DEPARTMENT: Economic Development
DEPARTMENT HEAD: Rene Dominguez
COUNCIL DISTRICTS IMPACTED: All
SUBJECT:
City Council consideration of a resolution of support for the Alamo Colleges Foundation’s application to the JP Morgan Chase AdvancingCities Challenge.
SUMMARY:
This resolution affirms the City of San Antonio’s support for the Alamo Colleges Foundation’s application to the JP Morgan Chase AdvancingCities Challenge in partnership with SA Works, P-16 Plus Council of Bexar County, Family Service, San Antonio Education Partnership, and local Independent School Districts. The City is providing a letter of support in accordance with JP Morgan Chase’s proposal requirements.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION:
JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPMC) recently launched the AdvancingCities Challenge, a $500 million, five-year initiative to advance lasting solutions. The goal is that this funding opportunity will lead to more people connected to jobs with career pathways living with financial security, more small business owners growing and hiring, and economically vibrant neighborhoods. JPMC released the inaugural AdvancingCities Challenge Request for Proposals (RFP) seeking responses from entitiesthat share their commitment to promote inclusive growth through collaboration. Nonprofit organizations can compete for up to $3 million over three-years and must demonstrate support from their local government. Responses are due November 30 and winners will be announced in April 2019.
JPMC is soliciting proposals that demonstrate the ability to accomplish the following:
1) Build upon and strengthen the vision and leadership of an established coalition working across sectors to address major systemic challenges; and
2) Seek to implement solutions that incorporate at least two systems within JPMC’s philanthropic focus areas (jobs and skills, financial health, small business expansion, and neighborhood revitalization).
The City of San Antonio was contacted by several non-profit organizations interested in submitting an application endorsed by the City of San Antonio. The Economic Development Department (EDD) contacted Alamo Colleges Foundation, NALCAB, SA2020, SA Works, LiftFund, United Way, San Antonio Area Foundation, Kronkosky Foundation, and Family Service. EDD received two applications for consideration; a collaborative application led by the Alamo Colleges Foundation and an application from Lift Fund.
ISSUE:
As part of the application, a letter of support from local government must be submitted that demonstrates a clear understanding of the project and affirms government’s active engagement in this work. However, the local government can only support one application from their city. A committee comprised of City staff and community members reviewed applications from the two nonprofit organizations interested in submitting a proposal to JPMC for this funding opportunity; LiftFund and the Alamo Colleges Foundation. Committee members included City staff from Economic Development, the Office of Equity and the Department of Human Services, as well as representatives from the Westside Development Corporation and the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce. The committee assessed the applications based on alignment with the Advancing Cities Challenge evaluation criteria, reasonableness of the plan, and alignment with City priorities such as the Jobs and Economic Competitiveness Goals and Policies in the SA Tomorrow Comprehensive Plan and the goals in Forefront SA, San Antonio’s five-year strategic plan for economic development. The reviewing committee is recommending Alamo Colleges Foundation’s application for the City’s support.
Alamo Colleges Foundation Proposal
San Antonio is faced with the challenge of fostering an educated, diverse, and competitive workforce that will fuel the economic vitality of the region. Educational attainment levels, labor market outcomes of the area, and access to affordable higher education present key areas for alignment across government, philanthropy, higher education, school districts, college access networks, and advocacy partners. College affordability is a social and economic issue related to poverty, equity, opportunity, and access. However, with approximately 275,000 adults 25 years old or older with some college and no degrees and 169,000 13-18 year olds in Bexar County, there is a unique and urgent opportunity to change the community and address systemic challenges through higher education. Access to affordable higher education for all students is imperative as education impacts individual earnings five times more than any other demographic factor according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
The Alamo Colleges Foundation is driven by the need to increase college affordability and higher education attainment within the community and to provide greater access to economic mobility by meeting workforce demands. For this funding opportunity, the Alamo Colleges Foundation is working in partnership with SA Works, P16 Plus Council of Bexar County, Family Service, San Antonio Education Partnership, and local Independent School Districts.
With this funding opportunity, the Alamo Colleges Foundation introduces Alamo Promise, a new scholarship opportunity that will ensure free tuition at any college within the Alamo Colleges District (ACD) for students from limited-income schools regardless of high school grade point average. The promise to participating students is affordability, support, and pathways during their educational journey via funding for the full cost of tuition for up to three years or 60 credit hours within the ACD, academic support, and job placement assistance to approximately 22,500 graduates from limited-income high schools from throughout San Antonio and Bexar County. Students will be provided with a College Access Coach and College Success & Career Coach beginning at the end of senior year continuing through college completion. This opportunity will be available to students provided they attend one of the five Alamo Colleges, maintain at least a 2.0 GPA, and complete at least six courses (18 semester-credit-hours) per academic year.
Providing students of San Antonio’s limited-income schools with this scholarship opportunity paired with academic and job placement assistance will continue to build upon ongoing workforce development efforts and providing additional targeted support to those with greater need. This strategy will help build San Antonio’s workforce to ensure labor demands of the business community are met in an inclusive manner where all can benefit from a growing economy. Staff recommends supporting the Alamo Colleges Foundation application to the AdvancingCities Challenge.
ALTERNATIVES:
City Council could choose to not approve the Resolution supporting Alamo Colleges Foundation’s application to the JPMorgan Chase & Co. AdvancingCities Challenge, which would lead to a less competitive application from the Alamo Colleges Foundation.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no fiscal impact associated with this resolution of support.
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends approval of a Resolution supporting Alamo College Foundation’s application to the JPMorgan Chase & Co. AdvancingCities Challenge.