History The Jacobs Center for Neighborhood Innovation (JCNI) was launched in 1995 by the Jacobs Family Foundation as a way to take a hands-on approach and work alongside the groups we support. Rooted in the Foundation's core value of risk-taking, this new entity opened doors to deeper understanding and greater opportunities for capacity-building. Through non-profit partnerships, we learned that change - whether it's ours or our partners' - takes time. Working side-by-side, we realized that we needed to structure for greater flexibility and build long-term trusting relationships. In 1997, these relationships and the challenge to work more comprehensively led us to a network of under-invested neighborhoods in the southeastern area of San Diego called the Diamond.It is now our home. Our years in the Diamond have taught us many lessons. We have transitioned from being a non-profit strengthening organization to the more active role of community partner. It has been a time of challenging changes, lively conversation, and rigorous debate. We have encouraged residents to speak out and influence change in their communities, and they have encouraged us to reinvent ourselves to be more relevant to their needs. Throughout our history, we have learned from our partners. We have tried new approaches and changed the way we work. The journey on which we have now embarked is not a short-term initiative for JCNI. We will not move away in a few years. We will be neighbors until our "sunset clause" puts us out of business in about 25 years. Today, we continue to find ways to come together and partner with a community. It is a community with great gifts, talents, and assets to build on, and it is a community where hundreds of residents are working to create the future they envision.