What Is a Consortium?

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A Neighborhood Networks consortium is a particular type of partnership organization that offers benefits to both Neighborhood Networks centers and the local community. Establishing a consortium is critical to effectively address the changing environment in which a Neighborhood Networks center operates.

Neighborhood Networks consortia offer considerable benefits. However, for consortia to be successful, they require both a well-planned startup process and meaningful support during the early years as well as strategic planning for later years.

Although they are diverse in their organizational structures and memberships, consortia can provide the following services to their members:

• Shared resources such as staff, programming materials, and information.
• Access to funding opportunities and partnerships that are not available to single centers.
• Networking.
• The ability to offer joint programming.
• Opportunities to secure or provide training that otherwise might not be available to a single center.
• The ability to combine resources for marketing and media outreach.

View a list of Neighborhood Networks Consortia.