Lauderhill Shines graduates cohort 11; city accepts $52,500 NLC Southern Economic Initiative grant
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Summary
Commissioner Dunn presented Lauderhill Shines cohort 11 results (16 graduates); staff described a $52,500 National League of Cities grant to scale small‑business support and an incubator that will leverage Lauderhill Shines resources; the commission approved the MOU for grant acceptance.
Lauderhill — The City Commission received a presentation on Jan. 12 marking completion of Lauderhill Shines cohort 11 and approved a memorandum of understanding to accept a National League of Cities Southern Economic Initiatives grant of about $52,500 to scale economic development services.
Commissioner Dunn described cohort 11: 46 registrants, 23 participants, and 16 graduates across five industry clusters including food services, youth enrichment and construction. Sharon DePerry, chair of the economic mobility subcouncil, said 100% of graduates completed core business milestones and received training on capital access and financial readiness.
Zach (intergovernmental/grants staff) said the NLC award will fund an incubator model to fill gaps identified in focus groups (awareness of programs, hybrid learning preference, evening programming). He said staff plans to coordinate Lauderhill Shines alumni support and avoid duplication by leveraging existing partner programs (Broward College, Urban League, grant facilitators).
Commissioners asked for clear collaboration to prevent redundancy and for accountability measures to keep businesses engaged and located in Lauderhill after assistance. The commission approved the MOU and acceptance of the grant; staff will return with program guidelines and partnership agreements.
Next steps: staff to design incubator guidelines, coordinate with Lauderhill Shines leaders, and report back on implementation steps and performance metrics required by the grant.
