U.S. Conference of Mayors Joins with Walmart, Walmart Foundation to Fund Domestic Manufacturing Research

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Jul 08, 2015, 03:25 ET

WASHINGTON, July 8, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) joined with Walmart and the Walmart Foundation today to launch the Second Awards Cycle of the Walmart U.S. Manufacturing Innovation Fund. Through this awards program, nonprofit organizations and public universities can apply for grants of $100,000 or more to help create solutions to challenges many companies face with on-shoring and growing U.S. manufacturing.

"America's mayors are proud of the relationships that they have made with the private sector to bring jobs and economic growth to our cities since the Great Recession. With this program, Walmart, the Walmart Foundation, and the U.S. Conference of Mayors reward the brightest ideas to fuel the resurgence of domestic manufacturing. We are excited about the tangible results that the Walmart U.S. Manufacturing Innovation Fund brings to our cities and metro areas," said USCM CEO and Executive Director Tom Cochran.

This Second Awards Cycle, which comes as part of a five-year, $10 million partnership between USCM, Walmart, and the Walmart Foundation, focuses on innovation in textiles manufacturing. It was announced at Walmart's 2015 Manufacturing Summit in Bentonville (AR). By 2023, Walmart has committed to purchase approximately $250 billion in products from U.S. manufacturers that support the creation of American jobs.

The First Awards Cycle, which focused on textile production, small motor manufacturing, and injection molding, resulted in seven grants totaling over $4 million. Winners included Georgia Tech, IUPUI, North Carolina State, Oregon State, Texas Tech, the University of Georgia, and the University of Texas at Arlington. These universities were awarded for their research to make manufacturing more efficient and sustainable in a domestic setting.

Letters of intent are due on August 24, 2015. Selected proposals will receive grants of at least $100,000 for award periods of at least one year, with the option of reapplying for continued funding. Each final application includes a strong endorsement from its respective mayor, and a former USCM member mayor serves on the review committee.

For more information on this application process, or to apply, please visit http://www.usmanufacturingfund.com.

A video update about the entire awards program can be found at https://youtu.be/zTnBMusMbfs?t=57m17s.

The U.S. Conference of Mayors is the official nonpartisan organization of cities with populations of 30,000 or more. There are nearly 1400 such cities in the country today, and each city is represented in the Conference by its chief elected official, the mayor. Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/usmayors, or follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/usmayors.

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SOURCE The U.S. Conference of Mayors