Chicago, IL - Mayor Richard M. Daley
Detroit, MI - Mayor Dave Bing
Los Angeles, CA - Mayor Antonio R. Villaraigosa
Nashville-Davidson County, TN - Mayor Karl Dean
Newark, NJ - Mayor Cory A. Booker
Omaha, NE - Mayor Jim Suttle
Philadelphia, PA - Mayor Michael A. Nutter
Sacramento, CA - Mayor Kevin Johnson
Savannah, GA - Mayor Otis S. Johnson
Seattle, WA - Mayor Mike McGinn

Thank you to all who applied.


About the Leadership Grants
The Cities of Service Coalition was founded on September 10, 2009 by 17 mayors from around the country who convened in New York City to discuss strategies to increase civic engagement and the amount and impact of local service efforts. Due to the generous lead support of the Rockefeller Foundation, the Fund for Cities of Service, a 501(c)(3) formed to support the mayors coalition, will award 10 cities $200,000 over two years to hire Chief Service Officers to lead local efforts to develop and implement a comprehensive service plan on behalf of their mayor. This network of Chief Service Officers working on behalf of mayors and their cities promises to accelerate and strengthen local leadership just as federal investment in service and public discussion about service reach new heights.

Who Can Apply?
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. Coalition members have signed a Declaration of Service, thereby committing to:

• Develop a comprehensive service plan and a coordinated strategy focused on matching volunteers and established community partners to the areas of greatest local need;
  
  
• Work with other mayors and elected officials to advance strategies and best practices that accelerate the service movement and produce measurable results;
  
  
• Encourage other mayors to join this national effort to engage our citizens; and
  
  
• Ensure that the voice of cities is heard in federal legislative, policy, and program discussions related to service, which will help the country achieve the ambitious goals of the Serve America Act.

The Coalition is open to all mayors who agree to these provisos. 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 Application
Applications must be submitted by the city's Office of the Mayor. Applications from nonprofits or other external groups on behalf of a mayor will not be accepted. Using no more than five single-spaced typed pages, applicants should describe how they will achieve each of the following:

• Conduct an assessment of existing service levels and stakeholders within the city, so that a benchmark can be established for comparison purposes moving forward.
  
  
• Produce a coordinated citywide plan to increase service through a planning process that involves existing service and volunteer-reliant nonprofits, local volunteer management agencies, and local funders, if applicable.
  
  
• Meaningfully engage local universities in the development, implementation, and support of the service plan.
  
  
• Appoint a city Chief Service Officer who reports directly to the mayor or a deputy mayor or other appropriate designee (include organization chart).
  
  
• Identify at least two existing local high priority areas in which to target volunteerism, and demonstrate how the city will use service to advance existing or enhanced work in these challenge areas, including proposed outcomes and plans for measurement.

Applications should also include a separate 2-page summary of existing service and volunteer efforts led or supported by the city and/or its mayor. Applications also should be accompanied by 5 letters of support from organizations that represent the diversity of the local population and have broad reach within the community.

Terms of the Grant
Grants will be awarded in the amount of $100,000 each year for a period of two years, to be used for the Chief Service Officer's compensation. Given that the cost of living may differ across cities, grantees are free to allot the annual award appropriately to both salary and benefits or solely to salary, provided that the city agrees to cover the cost of benefits. The Chief Service Officer's salary should be appropriate for that of a senior staff member. Please demonstrate how the Chief Service Officer will be compensated in relation to other senior officials in the city's administration as part of the application.

Grant recipients will be notified by January 18, 2010, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service. The first installment of the grants will be distributed upon the hiring of the Chief Service Officer, which must be completed by June 1, 2010, though recipient cities are encouraged to do so earlier. By September 10, 2010, the first anniversary of the founding of the Cities of Service Coalition, grantee cities must have concluded a citywide planning process that culminates in the creation of a comprehensive service plan. Again, grantee cities are encouraged to do so earlier. By December 1, 2010, grantee cities must also have submitted a progress report and put into operation a website or other appropriate technological tool to facilitate residents' participation in service.

Selection
In addition to the strength of the application, the Fund for Cities of Service will also consider geographic diversity in the grant selection process. Preference will be given to proposals that are most creative in deeply engaging the city's universities and/or colleges from the earliest phases of planning and through implementation.

Applications are due by December 15, 2009. They should be submitted electronically to CitiesOfService@cityhall.nyc.gov. Any questions regarding this grant application may also be directed to CitiesOfService@cityhall.nyc.gov.