STATE OF PLAY
Small and mid-sized cities are eager to build but often lack the technical grant-writing capacity to secure federal dollars, especially compared to their large-city competitors. As a result, funding programs, like those in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, are often underutilized.
The National League of Cities (NLC) set out to close that gap by deploying online courses to equip municipal staff to identify opportunities, assemble competitive proposals, and pursue funding beyond a single legislative cycle. NLC launched a national webinar series designed to build durable, scalable grant-writing capacity at the local level.
To succeed, the program required disciplined recruitment of a niche audience: city managers, budget directors, and public works officials. It also needed professional-grade course design that conveyed the seriousness of the opportunity. NLC turned to Narrative Strategies to help reach those audiences and maximize the program’s lasting impact.
ACTION
Narrative designed and executed a precise marketing and recruitment strategy calibrated to reach local government decision-makers where they consume news and information.
Our multichannel campaign included direct-to-publisher placements in trusted local news outlets and geofencing across more than 500 municipal offices and seven state-level leadership convenings. We produced a cohesive suite of recruitment assets — including email outreach, social media content, and visual collateral — and provided editorial and design support to elevate executive course materials.
IMPACT
The campaign drove more than 30,000 webpage visits and over 600 registrations within a single phase. Beyond program enrollment, the effort expanded awareness of NLC’s Local Infrastructure Hub among new municipal stakeholders and created an agile platform to amplify program updates and empower cities as federal funding opportunities evolve. As of 2025, at least 135 participating cities secured more than $436 million in federal funding.
