About the Collaborative
Federal funding and policy are critical to advancing the work of place-based partnerships (PBPs), but are often complex to navigate. The Place Matters Federal Policy Collaborative empowers the 19 Place-Based Partnerships in Blue Meridian’s Place Matters portfolio to support understanding, access, and influence of federal policy and funding, and elevate community voices in the federal policymaking process.
The Collaborative, launched in May 2023 by Results for America (RFA), serves as a resource for these place-based partnerships on how to leverage federal funding and policy to achieve their economic mobility goals. The Collaborative convenes the 19 partnerships regularly to share resources, create space for peer learning and dialogue, and provide individualized support for organizations interested in federal funding opportunities that align with their community goals.
Results for America elevates the voices of these place-based partnerships to help federal policymakers better understand the successes and catalytic impact of place-based work, the challenges these organizations face, and how federal policy and funding could better support their work.
Support for Place Matters Partnerships
Results for America supports the participating place-based partnerships by:
- Helping them identify and access federal funding to advance the economic mobility goals outlined in their community plans, including through bimonthly Office Hours focused on information sharing, peer learning between place-based partnership leaders, and brainstorming on ideas to leverage and improve federal funding focused on economic mobility outcomes.
- Providing direct support to help these place-based partnerships successfully find and apply for federal funding.
- Developing policy and funding solutions that would improve the ability of communities, local governments, and states to use federal funds to meet identified community outcomes.
Federal Policymaker Engagement
Through the Collaborative, Results for America builds a deep understanding of the collective successes, needs, and challenges of place-based partnerships across the nation. Our team leads ongoing dialogues with key federal leaders to share federal policy implementation challenges and success stories and help elevate community voices in the federal policymaking process. We work to promote federal policy action that can address the common barriers and opportunities for place-based partnerships and local and state governments to leverage federal funding to advance community-identified economic mobility outcomes.
- State-Level Data Systems Webinar: In July 2023, Results for America and the Data Quality Campaign hosted a webinar focused on How State Data Systems Can Help Improve Education and Workforce Outcomes. During the webinar, Place Matters communities and state leaders briefed Congressional staff and other national leaders about the critical need for statewide data systems that meet local needs to advance education and workforce outcomes – and specifically how federal investment can support and invest in that data infrastructure.
- White House Community Impact Sessions: Results for America has convened several meetings between the Collaborative and White House leaders. In August 2023, the place-based partnerships met with the White House Office of Public Engagement to discuss the impact of place-based work in catalyzing cross-sector economic mobility initiatives. The Collaborative followed up this meeting with a conversation in October with the White House Office of Public Engagement, Domestic Policy Council, and Gender Policy Council centered on childcare policy and funding, and the needs of local communities.
The Place Matters Federal Policy Collaborative will continue to convene and host these conversations to increase these place-based partnerships’ engagement in the federal policy process and strengthen their ability to implement evidence-based policies and programs that increase economic mobility for children, families, and workers.
Resources
Funding Opportunities for Nonprofits Under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) and Inflation Reduction Act (IRA): Lists, describes, and provides links to 20 funding opportunities in BIL and IRA for nonprofit organizations.
Connecting the Dots: Rethinking Data Systems to Improve Outcomes: Provides an overview of place-based organizations’ experiences with data systems and their recommendations to improve access. You can find a link here to the webinar where these experiences were shared.
How Federal Recovery Funds Helped Accelerate Place-Based Strategies for Improving Economic Mobility: Shares impact and lessons learned from earlier Results for America support of placed-based partnerships.
Contact
For questions about the Place Matters Federal Policy Collaborative, please email Aja Croteau at [email protected].