New grant will help Philadelphia innovate volunteerism

The timing was intentional, but nonetheless profound when the Rockefeller Foundation and Cities of Service announced on Martin Luther King Day on Monday that Philadelphia was one of 10 cities to receive Leadership grants. The two-year, $200,000 grants will help cities implement a citywide plan to increase volunteerism. The innovative approach, announced in Philadelphia at Girard College where many Philadelphians were volunteering for MLK Day, will be aligned with the city’s current priorities.

“This funding allows us to implement a comprehensive civic engagement plan that will ensure volunteer efforts throughout Philadelphia are focused around our goals for a safer, greener and better educated city,” says Mayor Michael Nutter in a news release.

Cities of Service is a bipartisan coalition of mayors from across the country, representing some 38 million Americans in 80 cities. The organization, formed in September, 2009, is dedicated to engaging more Americans in service and addressing cities’ most pressing challenges through volunteerism.

The grant will allow Philly to hire a chief service officer, a senior-ranking official who will develop and implement a citywide service plan to be submitted by September 10. A strategic committee of service experts and stakeholders will assess existing service levels and identify collaborative partnerships. A progress report and comprehensive website is due from the city by Dec. 1.

Philadelphia, which has a thriving volunteer community in a city full of service- and mission-based organizations, expects to deepen its impact and solve real problems it’s facing.

“The grant is a tribute to what our city has already accomplished,” says Nutter.

Source: City of Philadelphia
Writer: Joe Petrucci