August Partnership Update
“PLACE MATTERS: MEMPHIS UPDATES, FEDERAL GRANTS, AND FALL TRAINING”
Dear Partners,
As summer comes to a close, the overall state of the world remains chaotic. We see record temperatures and unpredictable weather trends causing disruptions across our nation. Just when we thought it was (relatively) safe to venture out, the Delta variant is erupting in communities all around. We worry for all our servicepeople and US citizens in Afghanistan struggling to get back home while bringing some sense of normalcy to that part of the world.
Thankfully, the current administration is advocating for the most sweeping social legislation in decades. These include significant increases in federal funding to create jobs, provide a safety net for families, and mitigate the impacts of COVID-19 on communities like ours.
I share this to say that the investments we make every day to lift Memphis and Shelby County are not made in a vacuum. Despite all the worrisome things that we can not control, there is a groundswell of positive momentum for change and transformation across the country. We are at the leading edge of that energy.
Thank you for everything you do to make this work possible.
We have important updates to share about the overall progress of the Place Matters: Memphis initiative, starting with the expansion of the current temporary website that houses all of the information. While we wait for our Branding and Marketing committee to support the development of a new name and brand for this effort, we know it’s important that we keep all updates and information in one single location that everyone can access.
At your leisure, please take a few minutes to browse through the website to learn more about all of the work taking place and share it with your staff, followers and community members.
In addition, below we have included the latest updates regarding the work of summer planning committees, and the status of RFP responses for Anchor Collaboratives to lead workgroups for Phase 2, so please continue reading!
Anchor Collaborative RFPS Update
We're pleased to report that we received 12 proposals in response to the RFP for Anchor Collaboratives! As a reminder, an AC is an alliance of two or more functioning entities, organized in common purpose, to convene, lead and manage a subject-specific work group aligned with one of six focus areas.
The role of the Anchor Collaborative is critical to the success of Phase 2 and, for that reason, we made adjustments to the calendar to ensure that prospective AC’s had time to develop strong proposals, and that the selection panel had sufficient time to evaluate proposals. The review and selection period will proceed as follows:
Aug. 26 - Selection panelist norming and orientation
Aug. 27- Sept.17 - RFP Review and invited interviews
Week of Sept. 20 - Panelists determine recommendations for finalists
Week of Sept. 27 - Phase 2 Governance discusses finalists and votes on six Anchor Collaboratives
Learn more about the RFP Selection Process here.
RFP Selection Panel
All Anchor Collaborative proposals will be reviewed by a Selection Panel composed of community members serving on Summer Planning Committees and workgroups. Each was selected by their respective committees to review proposals, conduct interviews and make final recommendations on the six Anchor Collaboratives. The selection panelists are:
Daisy Brown, Zahra Chowdhury, Chris Collier, Rev. Dr. Earle Fisher, Jeffrey Higgs, Ephie Johnson, Natalie McKinney, Olliette Murry-Drobot, Dr. Nichole Saulsberry-Scarboro.
Summer Planning Committees
Our Summer Planning Committees are continuing to finalize Phase 1 deliverables in preparation for the Phase 2 kickoff in the fall. See the update.
Data & Tech Workgroup Seeking Volunteers
The Place Matters: Memphis Data & Tech Workgroup is proceeding with the design process for a new regional data exchange, and is recruiting volunteer participants for design subcommittees that will meet between October and early 2022. This will involve detailed discussions of important issues surrounding the creation of a data exchange for Memphis. Learn more.
Governing Body Nominations are Open
Place Matters: Memphis is opening nominations for community members and youth wishing to serve on the governing body in Phase 2 of the initiative. The governing body composition is detailed in the bylaws and was approved and ratified by the Summer Governance Committee in August.
To nominate a community member or youth for these roles, please complete the nomination form by September 10, 2021.
See the Nomination Form.
Federal Grant Opportunities
Our team has compiled a list of federal grant opportunities that are aligned to each of the six focus areas of Place Matters: Memphis. We encourage you to take a look soon as some of the grants have info sessions and deadlines that are approaching.
Fall Training Schedule
Seeding Success is offering three free training sessions for partners this fall. There is pre-work associated with each training, so complete your registration soon to allow yourself ample time for the self-paced modules:
Data Use & Literacy - Oct. 20
Results Based Facilitation - Oct. 19 & Oct 26 - 28
White Belt - Nov. 4
Partnership Meeting October 6th
Please mark your calendars for the next partnership meeting on Wednesday, October 6th at 3PM via Zoom. We'll have more to share about what's in store for the launch of Phase 2.