In February, the International Economic Development Council (IEDC) announced the Economic Recovery Corps’ Inaugural Cohort of 65 Fellows & Host Communities. Among them was Morley Arts District’s community organizer Evan Kory. The aim of this new program is to develop the next generation of community practitioners and economic development leaders.
Launched in 2023 through a $30 million cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration (EDA), ERC is designed to build capacity in some of the hardest-hit and most economically distressed areas across the United States while cultivating the next generation of economic development leaders.
In February the Fellows commenced their two-and-a-half-year field placements with host organizations across the nation. Fellows will spearhead catalytic projects that advance new ways of doing economic development to build more resilient, inclusive, and equitable economies. The ERC program officially launched with a four-day training and networking event in Portland, Oregon on February 12-15, 2024.
The 65 selected host projects are located across 44 states and territories and represent an exciting cross-section of rural, urban, and tribal communities. Of the 65 Host sites, 62 percent are rural, 23 percent are mixed (urban, suburban, and rural), and 15 percent are urban.
Evan Kory will manage the Santa Cruz County Arizona Nonprofit Peer Accelerator: Building Economic Opportunity. This project is hosted by Santa Cruz Community Foundation, a geographic affiliate of the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona in collaboration with Santa Cruz County, AZ. The Nonprofit Peer Accelerator will build on Santa Cruz County’s American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding to local nonprofits that invested in the arts, food, culture, and affordable housing during the pandemic.
Kory shared, “I am grateful for the opportunity to offer support and guidance to our community’s nonprofits through the ERC fellowship program. I hope to engage with a wide variety of nonprofits ranging from the arts sector to affordable housing, many of which are now eligible for larger federal funding opportunities. Working together, we can increase the potential for employment and economic growth in Southern Arizona.”
The ERC Fellow will scale this accelerator program’s “train the trainer” model for 55 nonprofits, strengthen the nonprofit ecosystem, collaborate with regional partners, and track the outcomes and metrics of their model. The project aims to establish a strong and collaborative nonprofit sector in Santa Cruz County that significantly impacts the local community, allowing for these efforts and future funds to foster the arts, make housing more affordable, and boost culinary tourism to strengthen the overall economic landscape of the region.
