From our friends at USDA-RD:
PUBLICATIONS
Census Bureau Releases Report on Poverty in Rural America for 2011
On September 12, the U.S. Census Bureau released a new report that found the overall number of Americans living in poverty in rural areas is at its highest level in decades. According to the 2011 report, the official national poverty rate of 15% is statistically unchanged from 2010. Median house-hold income declined from 2010 to $50,054 nationwide and is now $40,527 in rural areas, compared to $41,440 in 2010. Click here for more information about the report.
The American Latino Heritage Discover Our Shared Heritage Travel Itinerary – a website from the National Park Service that is an itinerary of Latino sites to visit in the U.S. http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/travel/American_latino_heritage/
Wind Energy: Who Holds the Power? - To read about organizing to harness the wind as an economic development strategy in rural places, click here.
Community foundations can boost rural education, community development, other causes – Daily Yonder
More U.S. agricultural exports are now going to upper middle income countries - Middle-income countries, including Mexico and China, continue to grow as key partners in U.S. agricultural trade. In 2011, the United States shipped nearly half of its total agricultural exports to upper middle-income countries. Steadily rising income levels, expanding populations, and increased urbanization in developing countries have helped position them as important and fast growing export destinations for U.S. agricultural products, while high-income countries, such as Japan and member states of the European Union, account for declining shares U.S. exports. A chart appears in "Middle-Income Countries Drive U.S. Agricultural Trade" in the September 2012 issue of ERS's Amber Waves magazine.
Trends show a shift in economic activity toward developing countries in coming years - While both developed and developing countries showed declines in economic growth during 2008 and 2009, developed countries went into a severe recession whereas the developing countries only had a growth slowdown. By 2010, both groups of countries were in recovery, but the difference in relative growth rates was around 4 percent per year. The growth difference between developed and developing countries has been increasing for some time, and the 2008-09 recession reinforced this pattern and likely will persist into the future. The growth differential prior to 2000 was almost half of what it has been since then. As shown in this chart, the longer-term effect of this growth differential will be a shift in economic activity from developed to developing countries. A chart is found in The 2008-09 Recession and Recovery Implications for the Growth and Financial Health of U.S. Agriculture, WRS-1201, May 2012.
TOOLS
Getting Started: How to Succeed in Cultural Heritage Tourism - http://www.culturalheritagetourism.org/howToGetStarted.htm
Cultural Data Project - http://www.culturaldata.org/ - Operated by The Pew Charitable Trusts, the Cultural Data Project is a powerful online management tool designed to strengthen arts and cultural organizations. This groundbreaking project gathers reliable, longitudinal data on the sector. Our emerging national standard enables participating organizations to track trends and benchmark their progress through sophisticated reporting tools, empowers researchers and advocates with information to make the case for arts and culture, and equips funders with data to plan and evaluate grantmaking activities more effectively. Currently operating in Arizona, California, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Rhode Island and Vermont.
Investment ready places - http://bettercities.net/news-opinion/blogs/charles-marohn/19075/investment-ready-places
Charles Marohn discusses the CNU NextGen initiative "Investment Ready Places" by Street Sense. The new booklet provides strategies for identifying and investing in America’s “new frontier for development”—small towns and cities.
Strategic Doing – a somewhat new way of doing planning, these slides provide a good overview - http://www.insightcced.org/uploads/nnsp/webinars/2010/introduction-to-strategic-doing.pdf
LEARNING
WEBINAR: Using Social Networks to Build Local Economies, Nov 8 at 2pm eastern
Learn about social networking tools to build local economies focused on food systems and the advanced energy and renewable bioproducts that come from agriculture in a November 8th webinar. Click here for more information.
Free Webinar: Financing Critical Infrastructure and Redevelopment Projects, Nov 28 - October 25, 2012 - IEDC invites you to take advantage of these no-cost online learning events.
Excerpt from a Social Enterprise Listserv:
Re: Regional food distribution SE
Thu Oct 25, 2012 9:24 am (PDT) . Posted by: "Rolfe Larson" rolfelarson
Here are the responses to the following question from Mary Ferguson:
"I am part of a research team working with a rural county in Canada where we are assessing the feasibility of developing a regional distribution hub for local and sustainably grown food products. This distribution hub, if feasible, would become a social enterprise operated by a community food centre.
As part of the feasibility research, we are interested in contacting others who have developed similar food distribution hubs. Are there any lessons that you can share with us?"
(1) From Charles Penner
I’m working with a similar sounding group in Ann Arbor, MI. My main advice to you is to stay focused and “keep it simple”. We’ve had so many people want to impose their visions, ideas, needs and ideologies on this that it’s sometimes gotten bogged down trying to be too many things to too many people.
