The last two weeks have been illuminating in terms of the challenges companies face when dealing with community development and disaster recovery. Both of these buckets are diffuse, abstract, and not easy to grasp.

We need to get our arms around different community support functions like education, health care, housing, and small business cultivation.  Then, we need to figure out how they relate to each other and how businesses can make the most difference.

Two weeks ago in Suffolk, Virginia, the U.S. Chamber BCLC convened 80 experts to look at how disaster response leaders hand off their tasks to community recovery leaders.  The answer is: not very well.

BCLC convened 80 experts to look at how disaster response leaders hand off their tasks to community recovery leaders.  The answer is: not very well. 

Most states and the federal government have 15 to 18 emergency support functions.  These emergency support functions are represented at FEMA’s field headquarters or the state’s headquarters in order to improve coordination.  For example, when someone has an issue getting emergency medical aid somewhere because the roads are down, they can report the issue to their health care coordinator in headquarters who can then relay the message to the transportation emergency support function to fix it. 

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Ah, welcome summertime.  Baseball, cherry pie, vacation, some time at the beach with the family, a more languid pace overall, right?

If you’re involved in sustainable economic and community development and you’re tracking federal grants for your partners and projects – sorry, not so much.  You’ll need to take your vacation in the fall.  That’s because federal agencies, charged with obligating grant funds from their various programs before the end of the government fiscal year (September 30), are now issuing funding notices in droves to provide sufficient time for the gears of government funding to work. 

These opportunities to apply for federal funding (known in government-speak as Notices of Funding Availability or “NOFAs”), provide all you need to know to apply for funding from the dizzying array of federal programs currently undertaken to promote sustainable development, particularly through the Partnership on Sustainable Communities.

Below are listed some of the current, recently issued NOFAs for sustainable development.  But before you take the plunge into this world, you should be aware of a few key points:

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Today through Wednesday, USAID, in partnership with the Departments of State, Education, Commerce, and Health and Human Services, will host an online, global, collaborative brainstorm titled Global Pulse 2010. 

Global Pulse 2010 is bringing together engaged participants and organizations throughout the world. Since the launch of Global Pulse today, thousands of people from 150 countries have already logged in to participate in discussion about some of today’s leading challenges.   

Discussion forums will focus on 10 designated issues:

• Building Stronger Partnerships (join BCLC’s Stephen Jordan for a live chat at 2-3 p.m. EST!) 
• Empowering Leaders of Tomorrow
• Empowering Women and Girls
• The Essential Education
• Exercising rights, increasing citizen participation, and expanding accountability
• Promoting Global Health
• Advancing Entrepreneurship, Trade & Economic Opportunity
• Fostering Science, Technology & Innovation
• Supporting a Sustainable Planet
• Pursuing Grand Challenges

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There is a quasi-myth on Wall Street that the first five days of trading set the pattern for the year. If this is the case in the public-private partnership space, then this year is going to build on and develop the themes from last year: the role of business in job creation and urban revitalization, social entrepreneurship, and resilience in the face of a near-crippling economic recession that spanned the globe.

One of the central agencies at the heart of this outreach is Housing and Urban Development (HUD). HUD is led by Shaun Donovan and under his leadership it has already changed several ways that it does business.

Secretary Donovan, in addition to learning in one of the ultimate difficult environments as head of New York’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development, had previous experience in the private sector and the Clinton Administration, and his varied background shows.

HUD was given $13.61 billion under the Recovery Act. While it has quickly allocated funds to address homelessness, urban poverty, and the creation of green jobs, the agency is also exploring innovative approaches to these issues and continuing to solicit ideas. Check out HUD’s website for more details.

HUD also joined the Department of Transportation and Environmental Protection Agency to create the Partnership for Sustainable Communities last year.

Now, Secretary Donovan is co-chairing a working group on Long-Term Disaster Recovery with DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano, and exploring ways to re-shape how the federal government helps communities recover long after the glare of the media lights has faded.

As if that were not enough, HUD is also engaged in comparing notes with its counterparts about the rapid urbanization that is taking place around the world and will participate in the World Urban Forum in Rio in March.

This past week, I think we had four different interactions with HUD — either directly or indirectly — by working on these projects.

