This Heart of Brooklyn cultural research project explores the factors that enable meaningful and systemic collaboration between cultural institutions and communities, to produce a realistic model for success. The need for this project has grown out of numerous studies and conversations over the past decade that have indicated libraries and museums must collectively support systemic community engagement to remain relevant for 21st century society. Heart of Brooklyn hopes to establish how cultural institutions can be more proactive at engaging their communities, even forecasting emerging needs and trends, and keep pace with cultural and societal change.