Applications for Second Round of Promise Zones Initiative Now Available

In last year’s State of the Union address, President Obama announced the launch of Promise Zones, an initiative that would create 20 Promise Zones in high-poverty areas nationwide in which the federal government would concentrate investments to improve economic conditions, work to reduce crime, improve educational opportunities, and expand job opportunities.

Earlier this year, the President designated the first five Promise Zones. Early successes in these five communities have already been cited, including the following:

• Graduation rates have climbed to nearly 90 percent in the San Antonio Promise Zone;
• 2,000 kids in Los Angeles were able to find a summer job through a youth employment initiative;
• 900 unemployed people in Southeastern Kentucky have been connected to a job; and 
• Over 700 households and 50 businesses in remote southeast Oklahoma will soon have access to clean, safe drinking water for the first time.

Today, the Obama Administration has announced that applications for a second round of Promise Zone designation are now available. These applications are open to urban, rural, and tribal communities. If selected, communities will benefit from partnerships with twelve federal agencies working in close collaboration to provide resources and expertise to help them develop economic opportunities and growth. Five AmeriCorps VISTAs and a federal liaison will also be assigned to each community that is selected.

To apply, a letter of intent must be completed by October 17, 2014, with final applications due by November 21, 2014.

For more information about the eligibility requirements for the newly available Promise Zone designation opportunity, see the Second Round Promise Zones Designation Fact Sheet. You can also visit our Promise Zones Brief for additional background information on the purpose of Promise Zones and their linkages to other White House Neighborhood Revitalization Initiatives.