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R2E2 and Four Localities to Deliver Energy-Saving Home Upgrades in Underserved Communities

August 18, 2025 / No Comments

This press release was originally issued by Residential Retrofits for Energy Equity.

 

The Residential Retrofits for Energy Equity (R2E2) initiative is announcing new partnerships with four communities to bring transformative energy efficiency upgrades to affordable housing in historically underserved communities. The partnerships will support local and community leaders in designing and scaling energy programs that reduce utility bills, cut emissions, improve residents’ health, and create local jobs.

 

The work will lead to upgrades like heat pump installations, insulation, and ventilation improvements. The partners will identify funding sources, engage residents in program design, and support workforce development efforts. The four cities reflect a range of geographies, populations, and housing needs. The partnerships mark the next phase of R2E2’s work, building on three years of support for municipalities and community-based organizations.

 

“Energy efficiency upgrades in affordable housing make homes healthier, more comfortable, and more affordable for families that are too often left behind,” said Stephanie Sosa-Kalter, deputy director of R2E2 at the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE). “What we’re building with these cities can inspire and inform similar work across the country, showing how local leadership and community partnerships can drive lasting impact.”

 

R2E2 is partnering with the City of Miami, Miami-Dade County, and the nonprofit Miami Homes For All to support program design strategies that accelerate energy and resilience upgrades in multifamily rental and condo buildings. Technical assistance will focus on aligning financing options, improving owner participation, expanding contractor capacity, and exploring policies to help scale equitable retrofit solutions across privately owned and publicly supported housing.

 

“The City of Miami looks forward to partnering to identify opportunities where energy and resilience upgrades in multifamily housing can lower utility bills, reduce emissions, and prevent displacement to increase housing affordability across the city,” said Sonia Brubaker, Miami’s chief resilience officer.

 

In the nation’s capital, R2E2 is working alongside DC’s Department of Energy and Environment and the DC Housing Authority to promote the benefits of energy efficiency improvements to public housing residents across the District. R2E2 will work with the agencies to identify various funding and financing opportunities for investment in energy efficiencies, and strengthen community engagement around comprehensive energy upgrades. Washington Interfaith Network is also participating in the project to support the engagement of public housing residents

 

“Partnering with R2E2 means our neighbors can help shape solutions that work best for them, meaning upgrades that lower costs, improve health, and create good local jobs, all while building a cleaner, more equitable future for the District,” said Pastor Andre Greene, strategy team member with the Washington Interfaith Network.

 

In Hillsboro, Oregon, a city of 111,000 outside Portland, R2E2 is teaming up with city staff and the nonprofit Community Energy Project to design a replicable energy efficiency program for low-income households. The collaboration focuses on connecting existing funding to high-need homes, addressing staffing and delivery gaps, strengthening contractor and community partnerships, and building a streamlined model that other suburban cities in the region can adopt.

 

“Hillsboro is honored to collaborate and partner with R2E2 and Community Energy Project to improve climate resilience and reduce the energy burdens of priority populations in our community and to develop a program that will serve as a model for other cities like ours,” said Hillsboro city manager Robby Hammond.

 

In Burnsville, Minnesota, R2E2 is partnering with city staff and the nonprofit Clean Energy Resource Teams to support ​energy upgrades in manufactured homes. The Twin Cities suburb of about 65,000 people is seeking to identify funding opportunities, assess retrofit feasibility, strengthen contractor capacity, and engage residents through trusted community partnerships. This work supports Burnsville’s sustainability goals while addressing energy burdens and housing quality in one of the region’s most overlooked housing types.

 

“The City of Burnsville is pleased to collaborate with R2E2 to receive technical assistance and expertise in collaboration with our longstanding partner, the Clean Energy Resource Teams,” said Bridget Rathsack, sustainability coordinator for Burnsville. “This support will enable us to identify energy efficiency opportunities across more than 700 manufactured housing units in the city to help identify ways to reduce energy burden and increase comfort in homes.”

