The Central New York Community Engagement Committee is sharing priorities for the five-hundred-million dollar Green CHIPS Community Investment Fund.
The Engagement Committee, made up of community stakeholders, state and Micron officials is releasing a “Community Priorities Document,” to use as a guiding strategy for the community investment funds making their way into central New York over the next 20 years.
Melanie Littlejohn, president of the Central New York Community Foundation and co-chair of the Engagement Committee said while the document was created because of Micron, it is something that belongs to central New Yorkers.
“This is a framework that all organizations across this region should be leaning into, understanding and hearing the voice of people who live here,” Littlejohn said. “This is what the people who live here believe is absolutely important.”
The committee collected data from 300 community organizations and over 12-thousand central New Yorkers over 13 months, to gain a better understanding of what community members are looking for. The priorities include everything from education and workforce development to housing and sustainable infrastructure. Littlejohn says the priorities list marks the beginning of the investment project.
"All of this is about maximizing the moment," Littlejohn said.
Engagement Committee Co-Chair Tim Penix said the document is about creating equitable economic growth and this sort of engagement could be a new model.
"This is a national issue that we are looking to address and this might be one of those things that help address it," Penix said.
Non-profit organizations will be able to submit their requests for funding consideration in the next few months.
