White House Announces First Five Promise Zones

Today, the White House announced the first five Promise Zones. The first five cities to receive the Promise Zone designation include:

• San Antonio
• Philadelphia
• Los Angeles
• Southeastern Kentucky
• Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma 

Aimed at helping communities create jobs, increase access to quality, affordable housing, reduce crime and expand educational opportunities, the Promise Zones initiative will provide local leaders with access to the federal agencies, tools and resources needed to tackle these complex issues. Though the Promise Zones initiative does not provide cities with a financial award, designated Zones will work in close partnership with federal representatives and will have preferential access to existing grant programs.

The cities announced today – which represent urban, rural and tribal communities – have demonstrated their commitment to leveraging existing resources and working in partnership across sectors to invest to revitalize neighborhoods through existing grant programs, such as the Promise Neighborhoods and Choice Neighborhoods programs. Today’s announcement recognizes the outstanding efforts of these cities, as well as the federal government’s commitment to working in partnership with local leaders to create opportunities in our nation’s most distressed communities.

The Obama Administration plans to announce 15 more Promise Zones throughout the country in the next three years.

Want to learn more about Promise Zones? Check out the Center for the Study of Social Policy’s Promise Zones Brief. Stay tuned to our blog for updates about the work of the five Promise Zones announced today, as well as future application processes.