Cities of Service Coalition: Grants to Mayors for Community Service Plans due December 15

Number of Awards: 10 cities
Amount of Award: $200,000 over two years
Eligibility: cities over 100,000 inhabitants who are members of Cities of Service

The Cities of Service Coalition was founded in September 2009 by mayors from around the United States seeking to respond to the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act's call to action by finding new and innovative ways to deploy volunteers in addressing local challenges.

With support from the Rockefeller Foundation, the Fund for Cities of Service will award ten cities $200,000 each over two years to hire Chief Service Officers to lead local efforts to develop and implement a comprehensive service plan on behalf of their mayor.

To be considered for the grant, a city's mayor must be a member of the Cities of Service coalition. Coalition members have signed a Declaration of Service that commits them to developing a comprehensive service plan for volunteers in their own cities and to work with other elected officials in promoting the service movement across the United States.

The coalition is open to all mayors who agree to the program's provisos. (Mayors interested in joining the Cities of Service Coalition should visit: http://www.citiesofservice.org for registration information.) In addition, all applicant cities must have at least 100,000 residents and be home to at least one community college or a four-year public or private university.

Applications must be submitted by the city's Office of the Mayor. Applications from nonprofits or other external groups on behalf of a mayor will not be accepted.

Visit the coalition Web site for complete program information.