With support from Bank of America, USGBC is pleased to announce a call for applications for the LEED for Cities Local Government Leadership Program: 2021 National Cohort. The leadership program convenes U.S. local governments (cities, towns and counties) committed to certifying in LEED for Cities and accelerating progress on climate change, social equity and resilience.

Through this competitive program, local governments participate as a cohort, collaborating and exchanging ideas with peers as they get organized, set goals, collect data and apply for certification.

Each selected local government will receive

A dedicated USGBC staff liaison providing project management and coaching support, technical assistance and QA/QC on certification materials;
Access to a multiday, virtual orientation program for staff, elected/appointed officials and partners;
Monthly networking and convening opportunities with the national cohort;
Public relations and marketing assistance and a case study on your USGBC project directory page tied to certification announcement;
How-to guides, education resources and other project management tools; and
Access to green building policy and advocacy support and connections to local communities and our network of thought leaders and practitioners.

Additionally, the Bank of America-sponsored national cohort provides each project with USGBC membership at the Silver level; registration in LEED for Cities; certification review fees; and access to the Arc reporting platform, to encourage continuous improvement and benchmarking.

Application tips

Strong applications have buy-in and support from top local government officials and community partners to pursue certification.

Demonstrate how joining the cohort can help advance identified community sustainability goals.
The certification process takes a well-organized team. Applicants should describe how their team will execute the data collection process to certify.
Describe how LEED certification is an important next step in advancing sustainability communitywide, as well as how certification will be a catalyst for transformation.
All communities face barriers to advancing sustainability. Strong applications will describe how the grant program will help overcome these barriers.

We hosted a webcast on Feb. 12 to provide a brief program overview and respond to questions from cities, towns and counties that are considering applying to the cohort. Listen to the recording.

You can also listen to a webinar, Getting Started with LEED for Cities and Communities, with tips from two cities that participated in the 2019 grant program. Chris Castro, of City of Orlando, and Oliver Kroner, of City of Cincinnati, discussed their experiences in the program.

Timeline and process

Applications to the LEED for Cities Local Government Leadership Program: 2021 National Cohort will be evaluated through various criteria, including demonstrated need, leadership support, commitment to data-driven decision-making, staff capacity and coordination with other local initiatives. Local governments that best meet the criteria will be selected.

In April 2021, the program will commence and we will host a virtual training program for representatives from each local government. USGBC staff will walk project teams through the rating system content and requirements, then lead them through a number of hands-on exercises to calculate scores and develop an action plan for the year.

After the training, projects will start to align their existing programs and plans with the rating system, using project management tools and resources provided by USGBC. Then, they will gather data for prerequisites and credits and enter data into reporting tools.

The national cohort will meet regularly throughout the year to report progress and share best practices. Each local government will receive a dedicated USGBC coordinator who will provide feedback and support.

Revised schedule

Monday, Jan. 25, 2021: Application call opens
Friday, March 26, 2021 at 5 p.m. EDT: Extended deadline to apply
April 1, 2021: Decisions announced and program commences
April 29–30, 2021: Virtual orientation and training for projects
March 31, 2022: End of formal program year

FAQs

Answers to common questions can be found in the full application and information resource. Questions include

Who can apply to the LEED for Cities Local Government Leadership Program: 2021 National Cohort?
How competitive is the program?
What level of staff resources should we expect to commit to this endeavor?
What are the benefits of participating in the national cohort?
What are the benefits of certifying in LEED for Cities?

Local governments use LEED for Cities to provide an assessment of how they are doing—certification results identify strengths, weaknesses and gaps and enable cities and counties to better prioritize investments going forward.

LEED for Cities requires an all-hands-on-deck approach and engages leaders across departments and throughout the community to work together to effect change. Working together, toward shared, long-term goals, results in efficiencies and co-benefits along the way.

Learn more and apply to join the national cohort

Apply for the LEED for Cities Local Government Leadership Program