Statements

Mission

Franklin Tomorrow engages the community, fosters collaboration and advocates for a shared vision for the future of Franklin. That shared vision includes a vibrant economy, great people, distinct character, and robust neighborhoods. Since being founded in 2000, Franklin Tomorrow has held numerous community forums and visioning processes, as well as community events.
Since its founding, Franklin Tomorrow has worked to create an environment that promotes community involvement with events, educational programs, and community forums. Starting in 2018, Franklin Tomorrow's On The Table initiative brought people together over a meal to discuss how they as engaged citizens can preserve or enhance the community.
Strong collaborations have been formed between the City of Franklin, the local Chamber of Commerce, Franklin Special School District, other nonprofits, but most importantly with and among the people who live, work and play in Franklin. A culture has been created in Franklin to engage the community on a broad array of important topics in a way that keeps the community connected through:
- On the Table
- Breakfast with the Mayors
- Frank Talks
- Envision Franklin/Planapalooza™
- Unite Williamson
- State of the City
- Citizen Survey
As demand among residents grew for increased parkland and amenities, in 2011, Franklin Tomorrow created a nonprofit LLC called Friends of Franklin Parks (FOFP), dedicated to the preservation, protection, expansion, and stewardship of the City's existing and future parkland. Since its founding, FOFP has been responsible for more than $2 million in park expansion and enhancement projects, including construction of a multi-purpose arena and increased funding by the City for restoration of historic structures on City parkland.

Background

In early 2000, a small group of leaders recognized that something needed to be done to ensure that Franklin's future would be as rich-in meaning and spirit, as well as in buildings and businesses-as its past. Its essential attributes, those qualities that are at the heart of its attraction, would need to be ensured through a broad-based strategic effort. This group of leaders organized themselves into the Board of Directors of Franklin Tomorrow. The Board members clearly viewed their mission as facilitators and enablers of a process intended to ensure that anyone who lived, worked, or played in Franklin was provided the opportunity help shape its future. The process as conceived by the original Board of Directors included several major activities, including a visioning fair, strategy workshops and implementation. There was also a citizen-based Steering Committee that met regularly through this 12-month process. In 2005, Franklin Tomorrow initiated a process to review its original goals and strategies, assess the implementation effort to date, identify priority strategies, collect public input, and develop a plan of action. Three critical activities comprised the effort: Strategy Roundtables, Vision Fair, and Board of Directors Workshop.
At the Strategy Roundtables, community leaders assessed implementation efforts to date and proposed new strategies. The Vision Fair provided the public with the opportunity to review the existing strategies and give additional ideas. The Board of Directors used the feedback from these efforts and laid out the following revised Goals and Strategies for 2006 and beyond.

Impact

In 2011, Franklin Tomorrow undertook its third visioning process since the group was founded in 2000 to adjust its goals and strategies for the coming years. Citizens were polled in 9 strategic areas: business, community character, education, environment, government, growth and development, housing, recreation and transportation. Vision fairs were set up across the county as Franklin Tomorrow defines citizens as anyone who works, lives, or plays in Franklin. Results were released at the end of January 2012 and currently Project Teams are working to further analyze the citizen input.
In 2011, Franklin Tomorrow formed Friends of Franklin Parks as an LLC of our organization to create a vehicle for individual and corporate stewardship of the City of Franklin Parks System. This organization is now its own non-profit agency.
Franklin Tomorrow also partnered with the Williamson County Association of Realtors in September 2012 to conduct a 400-person household survey of Franklin residents. This data has been shared with the public and City of Franklin officials.In Nov. 2012, Franklin Tomorrow launched Get Fit Franklin, a community health initiative, in partnership with BlueCross BlueShield of TN and other partners. The program encourages residents to take the first step to fitness by stepping out their front door onto existing sidewalk networks and trail systems.
In April 2014, Franklin Tomorrow conducted its first Vision City Visit, leading 35 elected officials, business leaders, and citizens on a trip to Carmel, Ind. The trip focused on connectivity, public/private partnership, vision, and redevelopment.
In 2016, Franklin Tomorrow launched FrankTalks, a monthly lecture series to address current events and topics in the community. The series has focused on civil discourse, as well as the health of our community. It also is the location for 'City Hall on Wheels,' with municipal government officials detailing projects or initiatives.
Franklin Tomorrow and its Board of Directors brought On The Table to Franklin, Tenn., in a desire to engage more of the citizens in civic conversations while discovering a deeper understanding of the needs and passions of the community. By creating an avenue to bring a large portion of the community together to a table for open conversation, Franklin Tomorrow's Board of Directors wanted to learn what drives this unique community and how can Franklin Tomorrow better complement that drive.
Franklin Tomorrow's On The Table initiative brought people together over a meal to discuss what's good in our community and how they as engaged citizens can preserve or improve the situation. First held in 2018, approximately 1,000 people from more than 30 ZIP codes in and around Franklin have participated with more than 400 completing the post-event survey. Data from this survey was presented to the public as well as community and elected officials. This information factored into the work of organizations like Franklin Tomorrow and the Williamson County Health Department in the development of Franklin Tomorrow's Strategic Initiatives and for the Health Department, in the outcomes of the Community Health Needs.
Most of the people participating in On The Table said they met people they didn't know as part of the process, helped set priorities for Franklin Tomorrow's work to engage the community, foster collaboration, and advocate for a shared vision for the future of our town.
In 2020, Franklin Tomorrow partnered with the City of Franklin in pursuit of the National Civic League's All-America City Award. Franklin was one of 10 cities selected in August 2020 based on this work.
In 2023, Franklin Tomorrow partnered with the City of Franklin and Williamson County Election Commission to conduct a local "I Voted" sticker design contest for the October 2023 City election. This activity built civic pride to the election process.

Needs

Franklin Tomorrow's most pressing needs are increased citizen involvement, sustained fund development, a technology audit and update, and an increased public presence.

CEO Statement

The work of Franklin Tomorrow is often unseen as it seeks to be a connector and bring individuals and organizations together to advocate and advance the shared values of the citizens of Franklin. Franklin Tomorrow is researching new methods of civic engagement which could allow continual feedback and the opportunity for input by those unable to attend events or meetings.

Service Categories
Primary Category:	Community Improvement, Capacity Building  - Community & Neighborhood Development
Secondary Category:	Public & Societal Benefit  - Alliances & Advocacy
Tertiary Category:	-

Areas Served

While Franklin Tomorrow is obviously concerned about the quality of life in Franklin, our goal is to be inclusive of all those who live, work, worship, study, and play in Franklin. This extends our reach to other parts of Williamson County, as well as the region. In the recent On The Table post-event survey, more than 30 ZIP codes were represented in the responses.

TN - Williamson