Do individuals become less polarized through crises? Scholars have illustrated how crises can both deepen social tensions or bring communities closer together. I reconcile these approaches, positing how crises introduce a period in which individuals are more willing to put aside political differences in order to provide aid. I theorize that this is due to civil society, which mobilizes quickly and effectively to meet public needs, often with little regard for the politics of those receiving or providing assistance. This is juxtaposed with elite politicization of crisis events, and ultimately sparks a refocusing of politics along local civic life. To test this, I first illustrate a global correlation in a dataset of over 5,700 crisis events. I then experimentally test and find support for my theory via a pre-registered conjoint experiment embedded within an original panel survey surrounding a major crisis in Poland. Finally, I offer evidence of mechanisms via 58 qualitative interviews, as well as with two original datasets comprising the universe of civil society organizations in Poland (N > 167,000). My findings imply that civil society's crisis response forges short-term depolarization and encourages a reinvestment in nonpartisan local politics.

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