Grant Opportunity: Advancing Economic Mobility

Advancing Economic Mobility Rapid Grant Program

All cities, towns and villages, regardless of size, have the ability to impact the upward economic mobility of residents. They can promote equity and opportunity through their day-to-day operations, programs and services. They can tap into unique municipal roles and levers to build lasting outcomes for all residents – such as community partner, model employer, funder, priority setter and equity leader.

National League of Cities’ Framework for Economic Mobility

Advancing the upward economic mobility of residents has a direct positive impact on the financial health and long-term viability of municipalities. Economically secure families can better weather the ebbs and flows of income drops and unexpected expenses. They are less likely to rely on municipal services and support and more likely to maintain housing and utility payments and provide revenue for cities via sales, property or income taxes.

Grants to Turn Economic Mobility Ideas into Reality

Through the generous support of the Gates Foundation, NLC launched the Advancing Economic Mobility Rapid Grant program in 2023, a unique opportunity that provides small grants through a competitive application process to cities, towns and villages seeking to support the advancement of economic mobility. Download the application guide (PDF) before starting your application.

In 2025, NLC is launching the third Advancing Economic Mobility Rapid Grant program cohort. NLC is offering grants of up to $20,000 to municipalities that are committed to boosting the economic mobility of residents. The funding is available to members of NLC’s Economic Mobility Peer Network (EMPN), which all municipalities can join at no cost. The Economic Mobility Peer Network is the premiere way for municipal leaders, staff and partners to engage with like-minded peers to address pressing economic mobility issues through monthly learning opportunities and direct communication.

In addition to receiving grant funding, municipalities selected for the grant opportunity will benefit from a comprehensive support package. This includes monthly coaching calls with NLC staff, engagement with the EMPN and training on key economic mobility resources, including Opportunity Insights’ Opportunity Atlas, Results for America’s Economic Mobility Catalog, and the Urban Institute’s Upward Mobility Framework.

Municipalities that apply for the rapid grant opportunity should demonstrate that their efforts are focused on one of the following areas:

• Creating quality employment opportunities for residents;
• Equitable support to strengthen or start small businesses; or
• Helping residents connect with government-sponsored residential services or public benefits such as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the Child Tax Credit (CTC), Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), or free tax preparation services.

If you have any questions about this opportunity, email eofe@nlc.org

2023 and 2024 Cohorts

For the 2023 and 2024 cohorts, eight and 12 municipalities were selected from a pool of 36 and 30 applications, respectively. As part of their engagement with NLC, selected municipalities actively engaged in coaching calls with NLC staff, participated in the Economic Mobility Peer Network (EMPN) calls, and attended an in-person convening fostering peer learning with other cities. Through the grant program, municipalities were able to launch and sustain innovative economic mobility programs such as:

• The City of Burlington, VT, created an AI-powered live translation program to train Arabic-speaking community members to become personal care aides.
• The City of Durango, CO, expanded its bilingual business navigation service to more than 25 businesses and provided seed funding to three businesses.
• The City of Honolulu, HI, established a navigator program to improve digital equity and job readiness skills among Compact of Free Association (COFA) citizens living in the adjoining Pacific Island nations of Micronesia, Marshall Islands, and Palau.
• The City of Dallas, TX, launched a program and benefits access campaign for three key areas for WIC, financial counseling and other city-provided services.

“This grant will be remembered as the catalyst for a transformational shift in equitable entrepreneurship and small businesses program design for Redmond and our region. Our community organizations have been exhausted from the pandemic, but this concept has been instrumental in infusing energy and enabling collaborative and constructive conversations for an ideal future state.”

Staff from the City of Redmond, WA

“Although the time frame of this grant period was short, the NLC coaching did impact our work as it provided the opportunity to gain ideas from other cities that were part of this cohort and troubleshoot situations. The NLC coaches made themselves readily available and provided multiple opportunities to engage in this process.”

– Staff from the City of Dallas, TX