In September 1989, the year in which ICMA celebrated its 75th anniversary, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) awarded the association its first multimillion-dollar municipal development and management project contract to assist local government officials in developing countries. ICMA in turn established the International Municipal Programs Department, which eventually evolved into ICMA International.

This municipal development contract made it possible for ICMA to work with local government officials in countries around the world, including Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. ICMA responded to 66 requests for services around the world during the initial year of the contract. The two largest projects funded that year were in Honduras and Poland.

ICMA received a second contract award from USAID, which focused on “Local Government and Housing Privatization in Eastern Europe” and further expanded the association’s worldwide activities. ICMA’s international program continued to expand throughout the 1990s and 2000s.

To learn more about the many milestones in the history of ICMA, its members, and the professionalism of local government management, visit icma.org/anniversary and scroll through the anniversary timeline on the homepage. Also watch this space in PM, where an anniversary moment is highlighted each month this year.