Outstanding Grassroots Initiative

Honoring an initiative that illustrates how a neighborhood, community group or other local non-governmental entity utilized the planning process to address a specific need or issue within the community. Emphasis is placed on the success of planning in new or different settings, with total project budget (including staff, consultant, and direct expenses) not exceeding $50,000.

Examples: Community policing or drug prevention, neighborhood outreach initiatives, programs designed for special populations, public art or cultural efforts, community festivals, environmental or conservation initiatives, summer recreational initiatives for children, vacant lot management, transportation innovations, or focused tourism ventures.

Eligibility:

Open to APA members and nonmembers. Nominated initiative should have been completed in the last three (3) years.

Criteria:

Effectiveness and results — State how your entry addressed the need or problem in a visionary or innovative manner that prompted its initiation, within a budget not exceeding $50,000. Be explicit about how the results have made a difference in the lives of the people affected. Convey the level of effectiveness your entry can have over time.

Engagement — Explain how various public interests were involved and the extent of that involvement. Competitive entries demonstrate a strong effort to solicit input from those who historically have been left out of the planning process. Describe the level of collaboration between leadership and competing interests. Explain how those affected were brought into the planning process for this initiative.

Education — Establish that your entry has encouraged community leaders to revise their opinions about the varied uses and broad applications of the planning process. State the influence your entry has had on public awareness beyond those immediately affected. Demonstrate the connection between the effort’s success and increased awareness in the community of planners and planning.