The ACLU of Kentucky is leading a group of non-profit organizations to develop a plan to improve civic engagement and equity in Louisville. Open Society Foundations is giving $100,000 to eight cities or regions, which will all compete for a chance to win longer-term investment to implement their plans. The teams must develop a unique proposal for their area that demonstrates how they would improve disparities in their communities.ACLU of Kentucky executive director Michael Alridge says all five of the local groups included in Louisville's team--including Network Center for Community Change, Fairness Campaign, the Kentucky Center for Economic Policy, Kentuckians For The Commonwealth--contribute something unique.“Each of them has a real niche around different areas of their work. But I think what has really bound us all is our belief in community leaders to help develop what their community should look like," says Alridge.The Louisville team has six months to develop their plan, which will likely address economic and educational disparities, he says. Other cities that received grants include: Albuquerque, NM; Buffalo, NY; Denver, CO; Jackson, MS; Milwaukee, WI; Puerto Rico; and San Diego, CA.“Among those, we’ll choose three to five of them to receive implementation grants, which will be up to a million dollars a year for each site for three years," says Open Society Institute director Diana Morris.Morris says the group may decide to fund some groups up to 10 years.