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 Upon unveiling a new report, “Partnering For Global Development: The Evolving Links Between Business and

International Development Agencies” (PDF), BCLC Executive Director Stephen Jordan described the study as an attempt to “demystify” who is involved in global development partnerships and how their roles continue to evolve. 

Stephen celebrated the strides that have been made in creating a more collaborative mindset with the business world over the last decade, but he also emphasized the need to improve the use of resources to make sure the right people have the right tools.

David Logan, co-chairman of The Corporate Citizenship Company and co-author of the report, weighed in to dig into the “nuts and bolts” of the report, explaining some of what went into making the report, who was interviewed, and why the information regarding China is presented separately. 

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 Need a quick cheat sheet? Tips shared by the panel for tackling CSR initiatives include: 

*Communicate! There are major gaps among the various US government agencies, so information pertinent to the planning and roll out of a CSR initiative can be impaired when the various agencies find themselves at cross purposes. Business also has communication gaps. The US Trade Development Office sees companies come in and it is clear there is a disconnect of information, approaches, and understanding of goals and roles on CSR subjects, which makes it difficult for the government to facilitate business requested initiatives and programs.

*Show results.  Read more…

As the annual Global Corporate Citizenship Conference is approaching, BCLC, in partnership with Corporate Citizenship, is developing a report which explores international development agencies’ private-sector initiatives and outlines partnership strategies.

The focus of the report is to provide multinational corporations with practical advice about how and where development agencies are operating, as well as ideas on how to identify partnership opportunities and forge strategic relationships.

The report will highlight the following development agencies and their private-sector partnership programs:

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By Sue Santa, Senior Vice President of Public Policy, The Philanthropy Roundtable

The congressional summer recess grants us a moment to pause and think critically about legislation on the horizon. While there are rumblings about energy and education, healthcare is the behemoth that will nearly eclipse the autumn sun.

We can generally expect that a segment of the American people will shoulder the burden of healthcare reform through a mixture of tax increases and reduced tax incentives. Regardless of your personal feelings on the subject, you may want to consider the unintended consequences of this legislation on philanthropy and possibly your corporate giving programs.

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Senator Kennedy championed many issues, including education, immigration, and healthcare, but what many people may not realize is how much the Senator championed service. 

Earlier this year, President Obama signed into law the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, the most significant expansion of national service in our generation.

But what does this mean for business?… 

Well, for starters, nearly every company we work with, including Siemens, ARAMARK, and IBM, has an employee volunteer program.  And when the President signed Kennedy’s bill, he called on all Americans to participate in our nation’s economic recovery through a targeted summer of service campaign called “United We Serve.” This 81-day campaign will culminate on 9/11, which is now – because of Kennedy – proclaimed a National Day of Service and Remembrance. 

At the Chamber, we have our eyes on 9/11, as the nation will be looking to see how Americans answered the President’s call. The U.S. Chamber’s BCLC will tell the story of how the private sector responded in a big way.

Let me give one great example – GlaxoSmithKline (GSK).  On 9/11, GSK employees will volunteer throughout the Harlem Children’s Zone, leading class discussions with school children about H1N1 prevention and other healthy lifestyle topics. You can read about this and many more on BCLC’s new United We Serve website.

It’s not too late to get your company involved in this national movement. Several tools and resources can make engaging simple and easy.

• To learn about the United We Serve campaign and find a volunteer opportunity in your community for you and your colleagues, visit Serve.gov
• Get tips on planning a volunteer project for yourself and your company
• To learn about 9/11 Day of Service and Remembrance and why it is so meaningful for you and your company to commemorate this day with service, visit 911day.org
• To get your company’s volunteer project posted in the BCLC portal, contact me, Katie Loovis, at 202.463.5407 or KLoovis@uschamber.com. 

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton held a town hall meeting today, where she announced the launch of a review process to ensure the United States delivers on her “smart power” promise.

Reports the U.S. Global Leadership Campaign (a very good source of international development info):

Today, before a town hall meeting at the U.S. Department of State, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced her intent to undertake a Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review (QDDR) to ensure the United States is exercising effective global leadership utilizing the “smart power” tools of diplomacy and development in addressing the global challenges of the 21st century.

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