Every day, local governments strive to improve living conditions in their community so that all residents are able to move up the economic ladder. Local governments work with different community partners on making housing affordable, designing accessible transportation systems, and building a strong and resilient workforce.  Yet often what is missing is a holistic strategy; an infusion of resources to catalyze ongoing work; and a person to lead and align efforts. Your chance to amplify your community’s ongoing work on advancing economic mobility is here! ICMA is offering a unique opportunity where 15 ICMA member-led communities will receive grants to hire an Economic Mobility and Opportunity Special Assistant (EMO SA). And with the grant comes opportunities for professional development and learning to help the EMO SA help your community.

Here are three reasons why this is an important opportunity: 

1. Multi-year grant funding for holistic strategy building. This grant gives your local government the ability to hire an EMO SA for 2+ years who will lead EMO efforts in your community.  ICMA anticipates providing an upper limit of $250,000 total for SA’s salary over the course of a 30-month tenure. Two years can give a community a solid foundation to break down silos and make greater progress. 
2. Wraparound support for training, peer learning and more. Beyond covering a substantive portion of the EMO SA’s salary, the grant will fund wrap-around services including professional development, individual and team coaching, travel to in-person meetings, and key networking opportunities for the EMO SA and your local government. These services give you exposure to best practices and the latest tools to advance economic mobility. 
3. Senior-level leadership investment. This role is intended to work hand-in-hand with your executive leadership, which means your local government is able to prioritize economic mobility, think strategically, and build across departments and with community partners to align actions and create synergies for greater impact and progress. 

Prior to applying, be sure to take a look at the Request for Applications, which includes program details, requirements, and the application questions.  Additionally, we have developed an FAQ document from an informational webinar that includes more details about what the grant covers such as expectations of local governments in supporting special assistants, technical requirements, host community selection criteria, and more.

Learn more and apply by May 30, 2025. Email emo@icma.org with questions.