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Application for the Spring 2016
Leadership STAR Community Program
Overview
STAR Communities is pleased to announce the opportunity for U.S. cities, towns, and counties to participate in the Spring 2016 Leadership STAR Community Program. The Leadership Program provides extensive staff support and services to a cohort of communities as they pursue certification under the STAR Community Rating System®.
The STAR Community Rating System® (STAR) is the nation’s leading framework and certification program for evaluating the sustainability of U.S. communities. STAR provides a clear, data-driven approach to assessing social, economic and environmental conditions; the STAR certification process helps to identify gaps and prioritize investment. The certification process can also serve as a catalyst for local action, transforming the way that communities come together to address sustainability.
In the past two years, 72 communities have participated in the Leadership Program. To date, 40 have achieved STAR certification with another 5-10 expected to certify this winter. Participating communities report that this process helped them gain a deep understanding of their community’s strengths and needs and has provided a springboard for civic engagement, cross-agency coordination, integrated budgeting and performance management, partnerships with philanthropy, and economic development.
The cost of the one-year program is $7,500 and begins March 1, 2016. Competitive scholarships are available to communities that demonstrate need and strategic vision. It is expected that communities will apply for STAR certification by the end of the program on February 28, 2017. Communities with high enough scores receive a certified STAR Community Rating and are nationally recognized for their leadership during the program year.
Key benefits of the Leadership Program include:
· A 2-day in-person orientation workshop for 2 local staff or community representatives with other Leadership communities (location TBD);
· A dedicated STAR Communities staff liaison to provide technical assistance throughout the year;
· One year of membership in the STAR network with STAR Member Community benefits;
· Ongoing educational programs and networking opportunities with other Leadership communities;
· A copy of the Technical Guide to the STAR Community Rating System;
· Access to STAR’s customized online Reporting Tool to store and track sustainability data;
· Access to STAR’s on-call technical content experts and advisers;
· Basic STAR PR media services to assist in local storytelling;
· Verification of the community’s submission to receive an official STAR certification, and;
· Recognition as a national sustainability leader.
STAR Communities • 777 N. Capitol Street NE, Suite 500 • Washington, DC 20002
www.STARcommunities.org
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Selection Criteria
STAR Communities reserves the right to select communities for the Leadership STAR Community Program based on the following criteria:
· Diverse representation including factors such as geography; population size and local government type (city/town/county);
· A community’s interest in measuring sustainability;
· Willingness to explore the complete system of STAR goals and objectives;
· Sufficient staff resources to participate in the program; and
· Ability to submit participation fee or make payment arrangements by February 26, 2016.
The selection committee will be comprised of STAR Communities staff, Steering Committee members, and representatives from our financial partners.
Pre-Application Informal Conversation with STAR
STAR Communities encourages local governments that are considering applying for the Leadership Program to schedule an informal conversation to discuss your goals and ask questions about the program. Please contact:
Lacey Shaver, Manager, Community Engagement
Email:
Phone: (855) 890-7827 x 105
Application Instructions
Please complete the following application with as much information as necessary to demonstrate your community’s interest and commitment to participating in the Leadership STAR Community Program. In general, we are looking for no more than 3 pages total in Sections 1 & 2. If you are seeking financial assistance, please also fill out Section 3 of the application. Section 4 is required for all applicants.
Applications should be submitted via email to by December 31st, 2015 for priority consideration for financial assistance. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis through January 15th, 2016.
STAR Communities • 777 N. Capitol Street NE, Suite 500 • Washington, DC 20002
www.STARcommunities.org
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Section 1: Background Information
Please provide the following background information on the applicant community:
· Name and population of jurisdiction
· Highest ranking elected official (name and title)
· Primary contact for application
o Name and title
o Email address
o Phone number
o Mailing address
· Jurisdiction’s website and any relevant social media pages
Section 2: Evaluation Questions
Please answer the following questions in a paragraph or two per question.
1. Explain why your community wants to participate in the Leadership STAR Community Program.
2. Assembling a strong team to support your STAR application and provide sustainability data is critical for success in the Leadership STAR Community Program. Please list the agencies, departments, community organizations and/or external stakeholders that will form your core STAR team.
3. There are over 500 individual measures that can be reported on within the STAR Community Rating System. Describe how the team will work together to collect, report, and submit the sustainability data required for STAR certification.
4. Provide 1-paragraph bio(s) for the two people who would likely attend the in-person orientation.
5. Describe your jurisdiction’s experience with or interest in public reporting on sustainability metrics.
6. List up to three STAR Objectives in which you expect to score well at this point. Describe why.
7. List up to three STAR Objectives that you believe will be a challenge for your community. Describe why.
8. Describe the local resources (e.g. staff, funding, partners, leadership) available to support your community’s participation in the Leadership STAR Community program.
9. Please provide any other relevant information towards your application.
Section 3: Financial Assistance (optional)
In partnership with the Funders’ Network for Smart Growth and Livable Communities (TFN), STAR Communities will make available a limited number of need-based program fee scholarships to communities demonstrating compelling resource constraints and need. These scholarships are to help communities that have the vision and capacity to achieve certification, yet lack financial resources to cover the program fee.
Program fee scholarships are limited and will be awarded on a competitive basis. Past scholarships have typically covered a portion of the program fee, not the whole amount. The selection committee will prioritize applications based on demonstrated need by the jurisdiction; the amount of funding requested from TFN/STAR Communities relative to leveraged local resources; and evidence of commitment by one or more local foundations to support the community’s participation in the program.
For consideration, communities must be willing to leverage local philanthropic support during their participation in the Leadership STAR Community Program. Partnerships between local governments and local, place-based foundations help to institutionalize the ongoing use of community-wide sustainability performance metrics and lead to success in implementation of the STAR Community Rating System. To be eligible for a scholarship, the community must commit to either building or strengthening a relationship with a local, place-based foundation during the course of the program year. While an up-front financial match is preferred, other forms of local support, such as staffing, resources, or implementation assistance after certification, will be considered.
To apply, please respond to the following questions with as much detail as is necessary:
1. Explain the community’s need for financial assistance to participate in the Leadership STAR Community program.
2. Provide the name(s) of local, place-based foundation(s) that have committed or intend to support the community’s participation in the program. Include a point of contact and contact information.
3. Have the local government and foundation(s) partnered together in the past to support community development and/or sustainability? If so, in what capacity?
4. Describe the commitment (financial or otherwise) by the foundation(s) to support the community’s participation in the program. Attach letter(s) of commitment or intent to commit if available.
5. Describe other resources that will be committed to support the community’s participation in the program (e.g. local government, nonprofit, private sector).
6. How will you proceed if your community does not receive financial assistance from TFN/STAR Communities and/or the identified local philanthropic organization(s)?
STAR Communities • 777 N. Capitol Street NE, Suite 500 • Washington, DC 20002
www.STARcommunities.org
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Section 4: Signature
[To be completed by the primary contact for the application]
By my electronic signature below, I hereby attest to the best of my knowledge that the information submitted in this application is correct and that my community is committed to participate in the Spring 2016 Leadership STAR Community Program, if selected, and will pay the full program fee by February 26, 2016 or make payment arrangements with STAR Communities.
Electronic Signature:
Date:
STAR Communities • 777 N. Capitol Street NE, Suite 500 • Washington, DC 20002
www.STARcommunities.org