 

R2E2 is a partnership of ACEEE, Elevate, Emerald Cities Collaborative, and HR&A Advisors.

HR&A Report for Service Employees International Union (SEIU) finds that 1 in 5 California Households Lack Basic Banking Services, New Program Would Save Billions

June 27, 2024 / No Comments

This news announcement is based on a press release that was originally issued by Service Employees International Union (SEIU).

 

The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) released a report conducted by HR&A Advisors, which reveals that 1 in 5 California households cannot access basic financial services such as checking and savings accounts and debit cards, underscoring the ongoing crisis of underbanking that restricts financial opportunities for many California families, particularly in communities of color. The report finds that the proposed CalAccount program, a free, public banking option for Californians that the State of California is considering, would save un- and underbanked Californians a total of over $3 billion a year and generate $5 billion in economic activity.

 

When they cannot access banking services, low-income Californians have to rely on alternative financial service providers like pawn shops and check cashers, which can be costly, predatory and exacerbate their already precarious economic situations. For Californians without access to reliable, foundational banking services, financial stability remains out of reach. 

 

The report details how the lack of adequate access to basic financial services hurts California’s families, communities and statewide economy. Specifically, it finds: 

  • Seven million Californians are either unbanked, meaning they do not have a bank account – or underbanked, meaning they rely on costly alternative financial services
  • Black households are 3.5 times more likely to be underbanked than white households
  • Black, Latino/a, and single-female headed households are most likely to be underbanked or unbanked
  • 61% of unbanked households make less than $30,000 annually and 41% make less than $15,000 annually. 40% of underbanked households make more than $75,000 per year
  • Underbanking is of particular concern to California’s rural communities as 70% of census tracts in California do not have any physical banking outlets and another 15% have only one banking outlet
  • The widespread lack of adequate access to basic banking services costs Californians $3.1 billion each year
  • Saving Californians from overdraft fees, account maintenance fees, ATM fees, money orders, and check cashing with CalAccount, will generate $5 billion in the California economy

 

HR&A Advisors found that a solution like CalAccount is necessary to help address the financial service access gap and could be feasible for the State to implement. The proposed CalAccount program, currently under consideration by the CalAccount Blue Ribbon Commission, would generate billions and help Californians keep more of their hard-earned money instead of paying fees to banks or check cashers. 

 

Public Banking Option Would Reduce Income Inequality, Lift Low-Income Communities 

Even Californians with access to traditional banking services have to pay exorbitant fees for transactions, account maintenance, ATM use, money orders, check cashing and more. Current barriers to financial services leave Californians vulnerable to predatory lending and other financial risks. With a fee-free public banking service option like CalAccount, unbanked and underbanked households would on average save $1,300 a year, with many households saving much more. 

 

While the report finds households across income levels are underbanked, banking services are most out of reach for single parents, low-income households and communities of color. Low-income, Black, brown, single-parent and immigrant households face arbitrary requirements, like minimum account balances, to access basic banking services that are the building blocks to economic stability and security. These practices trap families in a cycle of debt, making it nearly impossible to save for emergencies or build a secure future. Meanwhile, the same fees that exclude these families from access to banking provide billions of dollars in revenue to some of the largest U.S. banks. 

 

As the report explains, a public banking option like CalAccount would narrow the financial services gap, increase opportunities for low-income communities to build wealth and put financial stability within reach for the Black, Latino/a, and single-female headed households which are most likely to be underbanked or unbanked. CalAccount is a common-sense solution that ensures all Californians have access to free basic services which are critical to financial security. 

 

You can read the full report here.

Updated Panther Island Strategic Vision Outlines a Generational Opportunity for Fort Worth

March 6, 2024 / No Comments

 

This press release was originally issued by Tarrant Regional Water District.

