Promise Zones Community Development Marketplace
On behalf of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and our federal partners, thank you for your interest in the Promise Zones initiative.
For the Second Round Promise Zones competition, there were 123 applications submitted: 97 urban applicants, 19 rural applicants, and 7 tribal applicants. In the Second Round, applications are being evaluated based, in part, on the quality and feasibility of identified community development projects. Each applicant was required to submit a survey detailing the project goals and activities that would form the foundation of their Promise Zone designation.
The Community Development Marketplace (CDM) is a database of the Second Round Promise Zones Initiative applicant project data from 111 communities (86 urban, 18 rural, and 7 tribal) who consented to share their survey with the public. The CDM provides information that describes community goals, the proposed activities expected to advance their goals, and the organizations involved in implementing and supporting these projects.
HUD has made the CDM public for internal and external stakeholders to learn about current and proposed activities to create transformation at the local level. Using the following tool, the CDM can be quickly filtered by keywords to yield information on the lead applicant, geographic locations, community goals, proposed activities, implementation partners, and expected outcomes around a topic of interest. This tool is intended to help connect communities to share expertise and foster collaboration in sustainable community development projects.
View the Community Development Marketplace (CDM) Tool
More information is available on the Promise Zones web page.
Upcoming Webinar
Economic Development Administration - February 26, 2015 - 2 PM EST
The Economic Development Administration (EDA) has released new CEDS Content Guidelines as part of updated federal regulations that went into effect on January 20. The Content Guidelines provide a clear, streamlined framework to assist Economic Development Districts and other interested parties in crafting an effective and impactful Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS). They include recommendations on what should be included in each of the required sections (Summary Background, SWOT Analysis, Strategic Direction/Action Plan, and Evaluation Framework), and suggest useful tools, resources, and examples. The Guidelines also emphasize the importance of incorporating the concept of economic resilience into the CEDS.
Please join EDA and NADO staff on Thursday, February 26 from 2-3:15 PM EST to take a closer look at the opportunities provided by the new Guidelines and other resources and strategies available to your region to drive regional economic development and resilience.
Speakers:
- David Ives, Sustainability/Planning Coordinator, Economic Development Administration
- Brian Kelsey, Director of Economic Development, NADO
- Megan McConville, Program Manager, NADO Research Foundation
- Brett Schwartz, Program Manager, NADO Research Foundation
When: February 26, 2:00 to 3:15 p.m. EST
RSVP: Register for the Webinar
FY 2015 Funding and Technical Assistance Opportunities
National Institute of Food and Agriculture Community Food Projects Competitive Grants Program
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) announces the availability of $9 million in funding to assist low-income individuals and communities in developing local and independent food systems. NIFA is funding the grants through the Community Food Projects program (CFP), authorized by the Agricultural Act of 2014 (Farm Bill).
Grants are intended to help eligible, private, nonprofit entities in need of a one-time installment of federal assistance to establish and carry out multipurpose community food projects. Projects are funded from $10,000 to $300,000 and up to 36 months. All grants require a dollar-for-dollar match in resources.
Applications are due March 17, 2015. Please see the request for applications for specific program requirements.
The primary goals of the Community Food Projects program are to (1) meet the food needs of low-income individuals; (2) increase the food self-reliance of low-income communities; (3) promote comprehensive responses to local food, farm and nutrition issues; and (4) meet specific state, local or neighborhood food and agricultural needs, including needs relating to infrastructure improvement and development, planning for long-term solutions and the creation of innovative marketing activities that mutually benefit agricultural producers and low-income consumers.
Since 2009, NIFA has provided more than $28 million to 154 Community Food Project awards in 48 states to help communities improve access to healthy, local food. Past projects include Philadelphia Green, which supports small-scale growers in their efforts to bring fresh, locally grown produce to the Philadelphia metro area, and RootDown LA, which is engaging Los Angeles-area youth in community gardens.
More information is available on the National Institute of Food and Agriculture web page.
