization that convenes forums, community dinners, speaker events, and small-group conversations designed to bridge political, racial, and ideological divides among Floridians. It produces 30+ programs annually and offers individual and business memberships to sustain the work.
Is The Village Square a public or private company?
The Village Square is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was The Village Square founded?
The Village Square was founded in 2006. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is The Village Square based?
The Village Square is headquartered in Tallahassee, United States, in the North America region.
How does The Village Square make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Membership Dues are the primary driver. The others are donations, sponsorships and business Membership.
Who are The Village Square's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Listen First Project, Braver Angels, BridgeUSA, National Institute for Civil Discourse, America Indivisible, More in Common, Village Square Salt Lake City and Essential Partners. Public Agenda is listed as a broad incumbent. Karsh Institute of Democracy (University of Virginia) is listed as an others.
Does The Village Square have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Village Square.
What industry is The Village Square in?
The Village Square's product category is Civic Engagement Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAAAFAC, Civic Education & Community Engagement (Voting, Local Government), with a secondary code of BPAGAEAL, Community Centers & Neighborhood Support Services. Its NAICS code is 81341.