Our new Technical Assistance Scholarship Program RFA (applications due 3/24!)

For years, through our technical assistance services, we’ve had the privilege of working with communities around the country to reclaim their neighborhoods from blight, vacancy, and abandonment.

Today, we’re excited to introduce a new direction for that work, designed to bring significant TA within reach of the places that need it most, while piloting innovative new solutions to advance the field as a whole: the Technical Assistance Scholarship Program (download the RFA here!).

Leveraging Community Progress’ leading expertise in blight remediation tools and strategies, this program serves communities around the country in need of technical assistance to assess, reform, develop and/or implement systems to address large-scale vacancy and abandonment in their respective communities.

Technical Assistance Scholarship Program recipients will each receive up to 200 hours of direct technical assistance from a team of experts.

What makes this program unique? It provides the opportunity for public and nonprofit organizations to receive technical assistance from Community Progress at a significantly reduced rate. Community Progress will select up to three applicants that submit strong and complete applications, demonstrating innovation, need, staff capacity and financial support to implement and sustain findings and recommendations.

The Technical Assistance Scholarship Program is focused on the following key issue areas: Data and Information Systems, Tax Collection and Enforcement Reform, Strategic Code Enforcement, Land Bank and Land Banking Program Evaluation, and Vacant Land Maintenance and Reuse Strategies.

With this program, Community Progress aims to develop innovative models and approaches that will not only serve the technical assistance recipient, but will also help to inform the stabilization and revitalization efforts of communities across the country.

The RFA, including more information about the Technical Assistance Scholarship Program, is available to download on our website. Questions about this program may be submitted to  [email protected] with “RFA Question” in the email subject line. (No phone calls, please).

Key dates for the application process are:

• Wed., 2/26/2014, 12:00pm – 1:00pm EST: RFA Informational Webinar. Click here for more information and click here to register.
• Fri., 3/14/2014: Deadline for submission of questions.
• Mon., 3/24/2014, 12:00pm EST: Application deadline. Incomplete applications or those submitted after this deadline will not be considered.
• Tues. 5/6/2014: Recipients notified of results

A press release is available here.