The City of Houston has been chosen as one of 10 cities to receive a two-year, $200,000 Cities of Service Grant funded jointly by the Rockefeller Foundation and Bloomberg Philanthropies. The grant will allow the city to hire a Chief Service Officer, a senior city official who will develop and implement a city-wide plan to increase volunteerism and target volunteers to address their city’s greatest needs.

“This grant will help both Houstonians with big hearts and organizations in great need of volunteers, especially those that focus on at-risk youth and veterans,” said Mayor Annise Parker. “I thank both Bloomberg Philanthropies and the Rockefeller Foundation for selecting the City of Houston as a grant recipient and look forward to seeing the results this funding will produce.”

The grant pays the salary and benefits of a full-time employee who will be hired and begin work by September 10.

The Chief Service Officer will work in tandem with the Mayor’s Volunteer Initiatives Program (VIP) and report directly to Mayor Parker to develop and implement a plan to increase civic engagement, particularly in the areas of at-risk youth and veterans’ services. His/her responsibilities will include: conducting an assessment of existing service levels within the city to establish a benchmark, launching a website to publicize volunteer opportunities and organizations in need of volunteers, building long-term community partners and engaging with local colleges and universities.