Washington, DC - U.S. Secretary of Education John B. King Jr. announced today the 2016 Promise Neighborhoods grant competition, which will award $30 million to up to five organizations to provide their communities with a coordinated, comprehensive suite of services and school supports aimed at improving the outcomes for students and their families. The program is part of ED’s continued commitment to support locally-designed initiatives to revitalize the country’s most disadvantaged communities.
“We know that giving students the positive supports provided by Promise Neighborhoods helps to prepare them for success in school and their communities. The kind of interdisciplinary support that this program generates can transform our most distressed communities,” said King.
“The expansion of Promise Neighborhoods is good news for struggling communities all across the United States,” said Geoffrey Canada, a pioneer in comprehensive community development and founder of Harlem Children’s Zone, which serves as a model for Promise Neighborhoods. “Finally we are offering a comprehensive, cradle-to-career strategy for disadvantaged youth in our most at-risk communities. This is terrific news because it helps tens of thousands of children from poor families take a real shot at achieving the American Dream.”
Promise Neighborhoods was launched by the Obama Administration in 2010, and is a community-based cradle-to-career program that places schools at the center of a community’s revitalization efforts and aligns comprehensive supports that meet students’ and families’ needs. These supports include high-quality early learning, rich after-school activities, mental health services, job training, and crime prevention. The grants rely on local leaders to build capacity and drive change within their communities, and succeed by building a shared vision around creating equitable opportunities for students and families.
The 2016 Promise Neighborhoods grant competition is the fourth and final round of funding for the program under the Obama Administration. New grantees will build on a portfolio of 58 prior Promise Neighborhood grants in 48 communities across the nation, representing a federal investment of nearly $300 million. To date, over 1,000 national, state, and local organizations have partnered with a Promise Neighborhood, benefiting students at over 700 schools. It is one of several Administration initiatives, including Strong Cities, Strong Communities; Choice Neighborhoods; and Promise Zones, that focuses on strengthening successful Federal partnerships with communities.
Potential applicants, including nonprofit organizations, institutions of higher education, and Indian tribes, are encouraged to read the full Notice Inviting Applications. Applications are due by September 6, 2016. More information on the program, including a full list of past grantees, is available on the Promise Neighborhoods website.