Federal officials have announced the next competitive round to designate Promise Zones.
Urban, rural, and tribal communities nationwide will be invited to put forward a plan to transform their areas of high poverty. The deadline for submitting Promise Zone applications is Nov. 21.
The initiative pulls together multiple federal agencies to work with local leaders in struggling neighborhoods to create jobs, increase economic activity, leverage private investment, expand educational opportunities and reduce violent crime.
Designees will receive priority access to federal investments that further their strategic plans, federal staff on the ground to help them implement their goals, and five full-time AmeriCorps VISTA members to recruit and manage volunteers and strengthen the capacity of the Promise Zone initiatives.
In January, President Obama announced the first five Promise Zones: Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, San Antonio, and Southeastern Kentucky Highlands.
The Department of Housing and Urban Development, in collaboration with the Department of Agriculture, will convene three webcasts—urban, rural, and tribal—to discuss the second round.
The tribal webcast is 1 to 2 p.m. EST, Sept. 29
The rural webcast is 3 to 4 p.m. EST, Sept. 29.
The urban webcast is 3 to 4 p.m. EST, Oct. 1.
For more information, visit www.hud.gov/promisezones.
