FW: Publication, Tools, Learning, and Funding

From our colleagues at USDA-Rural Development.

 

 

 

From: Agans, Suzette - RD, Washington, DC [mailto:Suzette.Agans@wdc.usda.gov]
Sent: Friday, March 28, 2014 7:41 AM
Subject: Publication, Tools, Learning, and Funding

 

PUBLICATIONS

 

Encore Entrepreneurs: They’re Older and They Have More Insurance – Excerpt from the article - “Contrary to popularly held assumptions, it turns out that over the past decade or so, the highest rate of entrepreneurial activity belongs to the 55-64 age group. The 20-34 age bracket, meanwhile, which we usually identify with swashbuckling and risk-taking youth (think Facebook and Google), has the lowest rate. Perhaps most surprising, this disparity occurred during the eleven years surrounding the dot-com boom—when the young entrepreneurial upstart became a cultural icon.” This comes from a report called THE COMING ENTREPRENEURSHIP BOOM published by the Marion Ewing Kauffman Foundation, a leader in thinking about entrepreneurship in the U.S.

 

U.S. agricultural exports rose as U.S. dollar depreciated

The depreciation of the U.S. dollar against the currencies of U.S. agricultural trade partners contributed to the growth in U.S. agricultural exports since the early 2000s. When the dollar depreciates, U.S. agricultural exports tend to rise as they become cheaper in foreign currency terms, while periods of appreciation—such as 2009—tend to make U.S. goods more expensive and constrain exports. Between 2002 and 2011, the U.S. dollar depreciated 22 percent against the currencies of U.S. agricultural trade partners, while U.S. agricultural exports expanded by 156 percent. Since 2011, although the dollar has appreciated 7 percent, its value remains low relative to historical levels and U.S. agricultural exports have remained competitive. The U.S. dollar exchange rate index shown in the chart is based on the average exchange rate across countries, weighted by each country’s share of U.S. agricultural exports. A chart is based on data found in the ERS Agricultural Exchange Rate Data Set and Foreign Agricultural Trade of the United States.

 

Human Capital Topics Now Searchable - Understanding the inner workings of the labor market requires a grasp of the complex dynamics behind human capital and workforce development. The Atlanta Fed's enhanced Human Capital Compendium places relevant and diverse resources at your fingertips, and macroblog discusses the benefits.

 

Strategic Visioning for Community and Economic Development: Keys to Engaging Stakeholders - This guide discusses how to effectively engage stakeholders in the community. It is a companion to another NACo guide, Strategic Visioning for Community and Economic Development: Keys to Managing Public Dialogue. Together they intended to provide local and regional leaders with tips and resources regarding effective public engagement and dialogue.

 

Local Official's Guide to Defense industry Adjustment – The very first publication on this page is designed for Local Official’s to use when undergoing strategic economic development planning.  While the first couple of pages are specific to BRAC and similar issues, this handy guide packs it all into one place.  The rest of the materials on this page maybe useful as well. Office of Economic Adjustment (DOD).

 

Understanding Rural Migration - For the past three months, Craig Schroeder's newsletter for youth engagement has focused on Understanding Rural Migration: Myths, Trends, and Opportunities. The 2010 Census data shows an intriguing and ongoing trend: 30-49-year-olds flocking to rural places as they emphasize quality of life. This trend represents an opportunity for social and civic entrepreneurs across rural America focused on creating a more sustainable future for their rural hometowns and regions. Craig, Jim Russell and Ben Winchester offer solid data and insights that might help bust a few myths and encourage you to take a new look at demographics in your own communities. Take a look at the Understanding Rural Migration white paper. If you'd like more information, contact Craig@e2mail.org.

 

Eve Andrews: How tiny house communities can work for both the haves and the have nots

http://grist.org/living/how-tiny-house-communities-can-work-for-both-the-haves-and-the-have-nots/

Ryan Mitchell’s dream is a community of tiny houses. When asked what that would look like, he describes a grouping of mini-cottages around a large communal structure, which would include space to have shared meals, shows, and workshops. “The community aspect is actually a big part of what we [tiny house enthusiasts] like,” says Mitchell. With The Tiny Life, Mitchell has created an online forum of sorts for tiny house enthusiasts from all over the world. He wants to bring that community out of the virtual sphere and into the physical one. How idyllic! But as Mitchell has learned firsthand, building a tiny house community from scratch is not as simple as it seems. Local building and zoning restrictions, not to mention securing startup money to buy land, are just a few of the obstacles to achieving a cottage-laden utopia.

