In an effort to support community development initiatives, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has created a new web tool highlighting proposed development strategies in communities and neighborhoods throughout the country. Recognizing that comprehensive community change initiatives require support from the entire community, including businesses, corporations, foundations and other fiscal partners, the new tool is intended to provide local partners with access to strategies, proposals and other key information critical to the creation of partnerships that can sustain community transformation efforts. Specifically, the new tool contains grant applications from HUD initiatives, such as the Choice Neighborhoods program, that users can review to learn about the robust development strategies that communities are trying to implement. With access to contact information, partnership maps and local funders, potential new partners and investors can review the specific needs of these initiatives and how partner participation can increase the impact on the community.
In 2011, HUD received more than 150 applications for the Choice Neighborhoods program. Despite strong applications from several communities, HUD was able to award only 22 grants. In a time when the demand for community change initiatives has outpaced available funding from HUD and other competitive grant programs, this tool in an innovative strategy that can boost public/private partnerships and philanthropic support for community development initiatives.
Currently, the new tool contains the grant applications from the 2011 Choice Neighborhood grantees, as well as the applicants that submitted competitive applications. HUD plans to include applications from the recently-announced Sustainable Communities initiative in the coming months.
To view this new tool, please click here.
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