America Achieves is excited to host webinars designed to help regional and community leaders craft their approach and applications for U.S Department of Commerce funding. 

The first seminar—offered on September 23rd, at 3pm ET, 2021 and September 29th, at 12:30pm ET, 2021 — will support applicants for the $1 billion Build Back Better economic development challenge. The second—offered on September 28th, at 3pm ET, 2021 and September 30th, 3pm ET—will support applicants for the $500 million Good Jobs Challenge.   

RSVP deadline extended to September 27, 2021!

Logistics for both webinars can be found below.

ACCELERATOR WEBINAR SERIES:  

Capitalizing on the Commerce Department’s Funding Opportunities to Advance Equitable Access to Economic/Workforce Development

The Accelerator Series for Build Back Better Applicants

Purpose of the Build Back Better Accelerator Webinar
With grant application deadlines quickly approaching, the Accelerator Series will help lead organizations and regional coalitions:

  • Assess their region’s relative strengths and what is needed to drive equitable regional growth
  • Catalyze outside of the box thinking and problem-solving to address specific planning challenges
  • Workshop potential strategies, coalition building approaches, and project ideas.

The series will be led by regional economic development experts who will advise on bottleneck issues and help teams move through the continuum of planning suitable to your regional context.  

  • Who should participate: Regional teams, including lead entities, intermediaries, and primary convenors who are actively planning to complete their application by the October 19th deadline. Senior leaders and officials of applying regions are welcome if they want to learn more about the overall application.  In addition we recommend that people most responsible for developing and writing the application attend.  Participants should be familiar with EDA’s Program Resources, including their FAQs and most recent applicant webinar.
  • When: September 23rd, 3:00 – 4:30pm ET or September 29th, at 12:30 – 2:00pm ET
  • RSVP Here by September 27th, 2021. Once you RSVP, you will receive an individual participation link and a brief survey to help us understand your region and application better.
  • Hosted by America Achieves and HR&A Advisors, with support from CREC, McKinsey & Company, and Shared Prosperity.

The Accelerator Series for Good Jobs Challenge Applicants

Purpose of the Good Jobs Challenge Accelerator Webinar
With grant application deadlines quickly approaching, the Accelerator Series will help lead organizations and regional coalitions:

  • Assess their region’s relative strengths and what is needed to drive equitable regional growth
  • Catalyze out of the box thinking and problem-solving to address specific planning challenges
  • Workshop potential strategies, coalition building approaches, and project ideas.

The series will be led by regional economic development experts who will advise on bottleneck issues and help teams move through the continuum of planning suitable to your regional context.  

  • Who should participate:  Regional teams, including lead entities, backbone organizations, and primary convenors who are seriously considering applying and/or who are planning to apply. Senior leaders and officials of applying regions are welcome if they want to learn more about the overall application.  In addition we recommend that people most responsible for developing and writing the application attend. Participants should be familiar with EDA’s Program Resources, including their FAQs and most recent technical assistance webinar.
  • When: September 28th 3:00 – 5:00pm ET and September 30th, 3:00 – 5:00pm ET
  • RSVP Here by September 27th, 2021. Once you RSVP, you will receive an individual participation link and a brief survey to help us understand your region and application better.
  • Hosted by: America Achieves and Equity Cities, with support from TalentHub and CORI.

If you have questions, please reach out to rsvp@americaachieves.org.

PRESENTING PARTNERS

AMERICA ACHIEVES is a national non-profit organization focused on scaling effective pathways to careers in a changing economy, including those that do not initially require a four-year degree. Such pathways involve employers motivated by hiring needs for high-demand jobs and occupations, stronger K-12 schools focused on their students’ economic futures, and innovation-oriented community/technical colleges and other postsecondary institutions. We identify exceptionally promising leaders and innovations and the evidence base on what works. We help build and grow initiatives that directly impact economic mobility including via the attainment of good in-demand jobs. We use these experiences and other research to inform our advising and our recommendations for philanthropy, systems change, and public policy. Leveraging this approach, we bring our unique assets to align education to economic opportunity in ways that work for all, preparing everyone to succeed in the 21st century and building a thriving economy and democracy.

EQUITY CITIES, incubated within Strada Education Network, is an independent team of seasoned commercial and governmental leaders that partners with regional coalitions of employers, education institutions, and community leaders to build sustainable and inclusive talent marketplaces. Equity Cities uses a skills-based analytics and focused consulting methodology to support regional strategic planning, including Good Jobs Challenge applications. 

HR&A ADVISORS is a national leader in economic development planning with four decades of experience helping communities foster economic growth, create jobs, and advance equity. We have a record of success helping our clients make the best case for federal funding and build lasting public/private partnerships to deliver critical infrastructure, innovation economy growth, broadband access, robust talent ecosystems, and livable communities. For HR&A’s expert advice, contact buildback@hraadvisors.com.

MCKINSEY & COMPANY is a global management consulting firm. McKinsey’s Economic Development Service Line supports states, cities, regions, and non-profit organizations on economic development strategy and implementation programs to accelerate innovation and drive job creation, growth, and resilience, increasing the economic and social prosperity of citizens and creating employment opportunities for the next generation of job seekers.  Topics include sector growth strategy, innovation ecosystems and districts, business attraction, workforce development, equity and inclusion, sustainability, and public-private partnerships.  To reach McKinsey’s experts, please contact mike_kerlin@mckinsey.com.

OUR SUPPORTING PARTNERS

The Center on Rural Innovation (CORI) is a national nonprofit action tank advancing inclusive rural prosperity through digital economy ecosystems that support scalable entrepreneurship and tech job creation. Our comprehensive approach to this work includes building the capacity of rural communities through technical assistance, connecting communities to national caliber resources through our Rural Innovation Network, delivering data-driven tools to provide insights to community leaders, ensuring early-stage investment flows to rural entrepreneurs, and closing the digital divide so all Americans can participate in a 21st century digital economy. Learn more: ruralinnovation.us

The Center for Regional Economic Competitiveness (CREC) is an independent not-for-profit that partners with policymakers to research, help formulate, and execute on innovative methods that ensure job creation and long-term regional economic sustainability.  Our primary public service goal is to help regions compete.  Through our network of partnerships, we continually work to further regional economic competitiveness in global, rural, and metropolitan communities.  CREC conducts research, provides technical assistance, offers expert advice, provides training, and offers leadership to practitioners and policymakers in the economic development, workforce development, and higher education field on ways to facilitate the future direction of regional economies. 

Talent Hubs is a program of CivicLab, a nonprofit institute dedicated to advancing the practice of civic collaboration, serving those that seek to redesign complex social systems to improve the human condition. Since its inception, CivicLab has partnered with over 300 rural, midsized, and urban communities and organizations across the U.S. and trained more than 14,000 leaders of foundations, educational institutions, government, corporations, and community development organizations.  CivicLab also leads the National Talent Network and Talent Hubs, a network of cross-sector partnerships that have met rigorous standards of excellence in addressing complex social challenges and creating environments that attract, retain, and develop talent.