 

 

TOOLS

 

Long-term Community Recovery Tool – from FEMA, includes worksheets and how to’s, designed from communities recovering from disasters, could be useful for places that have lost significant number of jobs, or when folks recognize something needs to change or disaster will occur (community falling apart, jobs leaving, schools closing etc.).

 

The State of Unemployment: How Many Jobs Does It Take? The state Jobs Calculator is up to date with January data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Find out how many jobs it takes to reach a target unemployment rate in your state.

 

Entrepreneur’s Guide - Explore the Entrepreneurship.org Resource Center to find information about all aspects of starting and growing a business. Designed with entrepreneurs, policy makers, investors, mentors and academics in mind, our resource center allows you to rate and comment on the materials posted by the community.

 

Micro-enterprise Links- http://www.doleta.gov/projectgate/links.cfm - it includes government, non-governmental and other links.

 

Five tips for making decisions based on shared community values - 1. Use values to frame brainstorms; 2. Narrow, then narrow some more;
3. Don’t reach for unicorns and rainbows; and 4….read the rest of the article

 

 

LEARNING

WEBINAR: Funding Available for Communities Affected by Defense Industry Reductions Thursday, April 17, 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM ET

Cost: FREE, Registration Deadline: Thursday, April 17, 12:00 PM ET

President Obama's budget request marks the fifth consecutive year of procurement reductions at the Department of Defense (DoD). Do you know how this year's budget will affect your regional economy? You should. The DoD’s Office of Economic Adjustment (OEA) has funding available for communities affected by Department of Defense spending reductions. This month’s free webinar will explain how your community or state might be able to utilize these resources.

Through technical and financial assistance, OEA supports regions that have been directly and significantly impacted by: the cancellation or termination of a DoD contract or the failure to proceed with an approved major weapon system program; a publicly announced, planned major reduction in DoD spending that would directly and adversely affect a community; or, the closure or the significantly reduced operations of a defense facility as the result of a merger, acquisition , or consolidation of the defense contractor operating the defense facility. States and communities that have been significantly impacted by reductions or cancellations in DoD programs can request OEA assistance to: organize themselves; plan strategies; and, carry out strategies through public-private ventures. Read more....

Presenters:

• Michael Gilroy, Co-Lead, Defense Industry Adjustment Program, Office of Economic Adjustment, Department of Defense
• Liz Chimienti, Co-Lead, Defense Industry Adjustment Program, Office of Economic Adjustment, Department of Defense

 

 

FUNDING

 

Manufacturing Sector:  NSF Announces Sustainable Nanomanufacturing Funding Opportunity; Community Colleges Eligible to Apply; Competitive Proposals Expected to Address Training and Education of Students.  The National Science Foundation (NSF) has announced a fourth year of a program on collaborative research and education in the area of scalable nanomanufacturing, including the long-term societal implications of the large-scale implementation of nanomanufacturing innovations. This program is in response to and is a component of the National Nanotechnology Initiative Signature Initiative: Sustainable Nanomanufacturing .

Note that competitive proposals are expected to address the training and education of students in nanomanufacturing.

While not required, the involvement of an industrial partner or partners is strongly encouraged and has the potential to significantly strengthen a proposal.

Proposals are due by June 16.  Additional background / application requirements

 

Office of Economic Adjustment – Financial Assistance - State and local governments are eligible for OEA grant assistance as they seek to organize and plan economic recovery in response to the closure/realignment of military installations or cancellation or termination of a Defense contract, as well as to plan compatible land use near installations where civilian encroachment may impair the ongoing missions of an active duty installation. The eGrants system has been designed to enable grant applicants to prepare and submit online requests to OEA. List of grants - http://www.oea.gov/grants/information/assistance [Note: Under learning there is a webinar in April]

 

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has extended the application deadline for funds available under the Grants for Transportation of Veterans in Highly Rural Areas program. To allow applicants more time to complete the application process, VA is again extending the application deadline to midnight eastern standard time on May 27, 2014.  More …

VA published a Notice of Funds Availability (NOFA) in the Federal Register on July 9, 2013 (78 FR 41195) to announce the availability of funds for applications beginning July 9, 2013 through September 9, 2013, 4 p.m. eastern standard time. The NOFA includes eligibility and scoring criteria for grants to assist veterans in highly rural areas through innovative transportation services to travel to VA and non-VA facilities and otherwise assist in providing transportation services in connection with the provision of VA medical care.