 

In 2023, the Panther Island Steering Committee* — which includes public partners and civic stakeholders invested in the success of Panther Island— initiated an update of the adopted vision for Panther Island. National real estate and economic development expert HR&A Advisors, which has worked on waterfront redevelopment projects throughout the country, was selected to provide key analysis and consulting services to help guide the future of Panther Island. Architecture firm Lake Flato was a key member of their consulting team, guiding recommendations on the urban design framework. 

 

On March 5, HR&A Advisors and Lake Flato presented key findings of the Panther Island Strategic Vision Update as well as the Panther Island Real Estate, Economic Development and Implementation Strategies. The update indicates that the Panther Island redevelopment project is a once-in-a-generation placemaking opportunity for Fort Worth and the region. The final reports provide a roadmap for future decision-making, lay the groundwork for a market responsive and well-planned waterfront district, and foster sustainable development in the city’s core. 

 

The original, nearly 20-year-old plan for Panther Island was approved by the Fort Worth City Council in 2004. Since then, Fort Worth has seen record growth, becoming the 13th largest and fastest growing large city in the U.S. 

 

“Panther Island is a generational development to create economic and recreational opportunities for Fort Worth communities and support continued growth as the city welcomes new businesses, residents and visitors,” said Aaron Abelson, Managing Partner for Texas, HR&A Advisors. “Panther Island’s size, proximity to downtown, and the abundance of public land create a rare opportunity for government and private investment to work in tandem. HR&A is proud to play a role in this historic public-private partnership.” 

 

Among other recommendations, HR&A’s updated strategic vision: 

    • Highlights a phased implementation strategy for near- and long-term development.
    • Emphasizes adding to a connected open-space network featuring continuous waterfront access.
    • Encourages a seamless connection to surrounding neighborhoods.
    • Recommends a governance structure for development on Panther Island.

     

    The Panther Island Strategic Vision Update as well as the Panther Island Real Estate, Economic Development and Implementation Strategies offer recommendations to guide the design and implementation of public and private investments on Panther Island and suggest additional work to keep advancing momentum and collaboration. 

     

    “We are excited to receive the recommendations of HR&A that are informed by vital input from the community,” TRWD Board President Leah King said. “We look forward to further evaluating the HR&A recommendations and designing the right path forward that ensures Panther Island reaches its full potential for the benefit of Fort Worth, Tarrant County and all of North Texas.” 

     

    Over the past year, HR&A engaged and sought input from numerous local stakeholders, including landowners, community members from surrounding neighborhoods, real estate and civic organizations, and others. The guiding principles for the updated vision are grounded in the valuable feedback provided by the community: 

      • One-of-a-kind waterfront district nestled in the Trinity River.
      • Haven of diverse parks, green spaces, and experiences around every corner
      • Mixed-use neighborhood designed to build community
      • Destination connecting and complementing vibrant surrounding neighborhoods
      • Celebration of Fort Worth’s diverse communities and heritage
      • Economic driver sustaining the rapid growth of Fort Worth 

       

      “When we talk about the future of development in Fort Worth, citywide and on Panther Island, it is vital to have stakeholder and community voices at the table guiding that direction,” Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker said. “I appreciate the leadership from our partner agencies and the feedback from residents and business owners throughout this process to work collaboratively to build out plans that reflect the future of Fort Worth.” 

       

      The new vision aligns with the City’s Economic Development Strategic Plan. It is grounded in high-quality development, an engaging public waterfront, a destination connecting and complementing vibrant surrounding neighborhoods, and place-making of the highest order. View the Panther Island Strategic Vision Update on pantherisland.com. A public meeting will be held in the coming weeks to provide further insight into the updated strategic vision. 

