The National League of Cities (NLC) announced today that more than 1,000 cities have utilized the Local Infrastructure Hub’s free grant-writing trainings designed to help communities develop competitive grant applications for federal funding available through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act. NLC runs a program within the Local Infrastructure Hub focused on helping small and mid-sized cities, towns and villages effectively pursue federal infrastructure funding. To date, participating cities have secured more than $315 million in federal infrastructure dollars for their communities. The Local Infrastructure Hub has designed resources to help cities craft competitive applications for specific federal [...]

Today, the National League of Cities (NLC) launched an interactive map showing the frequency of train derailments across the country. The map allows users to see an overview of derailments and dive deeper into details on specific incidents. “With rail tracks running through the middle of thousands of cities, towns and villages, derailments are a big concern for residents who want to keep their families and businesses safe,” said Clarence E. Anthony, CEO and Executive Director of the National League of Cities. “Our new rail map shows what local leaders already know to be true – train derailments and safety issues [...]

The National League of Cities (NLC) is expanding its support for solar energy transition at the local level through its partnership with SolSmart, a solar energy designation and no-cost technical assistance program funded by the U.S. Department of Energy. Since the program launched in 2016, SolSmart has helped hundreds of local governments and their residents save time and money by reducing the soft costs of going solar, which are the non-hardware costs that drive up the expense of installations. Source: NLC

Today, the Local Infrastructure Hub opened registration for small and mid-sized cities to participate in a new technical assistance program to help them access federal infrastructure funding. The specialized training bootcamps will let them access some of the first grant opportunities available as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. ... For smaller cities and towns, submitting strong applications for competitive federal infrastructure money can be particularly challenging. Local teams are stretched and rarely have in-house grant writing resources. ... Beginning today, the Local Infrastructure Hub is enrolling towns and cities with 150,000 residents or less in a technical [...]

The National League of Cities (NLC) is releasing the results of a new National Municipal Afterschool and Summer Learning survey which reveals the evolution of municipal investments in afterschool and summer learning programs throughout the pandemic. Afterschool and summer learning opportunities are vital for student success and have played a particularly supportive role in the lives of children and families throughout the pandemic. These programs often serve as a lifeline for young people to access essential enrichment and recreational activities, nutritious snacks and meals, academic support, and career exposure, while also assuring working families that their children are safe and engaged. [...]

Cities, towns and villages are on the front lines of responding to the outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in their community. Local elected leaders have the primary responsibility for ensuring the health and safety of their residents. Local governments have longstanding emergency protocols for public health emergencies and community members rely on them to provide them with timely, accurate information about their local preparedness and response. NLC is committed to providing our members the necessary tools and resources to ensure local leaders are well equipped to navigate the current outbreak of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in their community. (Read more: NLC)

Home rule is a longstanding legal principle that gives us the power to decide which services we provide, the policies we implement, and the ways we solve problems locally. In 1953, the American Municipal Association (AMA) — which became the National League of Cities (NLC) in 1964 — published the last comprehensive proposed reform of home rule, sparking a wave of state constitutional change in the years that followed. However, much has changed about the state-local relationship in the intervening six and a half decades. NLC partnered with the Local Solutions Support Center (LSSC) to release the first update in almost 70 [...]

"Municipal governments have an important relationship with the census — both as consumers of the invaluable data it gathers and as partners in ensuring the complete and accurate count of our cities." The National League of Cities (NLC) supports the Census Bureau’s mission to “serve as the nation’s leading provider of quality data about its people and economy.” We also understand the many ways in which Census Bureau data impact a city. These resources have been assembled to provide local leaders with objective information about and resources to prepare for the upcoming 2020 Census. (Read more: NLC)

oday, the National League of Cities (NLC) released a new report, “Rethinking Recycling: How Cities Can Adapt to Evolving Markets,” which analyzes how city leaders can develop resilient local waste management systems in response to China’s stringent new regulations. The report, which marks the beginning of a larger effort to examine sustainability in solid waste management, is the first piece of literature to highlight how municipalities can effectively respond to – and benefit from – China’s upcoming ban. “In the face of adversity, city leaders have historically been our nation’s problem-solvers,” said Clarence Anthony, CEO and executive director of NLC. “China’s [...]

With support from JPMorgan Chase and Co., the National League of Cities Institute for Youth, Education, and Families has launched a two-year initiative that will help cities assess and address the negative impacts of municipal fines and fees on residents' financial health.  Cities Addressing Fines and Fee Equitably Technical Assistance Project NLC’s two-year project on municipal fines and fees will focus on a six-city cohort, which will receive grants and technical assistance to assess their use of local fines and fees and develop collections strategies that incorporate financial empowerment interventions. NLC will draw lessons from its LIFT-UP program model to help these cities [...]