Springfield geenforce prosperity_letter

PO BOX 59 SPRINGFIELD, ST 99999 TEL 9 9 9 - 9 9 9 - 9 9 9 9 FAX 9 9 9 - 9 9 9 - 9 9 8 8 EMAIL S P R I N G F I E L D @ P R O S P E R I T Y P R I Z E . O R GSPRINGFIELD PROSPERITY PRIZE(“P-PRIZE”) IMPLEMENTATION TEAM May 4, 2011 Dear Springfield Community Leader: Thank you for participating in the Springfield Prosperity Prize planning effort. As you know, the Prosperity Foundation recently selected the City of Springfield as the recipient of its first-of-a-kind Prosperity Prize (P-Prize) - a cash award of $100M to remake the way the city invests in its own prosperity. The Prosperity Foundation is known for its “surprise” approach to philanthropy, but has never made an award so large, and about which the winner had no advanced knowledge. Foundation trustees developed the P-Prize Initiative over two years ago, rating dozens of cities on its own internally-developed criteria. Springfield, having faced massive economic change over the past two decades, has consistently advanced a regional, strengths-based approach to development, showing itself capable of innovation and resilient in the face of many obstacles - including a 20% unemployment rate. Trustees indicated these factors led to its selection as a finalist. But it was the expressed commitment of community leaders to revitalizing manufacturing around the growth of Greenforce Engines (and its suppliers), that put Springfield on top. The size of the prize ($100M) relative to other public (and even existing private) investments is substantial. The annual operating budget for the City of Springfield (pop 200K) is $1.4B, while Lincoln County’s (pop 500K) is $560M. The Prosperity Prize comes with three conditions: 1. Building on the recent success of Greenforce, now Springfield’s largest private-sector firm, city leaders must develop a sustainable growth plan for the region, emphasizing increased overall prosperity and tracking progress openly and transparently. 2. The plan must rely on an integrated strategy – reflecting the Prosperity Foundation’s belief that people, firms, and communities are all part of the solution. 3. Attention to innovation must be evident, in keeping with the Prosperity Foundation’s commitment to helping communities do different things, not just more of the same. We need your help in planning for this unprecedented opportunity to build a brighter future for Springfield and surrounding communities. The whole world is watching and seeking to learn from our efforts. We will not disappoint. Sincerely, Mary Simpson, Mayor Vinz Koller, Prosperity Foundation Program Director

Springfield geenforce prosperity_letter

by kristin wolff on Jun 13, 2011

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Springfield geenforce prosperity_letter — Document Transcript