Grant Opportunity: Advancing Economic Mobility

Advancing Economic Mobility Rapid Grant Program

All cities, towns, and villages, regardless of size, can have an impact on the upward economic mobility of residents.  They can promote economic equity and opportunity through their day-to-day operations, programs, and services. They can tap into unique municipal roles and levers to build lasting outcomes for all residents – such as community partner, model employer, funder, priority setter, and equity leader.

The National League of Cities’ Framework for Economic Opportunity and Financial Empowerment.

Advancing the upward economic mobility of residents has a direct positive impact on the financial health and long-term viability of municipalities. Economically secure families are better able to weather the ebbs and flows of income drops and unexpected expenses.  They are less likely to rely on municipal services and support and more likely to maintain housing and utility payments and provide revenue for cities via sales, property, or income taxes.

The Economic Mobility Peer Network (EMPN)

If you’re interested in learning more about economic mobility from your peers and other practitioners, please check out the Economic Mobility Peer Network! The Economic Mobility Peer Network is the premiere way for municipal leaders, staff, and partners to engage with like-minded peers to address pressing economic mobility issues through monthly learning opportunities and direct communication

Grants to Turn Economic Mobility Ideas into Reality

Through the generous support of the Gates Foundation, NLC launched the Advancing Economic Mobility Rapid Grant program in 2023, a unique opportunity that provides small grants through a competitive application process to cities, towns, and villages seeking to support the advancement of economic mobility.

2025 Cohort

In 2025, NLC launched a third cohort of the Advancing Economic Mobility Rapid Grant program.  NLC awarded grants of $20,000 to 12 municipalities committed to boosting the economic mobility of residents.

In addition to receiving grant funding, municipalities selected for the grant opportunity benefited from a comprehensive support package, including monthly coaching calls with NLC experts, engagement with NLC’s Economic Mobility Peer Network, and expert-led sessions from ideas42, a national leader in behavioral science. The participants also received training on key economic mobility resources, including Opportunity Insights’ Opportunity Atlas, Results for America’s Economic Mobility Catalog, and the Urban Institute’s Upward Mobility Framework.

Selected municipalities utilized their funds on programs focused on one of the following areas:

1. Creating quality employment opportunities for residents;
2. Equitable support to strengthen or start small businesses; or
3. Helping residents connect with government-sponsored residential services or public benefits such as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the Child Tax Credit (CTC), Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), or free tax preparation services.

NLC has selected 12 cities to be in the 2025 Advancing Economic Mobility cohort.
See the full list

2023 and 2024 Cohorts

Previous NLC Advancing Economic Mobility Rapid Grant Cohorts in 2023 and 2024 consisted of eight and 12 municipalities, respectively.  These cities participated in coaching calls with NLC staff, Economic Mobility Peer Network (EMPN) calls, and in-person convenings, fostering peer learning with other cities. Through the grant program, municipalities were able to launch and sustain innovative economic mobility programs such as:

• The City of Dallas, TX launched a program and benefits access campaign for three key areas for WIC, financial counseling, and other city-provided services.
• The City of Burlington, VT created an AI-powered live translation program to train Arabic-speaking community members to become Personal Care Aides.
• The City of Durango, CO expanded their bilingual business navigation service to more than 25 businesses and provided seed funding to three businesses.
• The City of Honolulu, HI established a navigator program to improve digital equity and job readiness skills among Compact of Free Association (COFA) citizens living in the adjoining Pacific Island nations of Micronesia, Marshall Islands, and Palau.

 2024 Advancing Economic Mobility Rapid Grant program participants

2023 Advancing Economic Mobility Rapid Grant program participants 

Selected Cohort Cities

If you have any questions about the Equitable Economic Mobility Initiativeis rapid grant cohort, please reach out to the Economic Opportunity and Financial Empowerment team at eofe@nlc.org