“Working Cities Challenge” Grant Could Bring $700,000 to Somerville for Programs, Development

Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone and the Office of Strategic Planning and Community Development invite all interested residents to submit their ideas for the city’s application to the “Working Cities Challenge,” a competition hosted by the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. The City of Somerville is eligible to compete for up to $700,000 – over the course of three years – to create cross-sector, system-level change that will improve the economic health and well-being of Somerville’s lower-income residents.  Somerville is one of 20 smaller cities throughout Massachusetts eligible to participate in the program.

The goals of the Working Cities Challenge include:

• Supporting bold, promising approaches that have the potential to transform the lives of low-income residents and the communities in which they live; • Building resilient, cross-sector (public-private-nonprofit), civic infrastructure that can tackle complex challenges facing smaller industrial cities; • Moving beyond individual programs and projects to create a  network of people, groups and institutions who either haven’t worked together, or are working together in some new way, to solve a problem or deliver a service across multiple systems and issues;
• Driving private markets to work on behalf of low-income residents by blending public, private, and philanthropic capital and deploying it in catalytic investments; • Accelerating and learning from promising work already underway; and
• Creating a successful model for New England and beyond.

As the city prepares to apply for this grant, and in accordance with the program guidelines, we invite residents and business owners to share their ideas with our team. How can we best improve the economic well being and quality of life in our community, especially for lower income residents?  What unique models, or partnerships, should we explore?

Please submit any of your ideas by April 10, 2013, even in draft form, to:

Amanda Maher Economic Development Specialist Mayor’s Office of Strategic Planning & Community Development amaher@somervillema.gov

617-625-6600 x2528

For more information about the grant or the application process, feel free to contact Amanda directly.