       

    • Additional Coverage:  New & improved vision for Panther Island waterfront district on Trinity River unveiled, CBS News Texas  

      Fort Worth leaders reveal new roadmap for developing Panther Island. Where does it lead? Fort Worth Report 

       

      ‘One of a kind waterfront.’ Here’s the new vision for Fort Worth’s Panther Island, Fort Worth Star- Telegram 

       

      HR&A Advisors and Lake | Flato present Panther Island Vision 2.0, FTWtoday 

       

      Fort Worth’s Panther Island Vision Revitalized: A Blueprint for Waterfront Development, BNN Breaking 

       

Announcing HR&A Advisors’ New CEO, Jeff Hébert

January 18, 2024 / No Comments

 

We are excited to announce Jeff Hébert’s appointment as HR&A’s new CEO.

 

Meet our CEO

Jeff has spent the past twenty years leading and developing strategies that adapt and respond to changing economies and environments. As a senior city and state leader, nonprofit executive, and Partner at HR&A, he has diverse experience spanning the civic, philanthropic, and private sectors on issues of public policy, economic development, and climate resilience.

 

Jeff was named HR&A’s President in 2020, and he has been critical to HR&A’s historic growth since joining the company in 2019. He has supported the development of the firm’s largest business lines, including Broadband and Digital Equity, Inclusive Cities and Equitable Governance, and Housing Affordability. He has also led the company’s ADEI initiatives, which resulted in HR&A being named a 2023 New York Urban League Champion for Recruitment, Retention, and Belonging.

 

 

While Jeff’s management and strategic oversight have been invaluable to the company’s success, HR&A is a firm of action, and Jeff is no different. In addition to his responsibilities as HR&A’s President, he has also been a leader in the firm’s economic development and climate resilience practices with recent projects in New York City, Newark, Los Angeles, Houston, Miami, New Orleans, Dallas, Tulsa, and Washington, DC.

 

In this next chapter for the company, Jeff plans to continue evolving HR&A to meet the needs of cities and the people who live in them: “At a time when cities are navigating unprecedented circumstances, especially in downtowns, I’m excited to lead the company as we help to advance our clients’ aspirations. HR&A is uniquely equipped to meet the challenges facing cities now and into the future. That means rethinking the systems that make our cities function and understanding how they work together. It means looking back at how cities have changed over time and anticipating the forces that will shape them moving forward, like climate change, AI, and the ongoing impacts of the pandemic. We remain at the center of conversations about the cities of tomorrow.”

 

 

Eric Rothman, who has served as President and later CEO of the firm since 2007, was elected to serve as Co-Chair of the HR&A Board of Directors alongside Candace Damon. During Eric’s tenure as CEO and President, he oversaw the growth of the company from 20 people to over 180 today. Eric decided to transition out of executive management in order to focus more of his time as an HR&A Partner with a continued focus on public-private real estate projects, transit-oriented development, sustainable mobility, and economic development.

 

 

“For several years, HR&A Advisors has been in a time of exciting and meaningful transition. I am grateful and proud that over the last year, I have worked very closely with Candace Damon and Jeff Hébert, with our Board, and with Partners to plan and implement a transition that will result in Jeff becoming the fourth CEO in HR&A history, following Ed Hamilton, John Alschuler, and myself,” said Rothman. “Serving as HR&A’s President and CEO has been the greatest privilege of my professional life. I am so proud of what our firm has become, the impact we have, and the community we are.

 

 

 

As Eric shifts his primary focus back to his practice, the thoughtful transition he, Candace, Jeff, and company leadership have planned is underway, and Jeff is helping the firm chart its course for the next chapter of its growth.

 

“Jeff Hébert’s appointment is the next step in an intentional effort to evolve from HR&A’s origins as a boutique real estate advisory firm into the company we are becoming: a consultancy that serves a broad spectrum of community needs and aspirations with the capacity to take on big challenges.” said Candace Damon, Board Co-Chair. “From his time as First Deputy Mayor of New Orleans to his proven track record addressing the great existential threat of our time — climate change — Jeff embodies the kind of diverse talent we want at every level of our company. He understands the connectedness of the issues facing our cities, and he knows how to build integrated solutions.”

