Vacant Property Leadership Institute

Developing Local Leaders to Restore Vitality to America’s Neighborhoods Impacted by Crisis

The Vacant Property Leadership Institute (VPLI) combines intensive training, targeted technical assistance, and access to a network of experts and practitioners to help local leaders come together to tackle today’s challenges with vacant, abandoned, and deteriorated properties in their communities.

Program Overview

The Vacant Property Leadership Institute (VPLI) is an intensive training program bringing together leaders from cities across the country to build relationships and networks that last, and hone systems-based approaches that effectively address vacant and deteriorated properties in their communities. VPLI identifies cities ready to take next steps in addressing the full cycle of property revitalization that leads to vacant, abandoned, and deteriorated (VAD) properties. Through in-person instruction and targeted technical assistance, we set leaders up for success by helping them:

better understand the interconnected causes of vacancy and deterioration;
assess and reform systems at the local and state level that contribute to vacancy;
strengthen intracity working relationships, build networks with other cities facing similar challenges, and begin developing plans for future initiatives at the local and state levels;
foster capacity to develop and support statewide policy initiatives; and
grow in their ability to implement and sustain systemic change.

Program Benefits

Past VPLI participants attest that the program is unlike any professional development opportunity they’ve attended and that the mix of classroom learning and networking to have been invaluable to their daily work. VPLI participants have gone on to pass state and local laws that enable them to effectively address issues of vacancy; implemented comprehensive revitalization solutions in some of their most vulnerable communities; broken down agency and sector silos; and developed lasting, fruitful relationships with peers in their cities and states, and across the country. Read more about how 2022 VPLI delegation from Louisville, Kentucky leveraged the knowledge from the institute to examine and transform their code enforcement strategy through a racial equity lens.

VPLI is made possible through the generous support of the Wells Fargo Foundation and the Truist Charitable Fund

2023-24 Delegate Resources

VPLI participant access for resources and other materials from the 2023-24 program.

VPLI Resources

“Participating in the Leadership Institute has allowed me to think even more outside of the box when dealing with some of our everyday work and trying to find new solutions to old problems”

Anonymous Survey Respondent, 2016

More about the Institute

VPLI helps participants better understand the interconnected causes of problem properties, assess and reform contributing state and local systems, and develop action plans, networks, and skills to champion systemic change to create equitable communities. VPLI engages up to three cities each across three states (nine cities total) in training, technical assistance, and networking to help them as they work to transform their states and communities. VPLI is an in-person gathering and selected communities will also participate in a pre-event virtual gathering.

Delegations Based Approach

Each selected city delegation will consist of four to six members representing the critical stakeholders necessary to drive change. If you have relationships with other cities in your state similarly confronting challenges with VAD properties, we strongly suggest you encourage them to apply as well.

Program Curriculum

Through classroom sessions and small group activities, our faculty of top national experts and local practitioners will guide participants through sessions on these and other topics:

Through a mix of classroom sessions and small working group activities, our team of national experts and local practitioners from around the country will guide participants through sessions on the following topics, and more:

Collaborative leadership: Strengthening leaders' ability to collectively shape and execute solutions
Data and neighborhood markets: Using data to understand and plan accordingly for the opportunities and constraints that shape revitalization
Strategic housing and building code enforcement: Developing programs that respond to the needs and priorities of different neighborhoods
Delinquent property tax systems: Reforming tax policies so that they contribute to neighborhood stabilization
Land banking: Examining how to use land banking to eliminate properties' liabilities so they can return to productive, community-aligned use
Vacant land stewardship: Demonstrating how to identify, fund, and implement realistic plans for repurposing vacant lots

Technical Assistance & Continuing Support

Addressing vacancy is a big problem that requires big solutions and it cannot be solved overnight. Your participation in VPLI is the beginning of a relationship with Community Progress to ensure you have the support you need to create long-term solutions. Immediately following VPLI, Community Progress will invite participating cities to apply for a Technical Assistance Award. These competitive Technical Assistance Awards make the lessons from VPLI actionable. A total of 1,000 hours of customized, expert guidance from our technical assistance team will be divided among the awarded communities to help each community shape and sustain policy, practice, and process changes to address vacancy and abandonment.

