Summary:
The U.S. Department of Education, through its Promise Neighborhoods program, is accepting applications for grants of up to $6 million dollars per year for 5 years for a total of $30 million to move the needle on educational and developmental outcomes of children and youth residing in the nation's most distressed neighborhoods.
The City is partnering with Heart of Florida United Way (lead agency for this application), University of Central Florida, Valencia College, Orange County Public Schools, Early Learning Coalition of Orange County, Orange County, Holden Heights Community Development Corporation, Simeon Resource and Development Center for Men, Kaley Square, Rosen Foundation, and other organizations to apply for this grant. The target population includes residents of the Parramore and Holden Heights neighborhoods, specifically children/youth birth to age 24 residing in the new Parramore PS-8 School attendance zone. Program participants will be positively impacted through increased educational and youth development programming and increased services at their schools and via neighborhood-based partners.
As part of the grant application, applicants need to show that they are able to leverage one-to-one match funding, of which 90% can be in-kind and 10% in cash. The City has calculated its current investments in children who reside in this geographic area, including the value of space, programming and staff at three recreation centers in the zone (Orlando Downtown Recreation Center, Dr. J.B. Callahan Neighborhood Center, and John H. Jackson Community Center), staff of Parramore Kidz Zone, the annual grant issued by the City to the Central Florida Foundation to support PKZ, and grant funds leveraged by the City for programs in the zone (e.g. the value of Operation AmeriCorps programming at Jones High School), which total approximately $1,325,000 as match for the grant application. The remainder of the match is being contributed by partner organizations, including Orange County Public Schools, Valencia College, and Heart of Florida United Way.
If awarded the grant, Heart of Florida United Way will serve as fiscal agent, distributing sub-grants to the City and many other partner organizations to fund such things as implementation of the Community School model at the Parramore PS8 School and Jones High School; expansion of youth employment opportunities within Parramore and Holden Heights; expansion of PKZ's Student Advocate Model which has resulted in improved academic performance and increased college-going among Parramore youth; expansion of United Way's family economic stabilization program throughout Parramore and Holden Heights; programs for older youth; and more.
The grant application requires the key partners, including the City of Orlando, to sign a Memorandum of Understanding committing themselves to mission of the program and to contributing matching funds to support its success. By approving this agenda item, City Council authorizes Mayor Dyer to sign the Memorandum of Understanding. |