 

Prior to joining HR&A, Jeff served Mayor Mitch Landrieu and the City of New Orleans in multiple capacities, including as the First Deputy Mayor & Chief Administrative Officer, Chief Resilience Officer, and as Executive Director of the New Orleans Redevelopment Authority in the years following Hurricane Katrina. He has been an adjunct faculty member at the Tulane University School of Architecture, is Chairman of FUSE Corps, and serves on the Policy Advisory Board of The Reinvestment Fund, the Advisory Board of the ULI Randall Lewis Center for Sustainability in Real Estate, and the Boards of Climate Mayors, the Urban Design Forum, New Hope Housing, and the Greater New Orleans Foundation. He was selected for the Future Leaders program (PIPA) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of France in 2018, where he studied the country’s climate change policy in Paris.

 

Learn more about HR&A’s New CEO here.

HR&A at ULI 2023 Fall Meeting

October 30, 2023 / No Comments

HR&A is excited to engage with fellow urbanists and change-makers at the 2023 ULI Fall Meeting in Los Angeles.

 

Hear from HR&A on Transforming Downtowns:

November 02, 2023, 10:30 AM – 11:30 AM | HR&A Partner Kate Collignon will be moderating a panel with representatives from Heitman, South Park BID, and Eden Housing on “Transforming Downtowns into Mixed-Use, Mixed-Income Neighborhoods.”

 

Connect with all of our HR&A attendees at the Fall meeting:

Amitabh Barthakur, AICP — Partner, Los Angeles, ULI Public/Private Partnership Council

Joseph Cahoon — Senior Advisor, Dallas

Connie Chung — Managing Principal, Los Angeles

Kate Collignon — Partner, San Francisco, ULI Public Development and Infrastructure Council

Candace Damon — Board Chair & Partner, New York, ULI Placemaking Council — Chair

Jazmin Harper — Senior Analyst, Los Angeles

Thomas Jansen — Principal, New York, ULI Urban Revitalization Council

Kate Owens — Principal, San Francisco

Ada Peng — Director, Los Angeles, Affordable/Workforce Housing Council

Eric Rothman — CEO, New York, ULI Public/Private Partnership Council

Judith Taylor — Partner, Los Angeles, ULI Public/Private Partnership Council

Paul J. Silvern  — Partner, Los Angeles

Stan Wall — Partner, Washington DC, ULI Transit Oriented Development Council

Rachel Webster — Analyst, New York

Carl Weisbrod — Senior Advisor, New York, ULI Public/Private Partnership Council

Martha Welborne — Senior Advisor, Los Angeles, ULI Placemaking Council

 

 

 

The White House Acknowledges the 10,000 Communities Initiative

September 29, 2023 / No Comments

 

President Biden is leading an economic revitalization effort that prioritizes the middle class and underserved communities. His “Investing in America” agenda offers an unprecedented opportunity for states, territories, Tribal nations, and local governments to make transformative investments in infrastructure, clean energy, and climate resilience. 

 

To ensure that the full advantages of the Biden-Harris Administration’s “Investing in America” agenda reach the communities and regions that require them most, it demands a collaborative effort not solely from the federal government but also from diverse non-federal entities. Much of this progress would not be achievable without the substantial contributions of philanthropic organizations, which have stepped forward to aid states and local communities in implementing this unique investment opportunity. 

 

HR&A Advisors collaborated with the Milken Institute to support the 10,000 Communities Initiative, which aims to connect 10,000 high-need urban, rural, and tribal communities with the capital, capacity, and talent required to secure and deploy federal climate and infrastructure funding. The Milken Institute’s Community Infrastructure Center platform and our Infrastructure Funding Navigator connects community project sponsors to federal and non-federal funding sources and project readiness tools to help communities develop loan-worthy, grant-worthy and investment-ready projects.   

