October Newsletter

October Newsletter

Dayton Investment Workshop

For the past several months, the Accelerator has been working directly with cities to help them plan, prioritize, and coordinate the deployment of the unprecedented level of federal relief and recovery investments coming their way. Last week, alongside our partners at Drexel's Nowak Metro Finance Lab, we met on the ground with Mayor Nan Whaley, City Manager Shelley Dickstein, Dayton community leaders, and investors to develop an Investment Playbook focused on leveraging federal funding to build a more competitive and inclusive Dayton.

While in Dayton, we also hosted an evening reception for the U.S. Conference of Mayors' Fall Leadership Meeting. We thank our partners at the Conference and the City of Dayton for planning such a meaningful, productive, and safe gathering.

Building Back Better

Accelerator for America's mission is to find and develop innovative solutions to economic insecurity and share them with cities. With the unprecedented level of federal funding currently being distributed, this means sharing ways that cities can capitalize on potentially transformative funding opportunities like the Biden Administration's new $1 billion Build Back Better Regional Challenge (BBBRC).

With a quickly-approaching application deadline of October 19, the BBBRC is one of the most urgent of the numerous federal grant applications currently available to cities. To help cities navigate the application process, our partners at the Drexel University Nowak Metro Finance Lab just released a memo with guiding questions for local leaders. 

Full Circle in Birmingham

In April 2019, our Advisory Council Chair Mayor Eric Garcetti and Advisory Council members including Mayor Steve Benjamin (Columbia, SC), City Clerk Anna Valencia (Chicago, IL), Mayor Quentin Hart (Waterloo, IA), and Mayor Andy Schor (Lansing, MI) met with Mayor Randall Woodfin in Birmingham to announce the $24M redevelopment of the long-abandoned American Life building.

Two weeks ago, our CEO Aaron Thomas and Director of Economic Development Andi Crawford were able to visit the remodeled building, which is now home to 140 workforce housing units, some of which are reserved for residents who are reintegrating into the workforce after prison or other obstacles. Our team worked in close partnership with the City of Birmingham as they were identifying and securing funding for the building's redevelopment, and it was incredible to see the transformative results of their hard work.

Zero Carbon Fueling

President Biden has called on auto manufacturers to make the transition to electric vehicles to ensure that 50% of the market is electric by 2030, and he has also put forth a plan for historic investments in EV charging stations. Expanding EV charging infrastructure is critical to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and combatting the impacts of climate change, especially for our most vulnerable communities.

Last month, our team at AFA Action joined Mayor Eric Garcetti, Mayor Kate Gallego, Mayor Quinton Lucas, Mayor Jim Kenney, Mayor John Giles, Mayor Kate Snyder, The Sierra Club, The Natural Resources Defense Council, and nearly 40 other signatories to urge Congress to allow states to partner with the private sector to offer zero emission charging on NHS rights-of-way. Read the full letter here.

Congratulations to:

  • Our friends at Opportunity Alabama for the release of The Apex Project, a new tool designed to create stronger, more resilient, and more community-engaged higher education institutions in Alabama — and across the U.S.

  • Our Advisory Council member Mayor David Holt for the September 14th City Council approval of the MAPS 4 Implementation Plan, a major milestone in the MAPS 4 process. MAPS 4 is a transformational public improvement program that will raise a projected $978 million over eight years.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT


And keep following us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram as we create national change from the ground up, from coast to coast.

Aaron Thomas
President and CEO | Accelerator for America

NewslettersAccelerator for America