ANTIOCH, CA – Mayor Ron Bernal is proud to announce that the City of Antioch was selected to participate in National League of Cities’ (NLC) third Advancing Economic Mobility Rapid Grant program.
Through this six-month initiative,the City of Antioch will receive a $20,000 grant and expert guidance to promote economic mobility within its two zip codes. Antioch is one of 12 municipalities from across the country competitively selected to participate in the initiative, which is supported by the Gates Foundation.
The other selected cities include:
- Chelsea, MA; East Providence,
- RI; Evanston, IL;
- Fort Lauderdale, FL;
- Hamtramck, MI;
- Houston, TX;
- Kansas City, MO;
- Philadelphia, PA;
- Pinedale, WY;
- Savannah, GA;
- Young Harris, GA.
“We are honored to be selected by the National League of Cities for the Advancing Economic Mobility Rapid Grant. Being one of only twelve cities chosen nationwide is a testament to Antioch’s commitment to creating equitable opportunities for our residents,” said Mayor Bernal. “This grant, along with NLC’s strategic support, will help us strengthen pathways to economic mobility and drive long-term growth for our community. We look forward to investing these funds in innovative, community-driven partnerships that support job creation, celebrate collaboration, and showcase the talent and potential of our local businesses and nonprofits.”
Through participation in the project, the City of Antioch will launch the Work Together Fund, a pilot grant program designed to foster collaborative problem-solving toward job creation among small businesses and nonprofits. The program will fund a number of local collaborative projects, each aimed at creating jobs for low-income residents while encouraging collective action and trust-building across sectors. All applicants will receive technical assistance through the Antioch Business Collaborative, and winning projects will be publicly promoted to highlight their impact.
Participation in the program also has the potential to leverage additional funding for Antioch to promote economic mobility efforts. Over the previous two years, NLC worked with 20 other municipalities, providing more than $350,000 in awards, coaching, and peer-learning opportunities. In addition to grant funding and expert coaching, a team from the City of Antioch will join representatives from the 23 other municipalities from the current and previous cohorts in a joint economic mobility conference in October 2025.
“Economic mobility is an essential part of building thriving communities, and the National League of Cities is proud to support cities in advancing this critical effort,” said NLC CEO and Executive Director Clarence E. Anthony. “NLC’s Advancing Economic Mobility Rapid Grant program empowers local governments to design innovative strategies that create pathways to financial stability, economic opportunities and long-term prosperity for their residents.” NLC selected the City of Antioch for the Rapid Grant program to expand, test, and implement economic mobility. Through the lessons learned from this program, NLC can continue to advocate and expand economic mobility programming nationwide.
NLC’s Advancing Economic Mobility Rapid Grant program will run through December 31, 2025.
NLC press release on the award — click here
For more Antioch news, click here
