Bob Woodson, speaking on the Politica Podcast hosted by Senator John Johnson, said Utah provides examples of the kind of grassroots leadership his center supports and that state-level allies and institutions can amplify local leaders' impact.

Woodson identified Utah organizations and leaders he said are part of a network the Woodson Center supports and urged donors and foundations to shift resources toward community-based groups. "We need to fund them," he said of the Utah grassroots leaders he named.

Senator John Johnson and Woodson discussed recent Utah activity around higher-education policy. Johnson recounted that a recent law "only said you have to treat everyone the same" and that Weber State University responded by setting up student-success centers that aimed to help all students. Woodson praised the ground-level work, saying the "ground game" of local volunteers and leaders matters for policy implementation.

Woodson named Path Forward Utah and Hope of Utah and referenced local individuals including Jamie Renner and Ron Williams as partners in the effort. He said he had brought grassroots leaders onstage during a Weber State talk so they could validate the message to the community rather than having outside experts speak for them.

He repeated his recommendation that a portion of funds now going to think tanks and political campaigns be redirected into supporting local organizers and programs. "If a fraction of the money ... we could take a fraction of that and invest in these grassroots leaders," he said.

Ending: Woodson urged Utah donors to fund local grassroots leaders and for public events to let those leaders present their own work rather than be spoken for by outside officials.