Promise Zone Initiative Stakeholder Webinars

Promise Zone Initiative Stakeholder Webinars

President Obama has outlined a bold agenda to make our nation a magnet for jobs, equip Americans with the skills to do these jobs, give a high quality education to all children and ensure that hard work leads to a decent living. In short, the President is working to expand opportunity for all. A child’s zip code should never determine her destiny; but today, the neighborhood she grows up in impacts her odds of graduating high school, her health outcomes, and her lifetime economic opportunities.

The President is committed to partnering with local leaders to give them proven tools to ensure that hard work leads to a decent living for every American and in every community. The Promise Zone Initiative is part of the President’s plan to collaborate with and invest in communities — whether they are urban, rural or tribal designees — to create jobs, leverage private investment, increase economic activity, expand educational opportunities, and improve public safety.

Please join us for an interactive webinar that will give you the information you need to know about the Promise Zone Initiative. Topics will include:

• The public comment period for the second round of applications;
• Eligibility criteria;
• Best practices from the first round;
• Timeline for the second round; and
• Details on the President’s Promise Zone Budget Proposal

There will also be time at the end of the webcast for questions and answers.

Promise Zone Initiative Stakeholder Webinar (TRIBAL)
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
2:00–3:00 p.m. EST (please adjust for your local time)
Please RSVP here to receive the TRIBAL webinar link

Promise Zone Initiative Stakeholder Webinar (URBAN)
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
3:30–4:30 p.m. EST (please adjust for your local time)
Please RSVP here to receive the URBAN webinar link.

Promise Zone Initiative Stakeholder Webinar (RURAL)
Wednesday, April 30, 2014
3:00–4:00 p.m. EST (please adjust for your local time)
Please RSVP here to receive the URBAN webinar link.

RSVPs for all three webinars are due by 5:00 p.m. Friday, April 25, 2014. Webinar links will be sent out on Monday, April 28, 2014.

Presenters

Max Finberg (RURAL Webinar)
Senior Advisor and Coordinator, StrikeForce for Rural Growth and Opportunity Initiative
U.S. Department of Agriculture

Valerie Piper (all 3 webinars)
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Economic Development
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

Leslie Wheelock (TRIBAL Webinar)
Director of Tribal Relations
U.S. Department of Agriculture

For your information, below is the information about the NOTICE that was published in the Federal Register last week:

Draft Second Round Promise Zone Application Materials Posted for Public Comment

A second round of Promise Zone designations is planned to open for solicitation in 2014. A minimum of five and up to fifteen designations will be made in this round. By the end of 2016, 20 Promise Zone designations are expected.

On April 17, 2014, the Department of Housing and Urban Development published a Notice in the Federal Register requesting public comment on the proposed selection process and criteria for the second round of the Promise Zone initiative. The public comment period closes on Monday, June 16, 2014.

To learn more about the Promise Zone Initiative, please go to: https://www.onecpd.info/promise-zones. To provide written comments on the proposed selection process and criteria, please go to: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2014-04-17/pdf/2014-08772.pdf.

We will review all written comments and take them into account as we finalize the Second Round Application so that the initiative can support other communities more effectively in future years.

Promise Zone Initiative

The Promise Zone Initiative is part of President Obama’s plan to partner with and invest in communities to create jobs, increase economic security, expand educational opportunities, increase access to quality, affordable housing and improve public safety.

On January 8, 2014, the President announced the first five Promise Zones. They are located in: San Antonio, Texas; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Los Angeles, California; Southeastern Kentucky; and the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma.

These five Promise Zones include urban, rural, and tribal designees that will benefit from grant preferences, assistance in accessing resources and access to on-the-ground federal partners to help them implement their economic and community development goals.

If you have questions or need additional information, please email us at: promisezones@hud.gov.