(2) From Tom Knoll
One of the best examples that I've come across is the Wisconsin Innovation Kitchen run by Rick Terrien. More than a central distribution facility, they've carved out a unique market niche by adding a fully staffed commercial kitchen that creates value-added recipes OR simply makes the recipes provided by the farmers. Additionally, It is a state-inspected commercial kitchen owned and operated by a center supporting people with disabilities.
So it is actually providing training and jobs for a population that would otherwise experience serious hardship in holding a job. Their professional food processing staff prepares and packages recipes and food products for commercial sale in small, affordable, batches. Check them out and if you connect, just tell Rick that Tom Knoll says 'Hi'. http://www.wi.innovationkitchen.org/
(3) From Pablo Gimenez
You may want to check out the following Australian social enterprises: http://brisbane.foodconnect.com.au/ or
http://www.ceresfairfood.org.au/ - the Manager Chris Ennis has also undertaken extensive international research in food hubs.
FUNDING
Emerging Leaders in Microbusiness (squared): Multiplying and strengthening tomorrow’s leaders-Request for Applications due November 9, 2012 . http://fieldus.org/Projects/elm2.html
Download the Request for Application.
Department of Commerce: FY2013 Community-based Marine Debris Removal - Application deadline: November 1, 2012
NEA Research: Art Works, FY 2013 - Application deadline: November 6, 2012
EPA: Environmental Education Regional Grants - Application deadline: November 21, 2012
EPA: Brownfields Area-Wide Planning Grant - Application deadline: November 30, 2012
NSF: Small Business Innovation Research Program Phase I Solicitation FY-2013 - Application deadline: December 3, 2012
USDA: 2013 National Urban and Community Forestry Grant - Application deadline: December 3, 2012
NEH: Sustaining Cultural Heritage Collections - Application deadline: December 4, 2012
National Endowment for the Arts Releases Funding Guidelines for Our Town Grants - The National Endowment for the Arts releases funding guidelines for Our Town, its primary placemaking grant program. Our Town will invest grants ranging from $25,000 to $200,000 in creative and innovative projects in which communities, along with their arts and design organizations, seek to improve quality of life; foster stronger community identity; encourage greater creative activity; and revitalize economic development. Applications are due by January 14, 2013 and guidelines are available here. Webinars to learn more will be held on November 6 and 13, 2012 at 3:00 pm EST.
BoatUS Foundation Accepting Grant Applications for Safe and Clean Boating Projects - Grants of up to $10,000 will be awarded to nonprofit organizations, boating clubs, and student groups in the United States working to educate boaters about safe and clean boating.... Deadline: December 17, 2012
PeyBack Foundation Accepting Grant Applications for Programs Serving At-Risk Children - Grants of up to $15,000 are available to nonprofits working to provide leadership and growth opportunities to economically disadvantaged children and youth in Indiana, Tennessee, Louisiana, and the Denver metro area.... Deadline: February 1, 2013
Fifth Annual Siemens We Can Change the World Challenge Opens - Teams of K-12 students and their teachers/advisors are invited to enter their ideas to solve environmental problems and compete for more than $300,000 in total prizes.... Deadline: March 5, 2013
Whole Kids Foundation Accepting Applications for School Garden Grant Program - Grants of $2,000 are available to public and private K-12 schools in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada to help fund school garden projects.... Deadline: November 15, 2012
Sodexo Foundation Announces Open Application Period for Stephen J. Brady STOP Hunger Scholarships - Up to five students (kindergarten through graduate school) working to end hunger in their communities will be honored with $5,000 scholarships as well as grants of $5,000 for the hunger charity of their choice.... Deadline: December 5, 2012
Applications Invited for Terri Lynne Lokoff/Children's Tylenol National Child Care Teacher Awards - Fifty pre-K teachers will be selected to receive grants of $1,000 in honor of their dedication to providing high-quality child care.... Deadline: December 3, 2012
Wells Fargo and the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation Accepting Applications for Environmental Solutions for Communities Grant Program - Grants of $25,000 to $100,000 will be awarded for projects in the United States that link economic development and community well-being to the stewardship and health of the environment.... Deadline: December 3, 2012
CareFusion Foundation Announces Grant Program to Support Infection Prevention at Healthcare Organizations - Teams of K-12 students and their teachers/advisors are invited to enter their ideas to solve environmental problems and compete for more than $300,000 in total prizes.... Deadline: December 14, 2012
Cardinal Health Foundation Offers Grants to Improve Patient Safety - Nonprofit healthcare institutions in the United States working to improve medication safety or operating room safety are invited to apply for grants of up to $35,000.... Deadline: December 7, 2012
Suzette M. Agans
Rural Development | Community and Economic Development
U.S. Department of Agriculture
1400 Independence Ave., S.W. Stop 3254 | Washington, D.C. 20250
Phone: 202.401.1922 | Fax: 202.401.7311
www.rurdev.usda.gov
"Committed to the future of rural communities"
"Estamos dedicados al futuro de las comunidades rurales"
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