CLEVELAND, OH- U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) applauded the Obama Administration and its initiative launched today to strengthen local capacity and spark economic growth in local communities while ensuring taxpayer dollars are used wisely and efficiently. A representative from Sen. Brown’s office attended today’s ceremony to mark the creation of a Cleveland-based team to work with local governments, the private sector, and other institutions to leverage federal dollars and support the work being done at the local level to encourage economic growth and community development. 

“Cleveland’s proud business legacy and manufacturing leadership makes it the perfect home for this team,” Brown said. “As we continue to bring jobs back to Ohio, cooperation between local, state, and federal officials is critical. I’m thrilled to welcome SC2 to Cleveland and look forward to working together to create jobs and continue our economic recovery.”

The program, Strong Cities, Strong Communities (SC2), will house experienced staff in five other cities nationwide. Additionally, communities nationwide will be eligible to compete for comprehensive economic planning assistance through a grant competition designed to spark local innovation. By integrating government investments and partnering with local communities, SC2 channels the resources of the federal government to help empower cities as they develop and implement their vision for economic growth. 

Through this pilot, the Obama Administration will focus on three key goals:

  • Improving the way federal government does business:  Cutting through red tape and rationalizing the federal bureaucracy to help deal with the overlapping maze of agencies, regulations, and program requirements that are sometimes confusing to local governments;
  • Providing assistance and support – working with local communities to find ground up, not top down solutions:  Providing on the ground technical assistance and planning resources tailored to local governments’ needs and helping them use the federal funds they already receive more efficiently and effectively; and
  • Partnering for growth: Developing critical partnerships with key local and regional stakeholders that encompass not only municipal and state governments, but also new partnerships with the business community, nonprofits, anchor institutions, faith-based institutions, and other public, private, and philanthropic leaders.

In addition to building the capacity of local governments, SC2 aims to encourage partnerships among local community organizations, anchor institutions, businesses, foundations, and government agencies, helping to leverage federal investments and increasing impact. The four components of SC2 include:

  • SC2 Community Solutions Teams: Community Solutions Teams comprised of federal employees from several different agencies will work directly with cities to support mayors in Chester, Pa.; Cleveland, Ohio; Detroit, Mich.; Fresno, Calif.; Memphis, Tenn.; and New Orleans, La. Community Solutions Teams will assist cities with issues mayors have identified as vital to their economic strategies, including efforts to build on local assets, strengthen regional economies, develop transportation infrastructure, improve job-training programs, and support community revitalization. 
  • SC2 Fellowship Program: A complement to the Community Solutions Teams, a new fellowship program will select, train, and place early- to mid-career professionals to serve multi-year terms in local government positions to give cities additional capacity.  An intermediary will be selected to run the fellowship program, and Fellows will be selected through a competitive national process. The Program will be funded primarily by philanthropic partners; the Rockefeller Foundation is providing $2.5 million in initial funding.
  • SC2 Economic Planning Challenge: In addition to the six pilot locations, SC2 includes an Economic Planning Challenge designed to help additional cities develop economic blueprints. This national grant competition will enable cities to adopt and implement innovative economic development strategies to support comprehensive city and regional planning efforts. Six cities will be competitively selected to receive a grant of approximately $1 million that they will use to administer an “X-prize style” competition, whereby they will challenge multi-disciplinary teams of experts to develop comprehensive economic and land use proposals for their city. The Challenge will be administered by EDA, and EDA will assist cities in the administration of the competition.  
  • National Resource Network: Pending authorization of funding, the National Resource Network (NRN) will aggregate public and private resources to provide a broader set of cities, towns, and regions with access to a one-stop portal of national experts to provide holistic policy and implementation support. Once funds are secured, HUD will host a competition to select an intermediary to run the NRN. Cities, towns and regions will apply to get access to the NRN, and outside experts will apply to be able to provide consulting services through the NRN. A menu of customized and comprehensive technical assistance in a variety of policy areas will be available to communities, delivered through on-site training and staff development. The NRN will also foster peer-to-peer learning to strengthen the network of urban practitioners and thinkers. 

SC2 pilot cities were selected on the basis of economic need, strong local leadership and collaboration, potential for economic growth, geographic diversity, and the ability to test the SC2 model across a range of environments. Federal assessment teams spent time on the ground working directly with mayors and other local officials to determine needs, opportunities, and to gather input for the pilot initiative.

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