Collaboration with community partners is a key element of effective service-learning. Classroom projects partner with many local organizations including the Berkshire Food Project, Habitat for Humanity, the Growing Healthy Community Garden Program, and the Hoosic River Revival Coalition.

The North Adams Public Schools, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts and Northern Berkshire Community Coalition began collaboration around service-learning in 1994 and formalized their partnership in 2000 through the award of a Community, Higher Education, School Partnership grant. Although the grant program has ended, the partnership continues to work to advance service-learning opportunities and civic involvement for youth and students of all ages. The partnership was one of eight in the country recruited to participate in the National P-16 Service-Learning Leadership Summit hosted by the University of Nebraska, Omaha in September 2009.