Category: News

For far too long, communities like Birmingham, Alabama have been victim to widespread disinvestment. Mara Eala of Community Funding Accelerator and Sarah McMillan of the City of Birmingham believe the only way to fight back is to actively and relentlessly reinvest in community residents of all ages. In particular, focusing economic development on the workforce readiness of current middle and high school students is an essential step towards sustainable, equitable, long-term growth. 

As one of six winners nationwide for the U.S. Department of Commerce Distressed Area Recompete Pilot Program, Birmingham will do just that. Read the full op-ed here.

CFA’s Amy Zhou was recently interviewed along with the Applied Research Institute’s Bioworks Executive Vice President Andrew Kossack and U.S. Sen. Todd Young about Heartland Bioworks’ Tech Hubs win.

“There’s a workforce shortage and at least 2,200 bio manufacturing workers per year in Indiana, and this funding will help young people enter these careers and fill that gap,” said Zhou for the Indianapolis TV story.

Watch the interview here. 

CFA authored a blog post featured on the National League of Cities Citiesspeak blog. The post explores the challenges communities face accessing competitive federal funding and the new model of support CFA provides to help communities across the U.S. win federal dollars and scale innovative education and workforce solutions. Read the full article here.

CFA was featured in a Philanthropy Daily op-ed, spotlighting its support model. The piece delves into the hurdles communities encounter in securing competitive federal grants and highlights the ways CFA provides comprehensive support—from demystifying the application process to guiding coalitions to turn their winning, innovative ideas into action.

Read the op-ed here.

CFA was recently featured in an article from Real Clear Education focused on the critical role K-12 plays in developing the workforce of the future, introducing students to career opportunities in cutting-edge technologies and ensuring the U.S. maintains its global competitiveness for future generations.  Read the full article here.  

CFA was featured in a recent Government Technology article for its role in helping communities win competitive federal grants. Read the full article here.