On July 24, the Department of Commerce Office of Faith-Based & Neighborhood Partnerships, in collaboration with United Way Worldwide and Public Democracy America, hosted the National Partnerships Summit 2.0. The event featured keynote remarks from Secretary Gina Raimondo, Deputy Secretary Don Graves, Assistant Secretary for the Economic Development Administration (EDA) Alejandra Castillo, and Acting Under Secretary of Commerce for Minority Business Development Eric Morrissette. They emphasized the Biden-Harris Administration's commitment to celebrating and empowering nonprofit partners nationwide.
Dr. Nicole Cooper, Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer at United Way Worldwide, and Scott Shalett, Executive Director at Public Democracy America, expressed their appreciation for the Department of Commerce's efforts to empower nonprofits essential to America's global competitiveness.
The Interagency Panel included leaders from AmeriCorps, EDA, the Departments of Education, Health and Human Services (HHS), Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). They discussed partnerships with nonprofit organizations and upcoming opportunities while highlighting resources provided by their departments. Panelists underscored the critical role nonprofits play in the U.S. economy and encouraged community leaders to engage at state and federal levels to access resources supported by President Biden's Investing in America agenda.
During the Partnerships Mini-Fair, representatives from various agencies presented a wide range of resources supporting workforce development, technical assistance, data analysis techniques for climate resilience, and business innovation.
Listening sessions facilitated robust conversations on government grants' best practices, technical assistance, contracts partnering on bill implementation. Nonprofit partners led these discussions focusing on agency backgrounds while exploring grants opportunities.
In one session focused on workforce development and innovation were addressed by agency leaders from EDA and CHIPS for America. Another session featuring representatives from the White House highlighted specific resources from the Inflation Reduction Act that could benefit nonprofits.
For those unable to attend or wishing to revisit discussions portions of the summit are available via recorded live stream ensuring accessibility to all interested parties.
