The Cities of Service Impact Volunteering Fund is a $2 million fund administered by Cities of Service and funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies to help cities use impact volunteering to tackle pressing local challenges. Grant sizes will range from $25,000 to $100,000 with larger amounts reserved for cities with multiple initiatives.

Cities interested in applying should read all of the documents below and then click here to access the online Intent to Apply and full application. We ask that all interested cities submit their Intent to Apply by July 9. The full application is due August 31, 2012.

Click to Download the Request for Proposal and other important information.

For questions not answered by the supporting documents below, please emailimpactvolunteering@citiesofservice.org.

(Source: mikebloomberg.com)

Mayor Bloomberg and twenty other mayors are urging their peers across the nation to implement the Cities of Service impact volunteering model and create or retain a Chief Service officer position in their administrations.

In a letter from Cities of Service, a bipartisan coalition of mayors working to engage citizens in addressing critical city needs through volunteering, Mayor Bloomberg joined Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter in saying “Chief Service Officers elevate citizen service as a viable strategy for local government and the city at large. By leveraging the convening power and bully pulpit of the mayor’s office, they build partnerships and leverage assets from across the community that focus citizen service on our top priorities.”

The call from Cities of Service came just before Martin Luther King Jr. Day, on which Mayor Bloomberg led more than 350 New Yorkers in school beautification and literacy projects to honor Martin Luther King Jr.s’ legacy.

Cities of Service today announced that ten U.S. cities this month have launched efforts to strategically engage volunteers to address the most pressing needs in their communities. Seven of these cities – Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore, Baton Rouge, Houston, Little Rock, and Orlando – released their “high-impact service plans” this week. All ten cities are recipients of Cities of Service Leadership Grants, funded jointly by the Rockefeller Foundation and Bloomberg Philanthropies. The two-year grants enable cities to hire Chief Service Officers to work closely with mayors to develop and implement these service strategies.

The cities and the high-priority issues they are targeting with service are:

• Atlanta, GA – at-risk youth and city beautification Austin, TX – veterans reintegration, education, and health
• Baltimore, MD – drug addiction, crime, and urban blight
• Baton Rouge, LA – neighborhood revitalization and early education
• Chula Vista, CA – education and community health and wellness
• Houston, TX – education, veterans issues, and health and public safety
• Little Rock, AR – childhood obesity, neighborhood stabilization, and environmental sustainability
• Orlando, FL – education and youth crime prevention
• Pittsburgh, PA – youth and neighborhood development
• Richmond, VA – youth and the elderly

The high-impact service plans embody a concept pioneered by Cities of Service called “impact volunteering” – volunteer strategies that target community needs, use best practices, and set clear outcomes and measures to gauge progress. Cities of Service is a bipartisan coalition of mayors who have committed to work together to engage citizens in a multi-year effort to address pressing city needs through impact volunteerism. Founded in September 2009, the coalition includes more than 100 mayors, representing more than 49 million Americans across the nation.

Read more here.

During the National Conference on Volunteering & Service in New York City, Mayor Bloomberg joined Nashville Mayor Karl Dean to announce the second round winners of “Cities of Service Leadership Grants,” a Bloomberg Philanthropies and the Rockefeller Foundation fund that provides 10 cities $200,000 to help design citywide volunteer projects.

Learn more.