NGIN Selects AFA to Expand Access to Resources for Small and Midsized Cities
May 1st, 2025 - New Growth Innovation Network (NGIN) and Accelerator for America (AFA) are partnering to expand resources for Small and Midsized Cities (SMCs) to help drive transformative change at the local level.
Following a competitive request for proposals, NGIN selected AFA as its strategic outreach partner to support the Small and Midsized Cities Hub (SMC Hub), extend the community of SMC leaders, and uplift insights and ideas that support innovative and equitable economic growth strategies over the next three years.
“Small and Midsized Cities are essential drivers of America’s economic future but often lack the same access to resources and connections available to their larger counterparts. Through our new partnership with NGIN, AFA will deepen its commitment to helping communities of all sizes to thrive and create new opportunities for economic mobility for their residents,” said Mary Ellen Wiederwohl, President and CEO of Accelerator for America.
Together, NGIN and AFA will put forward case studies and implementation guides to share replicable solutions to challenges facing communities across the nation and forge strategic connections between communities, funding partners, and subject matter experts.
“SMCs move with remarkable strength and agility, shaping new possibilities for economic growth and innovation. We’re grateful to bring on Accelerator for America as a partner in supporting the continued momentum of SMCs,” said M. Yasmina McCarty, President and CEO of New Growth Innovation Network.
This collaboration reflects a growing recognition that SMCs are engines of innovation and opportunity but often require a specialized approach to economic and community development – one that accounts for their distinct assets, challenges, and capacity.
Funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, NGIN’s SMC Hub is an initiative that offers a suite of programs, technical assistance, resources, and tools to help economic and community leaders build healthy, thriving communities in cities with populations ranging from 50,000 to 500,000. The SMC Hub includes programs like Learn Explore Activate in Place (LEAP), an immersive site-based learning experience; Cityscapes Summit, the biennial conference for economic innovations; and Strategic Capacity for Advancing Local Economies (SCALE), a technical assistance program focused on funding support and project development. Applications for SCALE open on June 18.
With NGIN’s targeted expertise in cities with smaller populations and AFA’s broad network reach, the partnership aims to create pathways for communities to access the resources and connections they need to drive local economic mobility. AFA’s Economic Opportunity Accelerators network brings together over 700 local leaders from the public and private sector representing more than 100 communities across 37 states. The network forms a powerful ecosystem for collaborative learning, expert insights, and resources to develop and implement innovative solutions that accelerate economic mobility and opportunity in communities throughout the country.
About New Growth Innovation Network
New Growth Innovation Network (NGIN) is a national nonprofit that equips economic, community, and government leaders with insights, innovations, capital, and localized support to ensure that economically excluded communities can lead, shape, and benefit from regional economic growth. Check out NGIN’s Small and Midsized City Hub at www.newgrowth.org/smc.
About Accelerator for America
Accelerator for America is a nonprofit, nonpartisan “Do tank” that delivers solutions, connections, and resources to mayors and other local leaders working to create greater economic mobility in underserved communities. For more information about AFA’s work and our Economic Opportunity Accelerators’ network, visit www.acceleratorforamerica.org.
