Urban Agenda is a competitive grant program that funds community-driven responses to community-defined economic opportunities.
Donor Name: Executive Office of Economic Development (EOED)
State: Massachusetts
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 06/05/2024
Size of the Grant: $10,000 to $100,000
Grant Duration: Less than 1 Year
Details:
Through the Urban Agenda Grant Program, the Executive Office of Economic Development (EOED) funds projects or programs that build leadership, collaboration, and capacity within Massachusetts cities and towns. Successful applications come from a group of local organizations working together in a single city, town, or neighborhood.
The Executive Office of Economic Development recognizes that urban centers face unique economic and quality of life challenges, and that the path to success lies in tapping into the unique local assets that they already possess, rather than in one-size-fits-all directives from government. Urban Agenda is focused on supporting economic vitality and cultivating stronger urban neighborhoods across the entire Commonwealth.
The program is designed to support community economic development that is grounded in collaboration and local leadership development. Generally, applicants should base their project proposal on locally significant economic opportunities. The key is that the project be in direct response to a need or opportunity that the community group has identified and deemed important.
The primary funding priorities of the program, based on the development continuum outlined in the Community One Stop for Growth, will be Community Activation and Placemaking, specifically Equitable Workforce and Business Development Programming. Project categories include 1) Entrepreneurship, Small Business Development and Technical Assistance, 2) Workforce Development, Training Initiatives, and Job Pipelines, and 3) Community Organizing and Leadership Development.
Lead applicants can be either Massachusetts municipal governments or nonprofit organizations. The lead applicant manages the grant funds and is responsible for grant reporting on behalf of the coalition.
The lead applicant must show that they are working as part of an active collaboration – that is, that they have at least one partner in the community (and preferably several) all working together on the project. Ideally, these coalitions will include partners from the private and public sectors as well as community groups. Active and collaborative coalitions that receive support from this program are deeper and broader than a mere referral or financial relationship between partners.
Project Categories
- Entrepreneurship, Small Business Development and Technical Assistance;
- Workforce Development, Training Initiatives, and Job Pipelines;
- Community Organizing and Leadership Development.
Funding Information
- Maximum Award: $100,000.
- Project Duration: Timeline should be no longer than 6 months (January through June 2025).
Uses of funds
General operating support for innovative and collaborative community economic development projects.
Target Population
- Well-defined target population that will benefit from the project.
- Members of the target population have been engaged in developing and/or carrying out the project.
- Clear articulation of how the project will advance equitable opportunities in the community.
Eligibility Criteria
Municipality or IRS Tax-Exempt Nonprofit Organization are eligible to apply.
For more information, visit EOED.
