2026 Reclaiming Vacant
Properties Conference
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | September 2026
Present at RVP
High quality conference sessions equip attendees with the tools to effect change at home. The call for general session proposals closed on February 11. We will be accepting submissions for locally led mobile workshops until February 23, 2026 11:59 PM ET.
Proposal Submission Timeline
| January 14, 2026 | Call for Session Proposals opens |
| February 11, 2026 | Proposal submission deadline |
| February 23, 2026 | Mobile workshop submission deadline |
| February 12, 2026 – March 20, 2026 | Review period |
| April 1, 2026 | Acceptance notifications |
Session Proposal Submission Process and Format
General session proposals must be submitted online by 11:59 PM ET on February 11, 2026. Mobile workshop submissions will be accepted until 11:59 PM ET on February 23.
Evaluation Criteria
The Center for Community Progress evaluates all proposals using the following criteria:
- Clearly articulated focus and learning outcomes
- Thoughtful, cohesive, and well-written ideas and structure
- Showcases innovative and practical tools, strategies, policies, or programs
- Equips attendees with actionable ideas or relevant research to inform their work
- Presenters are qualified and relevant to the purpose and learning outcomes of the session
- Includes diverse voices that reflect the racial, ethnic, gender, and other diversity of the communities served
- Preference will be given to session proposals that include panelists from multiple geographies (e.g., multiple cities, states)
The following will result in disqualification. Disqualified proposals will not be evaluated.
- Incomplete session proposals
- Session proposals that appear to be a product or service promotion
- Session proposals received after the submission deadline of February 11, 2026
Looking for more session proposal guidance? Check out our Session Description Examples and Tips for a Successful Session Proposal.
Contact Information
Questions about this proposal process should be directed to Julia Zimmerman at [email protected]. We will do our best to address all questions, however, questions received less than 72 hours prior to the February 11, 2026 deadline may not receive a response.
Questions about the Reclaiming Vacant Properties Conference? Please reach out to our events team at [email protected].
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