 

This resource aids communities in developing projects that are eligible for loans, grants, and investments. This initiative facilitates effective access to new federal funding for communities and organizes regional events across the United States to advance project pipelines.

 

Philanthropy has historically played a pivotal role in promoting climate action and providing vital support such as capacity-building, technical guidance, and direct assistance to nonprofit organizations and marginalized communities. As seen by our work above philanthropic efforts are creating fresh perspectives and resources to support communities in accessing and utilizing federal infrastructure funding.  

 

Learn more about our work and partners on the CIC and at the 10k Initiative here. 

 

Read the full white house report here.  

HR&A Advisors congratulates Principal Jane Carlson on her appointment to the Griffith Park Board

May 3, 2023 / No Comments

HR&A Advisors congratulates Principal Jane Carlson on her appointment to the Griffith Park Board! Jane will apply her deep understanding of municipal finance and economic development strategies to support the Board’s mission to enhance the quality of life in Los Angeles by providing attractive, safe, and well-maintained parks with diverse opportunities to serve and enrich every community. 

 

She hopes her impact can further establish an accessible, dynamic, and sustainable park system for all Angelenos and visitors to play, learn, connect with the natural world, and build community.

 

To read more about the Griffith Park Board follow this link. 

Partner Shuprotim Bhaumik and Director Jamison Dague take a deeper dive into Long Island’s Blue Economy

May 1, 2023 / No Comments

Newsday Media Group’s nextLI engaged HR&A Advisors to create an in-depth analysis of the region’s long-term economic outlook through a scenario that envisions an emergent ocean-based economy. HR&A Partner Shuprotim Bhaumik and Director Jamison Dague launched their report “Long Island’s Emergent Blue Economy”, at a panel discussion. The report examined how a Blue Economy ecosystem can benefit many industries and enhance the prosperity of Long Island in the coming decades.  

 

The report outlines how leveraging Long Island’s Blue Economy and investing in this economic sector and evolving existing policies could add more than 60,000 jobs by 2051 and approximately 35% of jobs in the sector paid between $90,300 and $105,700 per year, on average, in 2021. 

 

“We see an opportunity for Long Island to create a lot of good-paying jobs, to address the existential threat of climate change by cleaning up our waterways and increasing economic output and tax revenue.”, said Shuprotim Bhaumik in his interview with James Madore. In addition to reviewing Long Island’s economic growth, HR&A examined regional economies centered around water activity, forecasting employment for key industries, and interviewing stakeholders to determine interventions and quantify their economic and fiscal effects.  

 

Read the full report and learn more about the findings and recommendations at NewsDay’s website.  

Empire State Development Releases Report Outlining First Year Accomplishments of the Office of Strategic Workforce Development

April 28, 2023 / No Comments

Last Year, Governor Kathy Hochul announced an historic investment of $350 million for workforce development and the creation of the Office of Strategic Workforce Development (OSWD) within New York State’s economic development agency, Empire State Development (ESD). This investment represented a decisive shift toward a state workforce development strategy that is laser-focused on connecting New Yorkers to quality, in-demand jobs in the state’s fastest-growing industries. Empire State Development (ESD) contracted HR&A, in partnership with Jobs for the Future (JFF), to support the development of a comprehensive statewide strategy for the newly established Office of Strategic Workforce Development (OSWD).   

 

HR&A and JFF worked with ESD leadership to establish priorities and build consensus with a multitude of internal and external stakeholders, analyze statewide economic and employment trends and existing workforce strategies; develop prioritized strategies and best practices; and establish clear metrics for success that can both guide prospective grantees in their programming and provide a platform for OSWD to ensure the state’s workforce development ecosystem has maximum impact.  

 

To guide its investment, OSWD  identified 7 statewide high-growth target industries representing New York’s most critical growth sectors and additional regional priority sectors. 