Tuition and Cost

Community Progress is committed to ensuring that change-makers across the country are well-equipped with the vision, knowledge, and leadership skills necessary to support strong, vibrant neighborhoods of opportunity. We recognize that each team’s willingness to spend a week away from the office, engaged in intense training, is a serious commitment. Therefore, there are no tuition fees associated with VPLI and Community Progress will cover hotel accommodations, food and beverage, and onsite transportation. Each participant is responsible for travel costs (airfare, rental car, taxi fare, etc.) to get them to and from VPLI.

Past VPLI Delegations

2023-24 VPLI Cohort

Delegations from ten municipalities across three states have been selected to attend the 2023 Vacant Property Leadership Institute:

Indiana

Gary
Kokomo
Muncie

Missouri

Columbia
Springfield
St. Louis County
St. Louis City

Ohio

Cincinnati
Cleveland
Dayton

Learn more in this press release.

2021-22 VPLI Cohort

Georgia:

College Park
Perry
South Fulton

Illinois:

Chicago
Decatur
Kankakee
Peoria
Rockford

Kentucky:

Louisville
Winchester

Wisconsin:

Milwaukee
Racine

About the Application Process

Application Process

Applications are currently not being accepted. The information below is available for reference only. Make sure you're subscribed to our newsletter to find out first when the next VPLI cycle and learn about other opportunities from Community Progress.

All cities, towns, and villages in the United States are invited to apply.* Interested communities should download and review our VPLI application guide to learn more about the program and how to prepare a competitive application. We will use Swoogo to collect and review applications. The due date will be provided when It Is available. Community Progress will only review applications received though the Swoogo portal before the application deadline. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Applications submitted via email, Word document, PDF printout, etc. will not be considered.

*Communities and states who participated in the past program cycle of the Vacant Property Leadership Institute (2021-22 or 2023-24) are not eligible to apply for the upcoming program. Please review the application guide to see the full list of cities/states which are not eligible for this cycle of the program.

for more information download the application guide from 2023-24 >

Application Requirements and Selection Criteria

The application includes narrative response questions and requests letters of recommendation from various stakeholders including the Office of the Mayor/City Manager/senior-level administrator and a community-based organization embedded in the areas most impacted by VAD properties. While we encourage cities from the same state to apply and reference one another, each city must submit their own, unique application.

Community Progress will prioritize participation for communities that possess:

Demonstrated need: Competitive applications will show that there are significant challenges with VAD properties, especially in low-income communities and communities of color.

Demonstrated commitment, leadership, and capacity of stakeholders to implement reform: Competitive applications will include original letters of support from a diverse set of stakeholders, such as local and state policymakers, community leaders, private-sector partners, or philanthropic organizations. The letters should demonstrate that solving VAD property challenges is a priority for the highest level of local government leaders and decision-makers.

Interest in a diverse, multi-stakeholder format: VPLI catalyzes problem-solving across organizational, functional, and political lines. The strongest applicants will provide specific examples to show how engaging a multi-stakeholder team can help overcome the city’s challenges related to VAD properties.In addition to the required participants noted under Delegation Composition above, the most competitive applications will propose a diverse list of additional participants drawing from organizations working in the communities most affected by vacancy, private-sector partners, state-level champions, and others focused on revitalization.

Demonstrated commitment to equitable community development: Community Progress recognizes that because of a legacy of unjust policies and racist systems, low-income communities and communities of color bear an unfair share of the burden of VAD properties. Competitive applications will show a willingness for the applicants to be open and honest about ways in which these oppressive systems fuel vacancy and abandonment. Competitive applications will highlight efforts to address root causes of VAD properties in ways that tackle unjust systems head-on to foster equitable community development and opportunities.

Open minds: Effective change-makers need bold vision and courage to drive meaningful change in the face of obstacles. Doing so requires exploring new ideas and being willing to challenge how one’s city and state address VAD properties. Competitive applications will demonstrate this willingness to have candid conversations about your city’s successes and failures.

