Founded in New York City on September 10, 2009 with 17 founding member cities, Cities of Service is a bipartisan coalition of mayors who have answered the historic Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act’s call to action. 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.
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 www.citiesofservice.org for registration. In addition, all applicant cities must have at least 100,000 residents according to the 2000 census and be home to at least one community college or a four-year public or private university.
The grant application can be found at www.citiesofservice.org and must be received no later than April 9, 2010.