With & For: Greater Houston Citizenship Project

Greater Houston is one of the most diverse regions in the country. One in four residents are foreign born, more than 145 languages are spoken here, and over 360,000 lawful permanent residents are eligible to 
become U.S. citizens.

To help address barriers that keep many residents from pursuing citizenship, Houston Endowment partnered with Dalberg Design(opens in new window) and Wellspring Consulting(opens in new window) to work directly with community members to develop solutions.

From September 2023 through December 2025, the teams collaborated with residents, nonprofit leaders, and other local partners through research, workshops, interviews, and co-design sessions. A Citizenship Advisory Committee helped guide the work throughout the process.

Together, these efforts led to three connected pilot efforts: community support programs, facilitator and navigator training, and a multilingual outreach campaign.

The project illustrates how human-centered design, organizational partnerships, and commitment to community-led decision‑making can strengthen and extend the reach of regional naturalization ecosystems.