SitemapThe U.S. Conference of Mayors and Wells Fargo today announced that Mayors Robert Garcia of Long Beach, Calif.; Nan Whaley of Dayton, Ohio; and Jamael Tito Brown of Youngstown, Ohio, received top honors on behalf of nonprofits in their cities with the 2018 CommunityWINS® Grant Program funded by the Wells Fargo Foundation.
Presented at the conference’s 86th annual meeting in Boston, the awards recognize nonprofits and cities for leadership in driving neighborhood stabilization, economic development and job creation. An independent panel of judges selected recipients of the Wells Fargo-funded grants from 188 applicants representing small, medium and large cities.
Launched in 2015 with a three-year, $3 million commitment, the CommunityWINS grants program will extend into 2020 with an additional $3 million investment by the Wells Fargo Foundation, bringing the total to $6 million over six years.
“The conference and Wells Fargo share similar values focused on helping communities across the U.S. succeed, and the 2018 CommunityWINS Grant Program is an opportunity to honor productive neighborhood revitalization efforts that are making a difference,” said Tom Cochran, CEO and executive director of the U.S. Conference of Mayors. “We appreciate Wells Fargo and the Wells Fargo Foundation for their support of the CommunityWINS Program, which also highlights the leadership of mayors and city governments.”
- Long Beach, Calif., Mayor Robert Garcia received the top honor, and a $300,000 grant was awarded to nonprofit Pacific Gateway Workforce Partnership for the Citywide Market for Hourly Labor program. Seventy percent of those with irregular work schedules in the area are disabled or caregivers who work uncertain hours, often for multiple employers. Using software, the city of Long Beach will create a healthy marketplace for hourly labor built around protections, progress, individual control and alignment with employers’ needs. Long Beach will establish a local project team to implement the program.
- Dayton, Ohio, Mayor Nan Whaley was recognized, and a $150,000 grant was awarded to the nonprofit Greater Dayton Union Cooperative Initiative to fund the city’s first cooperative enterprise — called the Gem City Market — a vibrant, community-centered, full-service grocery store. The market will be located in a section of Dayton where more than 40 percent of residents have low incomes and live more than a mile from a grocery store. At 15,000 square feet, the market will provide access to affordable, high-quality food, with fresh produce and meat departments that include items from urban and regional farms and gardens.
- Youngstown, Ohio, Mayor Jamael Tito Brown was recognized, and a $150,000 grant was awarded to the nonprofit Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation for the REVITALIZE Youngstown Program. The REVITALIZE Youngstown Initiative is a multi-stakeholder public and private partnership led by the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corporation to stabilize the city’s distressed and transitional neighborhoods by making strategic investments to eradicate blight and improve housing and property conditions. Grant funds will be used to complete the renovation of 2246 Glenwood Avenue, a vacant and underutilized commercial property along a major city corridor. The renovations will modernize the 18,000-square-feet structure into several turn-key spaces for multiple neighborhood-serving small businesses.