Accelerator for America

?? Annual Report ?? AFA's core mission has been and always will be to help local leaders find, develop, and share solutions to advance economic mobility because we believe in?creating national change from the ground up - whether that's connecting cities to transformative data through our Data for Housing Solutions partnership or connecting them to each other to share best practices and innovations. We are proud to share that in 2024 we expanded our impact, working with?119 communities nationwide, up from 80 in 2013. Learn more about our impact in the Annual Report!???

Congratulations!??? Our friends at PIDC earned the #7 spot on Fast Company World’s Most Innovative Companies list for Economic Development. Anne Bovaird Nevins and?Stephanie Orlando (both proud PIDC alums!)?were honored to join Philadelphia leaders yesterday to mark 25 years of visionary work on the Navy Yard Philadelphia, one of the most successful military base?redevelopments in the country.

Diving deeper: State & Local Housing Action Plan Localities are deploying a wide range of development tools - tax abatements and exemptions, payments in lieu of taxes, public land contributions, low-interest rate loans and voucher deployment - but they often either give away too much or not enough to be effective. By “right sizing” these incentives, states and localities can increase public-private collaboration and maximize the impact of public investments, creating more housing opportunities for local residents. Learn more at NationalHousingCrisis.org #Housing #AffordableHousing #TaxIncentives

Cities that embrace change and challenge the status quo are going to get ahead.?Reinventing the Heartland?by Nicholas Lalla offers a bold plan for cities to take their fate into their own hands and reinvent themselves for this new AI era. Grab a copy from your local bookstore ?? or listen to the audiobook ??.

? Engage with local leaders on policy ? Learn from experts ? Make connections This week, we?joined more than?2,800 attendees at?the?National League of Cities'?2025 Congressional City Conference?in Washington, D.C.?to hear federal lawmakers discuss evolving priorities in Washington?and to continue building strong?relationships with experts and decision makers from around the nation. AFA Senior Manager Chanell Hasty, MA,?Infrastructure & Workforce Development Chief Ross van Dongen, and?Accelerator for America Action?Senior Advisor Josh Cohen?also heard from local practitioners?and experts on a broad range of topics, from managing federal infrastructure grants?to innovations in workforce?development to building tech-ready communities. #EconomicDevelopment #Infrastructure #Innovation #Government

AFA on the go!??? The?AFA team recently joined economic developers from across the nation at the annual?International Economic Development Council Conference to hear how communities are tackling today's economic development challenges. Our President and CEO Mary Ellen Wiederwohl and Grace Anne Belangia, founder of MakeStartups, spoke about how building a personal brand has helped them elevate their careers and shared their secrets to winning friends and influencing people.

ICYMI: Nashville Mayor Freddie O'Connell and City of Columbus shared how ballot measures can unlock new local funding streams to support critical city services like transit & infrastructure and lessons learned from the campaign. #MayorsLead #LocalInfrastructureHub

What do Frances Perkins, Carla Hills, Juanita Kreps, Patricia Roberts Harris, Shirley Hufstedler and Elizabeth Dole?have?in common? They're all?trailblazers in U.S. Cabinet leadership, representing?significant?"firsts" within the federal?government.?On #InternationalWomensDay, we honor these women who paved the way for future generations,?including the many amazing women in local government nationwide who are growing economic mobility for all residents in their communities!?#WomensHistoryMonth

Our friends at Work for America are helping state and local governments understand how they can adapt the United States Marine Corps's proven approach to recruiting top talent. Join them for a conversation with Bill Gray, Former MCRC Assistant Chief of Staff for Operations and Former District Commanding Officer, to learn about Marine Corps best practices and gain insights from their latest case study,?Mission-Ready Recruitment. ?? Thursday, March 13, 12:00 - 1:00 PM EST ?? Register here: