Expanding Capacity, Building Resilience
Every day, southern municipal leaders grapple with various challenges. Poverty, sluggish job growth and unrealized economic opportunity hinder small business development, restrict access to quality employment and limit affordable housing options. These issues connected to long standing policies can exacerbate disadvantages that are difficult for local leaders to overcome. Recent natural disasters have compounded these struggles, further challenging already vulnerable communities and making recovery and progress even more formidable.
“Thanks to SCEI, we were able to create the Builder’s Blueprint Program. This program expands opportunities for…our contractors and vendors. We are strengthening Chattanooga’s supplier diversity while creating critically needed economic opportunities.”
Mayor Tim Kelly, City of Chattanooga, TN
Despite these challenges, the South holds tremendous potential for growth. As southern cities look to the future, integrating focused economic expansion strategies into frameworks of well-being and resilience is crucial for fostering the success and health of families, businesses, and communities.
SCEI is a collaboration between National League of Cities and the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, with financial and strategic support from philanthropic partners, including the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, The Annie E. Casey Foundation, and the Nathan Cummings Foundation. The Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta does not provide funding, nor does it participate in participant selection or decisions of grant funding of SCEI participants.
Between 2021 and 2024, NLC supported 15 cities to implement successful economic inclusion strategies, including:
- New legislation to expand services to disadvantaged business enterprises
- Programs to enable small local food businesses to obtain city contracts
- New city department was established to support small business growth
- Millions in grants leveraged to support economic inclusion
- Launching a youth employment project in partnership with the public school system
This year, the Request for Proposal (RFP) for SCEI opens Monday, January 13, 2025. If your municipality is ready to lead on economic access and growth, apply now to ensure you don’t miss this opportunity. The RFP closes Thursday, February 27, 2025.
Municipalities from the following 10 states are eligible for SCEI: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia.
NLC will host two informational webinars, offering an in-depth overview of SCEI and addressing questions about the application process. We will also host dedicated office hours to provide personalized guidance and answer any remaining questions.
Do not miss this opportunity to learn more about joining the next round of SCEI and positioning your municipality for success in economic inclusion. Review frequently asked questions or watch the video recording from our information session for more information, and for additional assistance, email eofe@nlc.org.
More About SCEI
Want to learn more? Read this NLC brief, which highlights successes and experiences from past participating cities.
NLCU: Governing Cities for Health, Equity and Wellbeing 101
NLCU: REAL Essentials Foundations
NLCU: Navigating the Affordable Multi-Family Housing Development Process
NLCU: Nature Everywhere Communities Action Challenge!
NLCU: Wastewater Capacity Building
