Mayor’s Office of Strategic Partnerships
What is the Mayor’s Office of Strategic Partnerships (MOSP) and how will it function?
City of Racine Mayor John Dickert has announced the creation of the Mayor’s Office of Strategic Partnerships under the leadership of Director Debbi Embry. The Mayor’s Office of Strategic Partnerships (MOSP) has been created to serve as a liaison between the City of Racine and the non-profit sector. MOSP will serve as a catalyst to leverage the best of Racine’s public and non-profit sectors to engage in innovative and collaborative work. Mayor Dickert believes that by working collectively, the public and non-profit sectors can be even more efficient and effective in strengthening the community of Racine and its residents.
The Mayors Office of Strategic Partnerships is immediately implementing a two-year initiative, “Racine CARES,” through a Strengthening Communities Fund grant from the US Department of Health and Human Services. The purpose of the initiative is to build the capacity of Racine community-based and faith-based non-profit organizations that address broad recovery issues present in the City of Racine. Through training and technical assistance, “Racine Cares” will facilitate and strengthen public/private partnerships between government and non-profits in order to provide access to services that meet the needs of low-income customers and to reach the under-served population in our community.
The goal of the initiative is to advance the City of Racine’s strategic priorities and to improve the quality of life for residents of our community through the following objectives:
- To build relationships, understanding, and capacity for government and non-profits to effectively work together.
- To eliminate barriers to funding/resource opportunities, and to increase the capacity-building of non-profits in order that they can implement successful programming and manage their everyday operations.
- To strengthen non-profits during times of economic distress.
- To provide education and training to community-based and faith-based organizations focusing on American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) related benefits and opportunities, capacity building, and technical assistance.
This initiative will provide capacity-building and outreach to at least 100 non-profit and governmental agencies in Racine.