Public Matters is an award-winning Los Angeles-based creative studio for civic engagement. It was founded as a social enterprise in 2007. For 18 years, it has implemented large-scale, creative community engagement projects in Los Angeles’ communities of color. Public Matters uses the arts as a lever for social change. It connects people to their neighborhoods; fosters a sense of belonging and social purpose; and builds the capacity of residents and local organizations to shape their neighborhoods. Public Matters’ work bridges the trust gap between institutions and marginalized communities of color by designing strategies that transform the culture, practice, and experience of civic participation, making it accessible to all. Public Matters’ collaborative approach to engagement is rooted in “context-responsive” design that nurtures residents’ stewardship of their neighborhood; it recognizes the operating realities of a place, values local lived experience, and addresses locally-defined priorities.