Apply to Host the Community Action Lab

We are still accepting applications!

Applicants will be selected based on the strength of the community’s commitment to the Community Action Lab process and capacity to bring local resources together to take meaningful action together. Learn more about the Community Action Lab and be sure to check out the 2024 Information Session.

Applications are still being accepted - apply now!

Application Timeline

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. After your application is submitted, our selection team will contact you to arrange a Zoom call to discuss your community’s readiness for the program and to answer any questions you may still have. A second call will be scheduled that will include Strong Towns leadership as well as stakeholders and prospective project staff in your community.

What Do I Need to Apply?

To apply, community leaders and municipal staff must work together to submit an application that will require you to explain: 

  • The top three challenges your community is facing.

  • An overview of the projects your community has undertaken to address some of its key struggles.

  • A description of the extent to which you feel your community shares a vision for its future.

  • The community partners you will work with for this project.

  • The preliminary plan for structuring the management of this project (e.g., Will the project be spearheaded by a mayor, city council, city administrator, etc.?). Applications submitted with municipal government involvement will be scored higher.

  • An overview of your relationship with local leadership. Applications submitted with support from numerous stakeholders will be scored higher. 

  • A general estimate of your local staff’s data-analysis tools and capacity to retrieve information and documentation about your community's finances, budget, and infrastructure. 

  • A preliminary description of how the program fee ($188,000) will be funded. Applications submitted with a clear funding plan (e.g., special projects fund, community foundation sponsorship, etc.) will be scored higher.

Who Can Apply?

Completed applications will require the input of a considerable number of local partners, including your municipality, community organizations, and local residents. This is a team effort, but we encourage you to have your municipal staff submit the application. In communities where a Strong Towns Local Conversation group exists (check here), we encourage you to showcase that partnership in your application, as this is a great indicator of your community’s readiness to be an Action Lab host community.