CommUniverCity is a nationally recognized three-sector partnership involving the Community, University, and City government to connect local residents, faculty, and students at San Jose State University for achieving resident-defined goals. During the past 20 years, CommUniverCity has organized community-engaged learning projects for students to build stronger communities that improve the quality of life in underserved neighborhoods in Central San Jose. Critical to CommUniverCity’s initial founding, and its continued success, has been authentic faculty engagement, longstanding organizational partnerships, and sustained funding commitments. In this session, we will share three steps to success with bringing together key stakeholders that initially formed CommUniverCity, and the proven approaches that have allowed us to sustain, strengthen, and deepen partnerships to advance community priorities.