Instructions for Accessing Application Portal

Upon opening the Swoogo application portal, click “Create Account”. This will lead you to a form to create a profile in Swoogo. If you already have a Swoogo account, you can simply click on the application portal tab to be sent to a sign in screen. If you are unsure if you already have a Swoogo account, you can create an account with your email and the site will inform you whether an account has already been created.

Once you have created an account and/or logged in, you will be taken to the applicant portal page. From here, click on “+Add New Submission” to create and fill out your application.

Please note that you cannot save an unfinished application within the Swoogo portal. We highly recommend writing out question responses in a separate document while preparing your application. All application questions have been provided in the application guide and can be viewed within the Swoogo portal in a blank application.

FAQ's

Where and when will the in-person training portion be held?

The in-person gathering for the next VPLI has not yet been determined. Sign up for our newsletter to receive notifications about this and our other programs

Will there be a virtual component?

While we plan to host a pre-event virtual gathering to help prepare the selected cities to participate the capstone training will not have a virtual component. One of the most impactful elements of this program is the ability to have strategic, face-to-face conversations away from the everyday demands of work.

Are communities or states that previously participated in VPLI eligible to apply for the upcoming program?

We welcome interest from communities that participated in the predecessor to VPLI, the Community Progress Leadership Institute (CPLI), prior to 2021. However, communities and states that have participated in past cycles of the Vacant Property Leadership Institute program (2021-22 & 2023-24) are not eligible to apply for the next program.

See "Past VPLI Delegations", above for a list of past participants.

Is the focus still on three communities from one state?

Yes, we have found that this program is most successful when delegations consist of three cities from one state since it allows representatives to collaborate on city and state-level policy needs. However, exceptions have been made to this rule in the past. (As part of the 2021-22 cycle, we accepted states with just two city delegations.)

What costs related to participation in VPLI will Community Progress cover?
What about a per diem?

Community Progress covers tuition fees, lodging, any travel between the hotel and event sites, and food and beverage for the duration of this event. Delegation members will be solely responsible for travel costs from their city to the event site and vice versa at the end of the week. We will not provide delegation members a per diem as part of participation.

How many state delegations will be selected?

We will admit up to three state delegations. Selected city delegation team leads will identify up to two representatives from each state (six total) to admit as statewide delegation members.

Who should be part of the city teams?

We will allow four to six representatives from each city and want to see directors and leaders of the departments crucial in the everyday work of addressing vacant properties. We will also look for representation from a community-based organization which works in the places most impacted by VAD properties. More details about the roles we look to see in a delegation can be found in the application packet.

The application indicates a letter of support must be included from City executive leadership. Does that also mean that someone from the mayor or city manager’s office must be part of the delegation or lead the delegation?

Municipal Department/Agency Directors are eligible to represent city delegations as the team lead. While it is not necessary that the mayor or city manager’s office lead the delegation, competitive applications will include representation from their offices.

I work very closely with my city/town/village’s government departments and agencies but I represent an outside organization. Can I still apply for VPLI?

Unfortunately, non-governmental organizations (e.g., nonprofits, community foundations, land banks, etc.) are not eligible to submit letters of interest for VPLI. However, non-governmental organizations are eligible to participate as a delegation representative should their city be selected to participate. We invite non-governmental organizations to reach out to their contacts in local government to encourage them to apply.

Can communities apply for the VPLI Technical Assistance Award even if they are not selected to participate in the full program?

No, the technical assistance award is only made available to the communities selected to participated in VPLI program overall.

Is the Technical Assistance award automatically provided to cities selected to participate in the VPLI program or is it separate?

The technical assistance award is not automatic. Community Progress will host a competitive process immediately following the in-person event in which the selected VPLI cities can apply to receive technical assistance hours.

Who do I contact with questions?

Additional questions about the Vacant Property Leadership Institute (VPLI) can be sent to:

Justin Godard, Associate Director, National Leadership & Education
[email protected].

Questions?

Read the FAQ's above and If you have additional questions, please contact: Justin Godard Associate Director, National Leadership and Education, Center for Community Progress [email protected]