 

    1. Advanced Manufacturing and Materials: R&D-driven manufacturing such as the production of electrical equipment, computers, and machinery as well as processing of glass, metals, chemicals, and minerals.  
    2.  Biotech and Life Sciences: Industries that research, develop, and manufacture health care products and equipment and pharmaceuticals.  
    3.  Cleantech and Renewable Energy: Industries that generate, transmit, and store clean energy; manufacture the key components for clean energy generation; and retrofit buildings and infrastructure to incorporate modern technology.  
    4. Construction: Industries related to the construction of buildings, civil engineering, and specialty trades. 
    5. Electronics and Optics, Photonics, and Imaging (OPI): Computer, electronics, and chemical manufacturing industries (including semiconductor manufacturing) as well as related professional services.  
    6. Film and TV Production and Post-Production: Motion picture, television, sound recording, and other industries involved in video and audio production and post-production.  
    7. Software and Digital Media: Software development, data processing, information services, and telecommunication (including broadband) industries. 

 

ESD’s Office of Strategic Workforce Development released their annual report highlighting the significant strides made towards creating a more robust and inclusive workforce in New York State. Over the past six months, OSWD published three grant programs and has disbursed $13 million dollars in funding across New York to 22 innovative training programs in the first two rounds of its grantmaking process. These resources will help train more than 6,600 New Yorkers for more than 200 businesses and industry partners. 

 

See ESD’s press release announcing the report here. You can read the full report and learn more about the findings and recommendations here.

How to win a $63 million federal grant as a first-time applicant

September 29, 2022 / No Comments

Written by Kate Wittels and Giacomo Bagarella

 

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs and Inflation Reduction Acts present communities with once-in-a-generation opportunities to pursue federal funding. Historically, communities with more resources or experience navigating the complexities of the federal funding landscape have had greater success. Politics also plays a major role in decision-making. Both facts, along with a lack of equity-driven thinking in the design of these programs has reinforced long-standing inequities.

 

We have shared federal funding success stories from HR&A’s clients in previous features, but working with the Allegheny Conference on Community Development, a non-profit economic development organization active in southwestern Pennsylvania, was perhaps the single most exciting instance of disrupting this status quo. In early September, the Economic Development Administration (EDA) announced that the Allegheny Conference and southwestern Pennsylvania were one of only 21 Build Back Better Regional Challenge (BBBRC) awardees and one of only five that received over $60 million.

 

Our work supporting clients pursuing federal funding opportunities suggests the critical importance of having tools and processes to simplify the complexity. Even trying to identify programs for which you are eligible can deter organizations that haven’t engaged in the process before; our recently launched Infrastructure Funding Navigator helps with that particular challenge. In Allegheny Conference’s case, a dynamic impact model and a robust application management strategy were keys to success winning the federal funding game.

 

Although the Allegheny Conference had the support of the community and was well-positioned to lead the effort, it had never submitted a federal grant application before. It brought on HR&A to support the effort, because as Vera Krekanova, Chief Strategy & Research Officer put it, “HR&A had the tools, lived experience, and internal organization to understand how to navigate the federal funding process.”

 

At the conclusion of the effort, Allegheny Conference leaders, including the organization’s CEO Stefani Pashman, sat down with us to reflect on what drove success.

 

Identify the problem and envision a unifying solution that will have lasting impacts for all.

 

The 11-county southwestern Pennsylvania region is home to 2.7 million people, one in five Pennsylvanians. Like 12 other former coal and industrial communities that received BBBRC grants, southwestern Pennsylvania has struggled to recover from the decline of those industries. With major employment loss came significant population loss — particularly in rural counties.

 

To address these issues, Allegheny Conference developed a proposal to rebuild a knowledge-driven economy that will transform assets into a system to benefit everyone within the region. In the view of Conference leadership, this twin focus on systems and equity helped them secure one of the largest BBBRC grants and funding for all five of their proposed projects.

