At the National League of Cities, we often talk about bold ideas — innovative policies, promising pilot programs and ambitious goals for stronger, more equitable communities. But ideas alone don’t move cities forward. What turns possibility into progress is technical assistance.
Technical assistance (TA) is the transformative process that makes visions become realities. It’s where cities, towns and villages get the hands-on support they need to apply national best practices to their own local reality.
At its core, technical assistance is about capacity building. While it may begin with addressing a specific challenge or initiative, the long-term goal is to help cities strengthen their ability to plan, implement and sustain solutions on their own.
What Does Technical Assistance Look Like?
Technical assistance isn’t a one-size-fits-all toolkit or a single training session. It’s an ongoing partnership that recognizes that cities are starting from different places, operating under different constraints and serving different communities.
At NLC, technical assistance shows up in many forms:
- Subject-matter expertise that helps cities navigate complex policy areas, from workforce development to early childhood education.
- Peer learning opportunities that allow city leaders to learn directly from one another — not just from national experts.
- Coaching and implementation support that helps cities move from planning to sustained action.
- Data, tools, resources and frameworks that cities can adapt to their own local context.
The common thread is practicality. Technical assistance isn’t about telling cities what should work in theory; it’s about helping municipal staff and elected leaders figure out what will work wherever they are.
25 Years of Impact
In 2000, Mayor Thomas M. Menino of Boston stepped to the podium at NLC’s Congress of Cities — what is now called City Summit — and announced the formal launch of NLC’s Institute for Youth, Education and Families. This new arm of NLC would be dedicated to helping cities find new ways for their most vulnerable residents to thrive. What began with just three staff members has grown to be NLC’s largest division, with more than 40 employees working across the country every day to support local leaders. These municipal policy experts dedicate their careers to solving the challenges you face every day.
By The Numbers: NLC Technical Assistance Impact
- 2,000+ technical assistance engagements
- Worked with 2,600+ cities, towns and villages
- Impacted the lives of 116+ million Americans
Explore the more than 2,000 technical assistance engagements NLC has conducted with our impact map.
Explore NLC’s Technical Assistance Initiatives
Learn more about the subjects NLC’s subject matter experts work on by exploring our current initiatives.
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