 

Ezra Jack Keats Foundation Minigrant Applications Deadline Extended - DEADLINE: MARCH 30, 2014
Grants of up to $500 will be awarded to educators to create special activities and events outside the standard curriculum....

 

Target Accepting Applications for K-12 Arts Education Programs - DEADLINE: APRIL 30, 2014
Grants of $2,000 will be awarded in support of programs that enhance the K-12 classroom curricula by bringing arts and cultural experiences to schools....

 

GreenPal Lawncare Accepting Applications for Annual Business Scholarship - DEADLINE: MAY 31, 2014. Scholarship funds of $2,000 will be awarded to a motivated, driven student who owns and operates his/her own small business or has put together a business plan to start a business while in college....

 

Ovarian Cancer Research Fund Seeks Proposals for Woman to Woman Support Groups -DEADLINE: MAY 1, 2014. Grants of up to $50,000 will be awarded for support programs designed to improve the quality of care for gynecologic cancer patients through a patient-to-patient support model....

 

CHCF Seeks Applications From Companies for Community Health Centers Initiative - DEADLINE: MAY 6, 2014 (Open). Grants of up to $1.5 million will be awarded to companies with technology- or service-based solutions that enable community health centers and clinics to stretch their resources, increase patient access to care, and/or lower the cost of providing care....

 

Gates Foundation Issues Call for Applications for Round 13 of Grand Challenges Initiative - DEADLINE: MAY 6, 2014
Initial grants of $100,000 will be awarded in support of bold approaches aimed at improving the lives of the world's poorest people....

 

Donaghue Foundation Invites Letters of Intent for Projects to Improve Institutional Senior Care - DEADLINE: MAY 12, 2014 (Letters of Intent)
Through its Another Look program, the foundation will award grants totaling $450,000 for projects that address a particular problem affecting the elderly in care facilities....

 

Indian and Native American Programs — SGA-DFA-PY-13-02, Closing Date: April 23, 2014

The U.S. Department of Labor's (DOL) Employment and Training Administration (ETA) announces the availability of approximately announces the availability of approximately $58 million in grant funds authorized by the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) Section 166 for the Indian and Native American Program (INAP) to fund approximately 170 grants — $46 million to fund the Comprehensive Service Program (CSP) serving adult participants and $12 million to fund Supplemental Youth Service Program (SYSP) serving summer youth participants. The WIA Section 166 program provides training and employment services specifically targeted to Indian and Native Americans and is the only Federal employment and job training program that serves American Indians, Alaskan Natives, and Native Hawaiians who reside both on and off reservations. Grantees must provide services to all eligible applicants and ensure equitable access to employment and training services within the geographic service area. The Department waived the previous competitive round of WIA Section 166 awards for PY 2012-2013, and has determined that no waivers of competition under WIA Section 166(c)(2) will be available for the next two-year designation cycle.  Read the Full Announcement (PDF)

 

Face Forward 2 — Intermediary and Community Grants — SGA/DFA PY-13-09. Closing Date: May 2, 2014

The U.S. Department of Labor's (DOL) Employment and Training Administration (ETA) announces the availability of approximately $44 million in grants through the Face Forward program to provide work-based learning opportunities and support services for youth ages 14 to 24 who have been through the juvenile justice system. The Face Forward grant program is designed to help participants move forward into the future by combining the most promising workforce and juvenile justice strategies available. These grants will offer organizations the opportunity to develop programs that address this issue by helping youth obtain education and industry-recognized credentials in high-demand occupations and industries. The grants will also help youth evade the stigma of having a juvenile record through the use of diversion or record expungement strategies. Four grants of $5 million each will be awarded to intermediary organizations for implementation through their affiliates, and approximately 16 grants of up to $1.5 million each will be awarded directly to community-based organizations or faith-based organizations with 501(c)(3) nonprofit status. Read the Full Announcement (PDF)

 

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