 

Within the region, energy, healthcare, and advanced manufacturing are recognized strengths. HR&A worked with the Allegheny Conference to identify a unifying economic driver that would build on these strengths, improve opportunities for a diversity of communities, and leverage world-class research and development at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) and other local institutions. As a result of a robust community engagement process, Allegheny Conference leadership identified an opportunity to “supercharge the … globally recognized robotics and autonomy cluster and ensure that its economic benefits equitably reach rural and coal-impacted communities,” thereby improving the lives of nearly 15,000 workers.

 

Erect a big tent and invite your community in, building a vision together without diluting its impact.

 

The Allegheny Conference started by leveraging its existing connections to bring more than 90 public, private, philanthropic, labor, education, and economic development stakeholders together for regular conversations. The application’s focus on robotics and autonomous mobility emerged from these conversations.

 

We began with a discussion of how establishment of a unifying theme that could demonstrably benefit every coalition member would strengthen the application. In these early conversations, it became clear that everyone — from farmers to pharmacists — could benefit from the adoption of robotics. While funding for research and development was critical to make sure ideas emerging from educational partners turned into companies, it was equally important to ensure that regional businesses were ready to be customers of these robotic technologies and that the local workforce was able to use robotics and had the skills to help scale the robotic companies themselves. The overarching vision that emerged was of a focus on the entire supply chain rather than one aspect, which would have narrowed the impact to a single party, geographic community, or stakeholder type.

 

 

Create an application management plan.

 

We needed a system for efficient decision-making. HR&A recommended core principles for application management that the Allegheny Conference relied on throughout the process:

 

  1. Inform everyone
  2. Bring together local experts
  3. Be open to feedback
  4. Make sure you have people who call the shots
  5. Inform everyone again

 

Allegheny Conference and HR&A supported the stakeholder coalition, developing templates for members to develop BBBRC-compliant programs, which would later be synthesized and summarized in the application. Among the tools we developed for coalition members preparing these program descriptions was a cost-benefit model to evaluate relative impact if money were reduced or added to a specific project. Another tool developed for coalition members was a prompt to facilitate consideration of the rationale for each project and the role it would play in equitable, systemic change.

 

The Allegheny Conference also assigned tasks and responsibilities, pushing as much content drafting as possible to local experts, while retaining management of the overall process, narrative, and quality control.

 

With consistent communication and adherence to the application management plan, the Allegheny Conference built trust across the coalition. This proved critical when amendments to the proposal were required by EDA in the final stages of the award process.

 

Translate federal priorities and principles so they make sense to your local stakeholders. 

 

The Allegheny Conference recognized how important it was for the entire coalition — not just the applicant — to speak EDA’s language. EDA’s articulated priorities differed somewhat from past federal funding opportunities, requiring proposals that offered “transformational investments to develop and strengthen regional industry clusters…while embracing equitable economic growth, creating good-paying jobs, and enhancing U.S. global competitiveness.”

 

The Allegheny Conference and HR&A identified five projects that could transform the region’s robotics, automation, and manufacturing economy and aligned with EDA priorities, including closing “not just racial and ethnic, but also geographic” equity gaps, and then wove them together, both in the imaginations of project sponsors and in the application narrative, advancing a theory of change that relied on the five projects functioning as an integrated regional system. As Allegheny Conference CEO Stefani Pashman said, this win “will bring renewed vitality to our 11-county region and enhance opportunities for a wide band of people, businesses and places in ways we have not seen before. These projects are designed to open doors to anyone who wants to participate in the region’s thriving robotics cluster. This includes expanded opportunities for women and people of color, as well as provide geographic equity throughout the region.”

 

Presentation of the projects as an integrated system enabled both the coalition and EDA to see the importance of funding the entire package and the tradeoffs if one or more projects were not funded. EDA ultimately funded all five projects — distinguishing the submission from many others, where EDA funded only one or two. The Allegheny Conference proved that with the right tools and a well-considered framework for impact, even organizations that have never played before can win the federal funding game.

 

Images courtesy of Allegheny Conference.