(Alliance E-News Service) — A U.S. House appropriations subcommittee recently reduced the amount of funding for Promise Neighborhoods to $60 million, $150 million less than originally requested by President Barack Obama. The joint public policy office of the Alliance and United Neighborhood Centers of America is circulating a sign-on letter advocating for the approval of Obama’s full request of $210 million for Promise Neighborhoods. Contact Patrick Lester, senior vice president for public policy at the Alliance, to add your organization to the list of supporters.
The subcommittee's decision is not final, as the budget must go before the full committee, full House, and U.S. Senate. However, this recommendation does put the future of the program in jeopardy. At a time when legislators are more critical than ever about discretionary spending, new programs without track records of success or pre-existing advocate groups can often fall victim to dramatic budget cuts, Lester says.
This scenario played out similarly last month with the Choice Neighborhoods Initiative, which seeks to build on the success of the HOPE VI public housing revitalization program. The House appropriations subcommittee with jurisdiction over Choice Neighborhoods completely eliminated funding for the program.
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Column in Chronicle of Philanthropy by head of Alliance policy office
The Chronicle of Philanthropy recently published a column by Patrick Lester, senior vice president for public policy at the Alliance. Lester conveys the tremendous amount of hope and excitement Promise Neighborhoods has generated, along with the harsh reality that only 20 grants are available to the pool of more than 300 applicants.
Lester elaborates on the ways Obama is trying to change the landscape for government programs. The methods include a focus on innovation, the engagement of foundations and other donors, funding competitions, data and evidence-based practices, and government transparency.
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