March 8, 2010

“Cities of Service” announced on February 11 the opening of the application period for the second round of Cities of Service Leadership Grants. Funded jointly by the Rockefeller Foundation and Bloomberg Philanthropies, the $2 million worth of grants will be awarded to ten cities on a competitive basis, whose mayors have committed to increase the amount and impact of service in their communities. Each recipient city will receive $200,000 over a two-year period for the specific purpose of hiring a Chief Service Officer, an individual who will lead local efforts on behalf of their city’s mayor to develop and implement a citywide plan to increase volunteerism.

Cities of Service is a bipartisan coalition of mayors from across the country, representing more than 43 million Americans in more than 80 cities, dedicated to engaging more Americans in service and channeling volunteers towards each city’s most pressing challenges.

“Mayors are on the front lines working to help their communities and neighbors weather the national recession – and many of us believe that citizen service can be an important component of our local recovery strategies,” said New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, who convened the first Cities of Service summit in New York City last fall. “The responses to the initial grant application was tremendous – 50 cities applied for the ten awards – so we are eager to extend this innovative resource to an additional ten cities. I want to thank the Rockefeller Foundation for its expanded support for the Cities of Service Leadership Grants program, and for its leadership in accelerating the citizen service movement in America’s urban centers.”

The recipients of the first round of Cities of Service Leadership Grants were announced on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service. The cities selected to receive the grants were Chicago, Detroit, Los Angeles, Nashville-Davidson (TN), Newark (NJ), Omaha, Philadelphia, Sacramento, Savannah, and Seattle. The first round of Cities of Service Leadership Grants was funded solely by the Rockefeller Foundation.

To be considered for the two-year Cities of Service Leadership Grant, a city’s mayor must be a member of the Cities of Service coalition and have signed and agreed to implement the coalition’s Declaration of Service. Mayors interested in joining the Cities of Service Coalition should visit the website www.citiesofservice.org for registration. In addition, all applicant cities must have at least 100,000 residents as of the U.S. Census Bureau 2008 Population Estimate and be home to at least one community college or a four-year public or private university.