From our colleagues from USDA-RD; funding for local foods (webinar and grant opportunity) and free resource to assist non-profits with “telling their story”
PUBLICATIONS
Free eBook: Storytelling for Nonprofits
Storytelling is the single most powerful communications tool you have available. Stories make your nonprofit's work relatable, tangible, and touching. Download the Storytelling for Nonprofits eBook and learn how to build the elements of the story, how to craft stories for different mediums, and how to use emotion and a sense of urgency to get donors to give and give now. Get the Storytelling for Nonprofits eBook today!>>
State Fact Sheets - The ERS State Fact Sheets provide information on population, income, poverty, food security, education, employment, organic agriculture, farm characteristics, farm financial indicators, top commodities, and exports. Updated items include 2012 Census of Agriculture data and unemployment for 2013. June 04, 2014
Regional Economics - Leafing through Developments in the New Beige Book
The newly released Beige Book finds that Reserve Bank districts overall are reporting moderate economic growth. A SouthPoint post examines the new release and looks at some regional highlights.
Economic & Financial Highlights
State and local government spending rose on a year-over-year basis in the first quarter of 2014, and manufacturing gained strength in May. See the latest data on government spending, manufacturing, prices, and more.
LEARNING
WEBINAR: National Good Food Network Webinar, Community-Based Food Business Financing
Thursday, June 19, 3:30 - 4:45pm ET (12:30 - 1:45 PT). Free! Register Now
In Austin, Texas a group of folks hungry for local food have cracked the code to access capital – looking to the community. Using a cooperative model they are continuing to innovate. Starting with the knowledge gained from such ventures as a co-op grocer, their success led them to experiment with opening a co-op brew pub. This venture has been another striking success, and are now working to open a cooperative food hub.
This webinar will start with the basics of what a co-op is, how it works, and then they'll discuss accessing community-based capital through what is called a Member Investor Share Offering (MISO). By leveraging the dollars from the community, they have been able to finance the start-up and beginning operations of innovative co-ops. Hear what the organizers of these businesses believe to be the secrets to their success, and some suggestions on how you might consider financing your planned operation in this way.
RECORDED WEBINAR: Is a Food Hub Right For You? Southern SAWG's Food Hub Learning Network is hosting a series of food hub related webinars. Their first, entitled "Is a Food Hub Right for You" was recorded and is now available. Watch now!
FUNDING
PetSmart Charities Accepting Applications for Spay/Neuter Grant Programs - DEADLINE: Open
Grants of up to $100,000 a year for up to two years will be awarded to nonprofits, government entities, and educational institutions conducting high-impact spay/neuter programs targeting pet and free-roaming cat populations in specific geographic areas....
Partners for Places builds partnerships between local government sustainability offices and place-based foundations. Partnership investments are between $25,000 and $75,000 for one-year projects or $50,000 and $150,000 for two-year projects with a 1:1 match. Apply by July 3. Read more.
National Alliance for Grieving Children Announces Capacity Building Grants Program - DEADLINE: July 7, 2014
One-time grants of $10,000 will be awarded to childhood bereavement nonprofits for organizational efficacy initiatives....
Local Foods, Local Places, to help create more livable places by promoting local foods, is a new program supported by EPA, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC), and the Delta Regional Authority (DRA). Together, the agencies are investing $650,000 in the Local Foods, Local Places program, which aims to:
· Boost economic opportunities for local farmers and businesses, and foster entrepreneurship;
· Improve access to healthy local food, particularly among disadvantaged groups with limited access to fresh fruits and vegetables; and
· Revitalize downtowns, main street districts, and traditional neighborhoods by supporting farmers’ markets, food hubs, community gardens, community kitchens, and other kinds of local food enterprises, and by providing people with affordable choices for accessing those amenities, such as walking, biking, or taking transit.
Local Foods, Local Places will provide direct technical support to selected communities to help them develop and implement action plans promoting local food and downtown revitalization. Special consideration will be given to communities that are in the early stages of developing or restoring local food enterprises and creating economically vibrant communities. Selected communities in Appalachia and the Delta region will be eligible to receive financial assistance to help them implement those plans.
Eligibility - Communities anywhere in the United States are eligible to apply. Particular consideration will be given to communities in the following places:
· Areas served by the Appalachian Regional Commission in Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.
· Areas served by the Delta Regional Authority in Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, and Tennessee.
· Federally designated Promise Zones in the Choctaw Nation region of Southeast Oklahoma; Los Angeles, California; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; San Antonio, Texas; and Southeastern Kentucky.
· USDA-designated StrikeForce counties in Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and West Virginia.
How to Apply - Communities are invited to submit a letter of interest of no more than two pages that describes the community’s needs and goals related to local food and the revitalization of downtowns and traditional neighborhoods. The letter should indicate a primary point of contact and other members of the community or organizations that would participate in the technical assistance process. Communities are strongly encouraged to seek the support of their local development district or regional development organization, or, alternatively, a local community college or university, and to indicate this partner organization in their letter of interest. Letters of interest may be submitted by any community representative, including representatives of local government and nongovernmental organizations.
Applicants will be evaluated on their commitment to USDA’s Seven Strategies for Economic Development and the HUD-DOT-EPA Partnership for Sustainable Communities’ Livability Principles, as well as their potential for success in:
· Producing and distributing healthy local food;
· Creating economic opportunities for local farmers and businesses;
· Expanding access to healthy foods among disadvantaged members of the community;
· Revitalizing existing downtowns, main streets, and neighborhoods; and
· Partnering with local agricultural producers, business, government, transportation, education, and other relevant organizations.
Submit letters of interest by email to Ed Fendley at lflp@epa.gov by July 15, 2014. Please include “Local Foods, Local Places” and the name of the community in the subject line of the email.
Dept. of Transportation, FTA Funding Opportunities: Prior Year Section 5309 Bus and Bus Facilities Program (Ladders of
Opportunity Initiative) Notice of Funding Availability for FTA Bus and Bus Facilities Program, The June 4 FEDERAL REGISTER notice. Proposals are due by August 4.
The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announces the availability of prior year Section 5309 Bus and Bus Facilities Program discretionary funds for the Ladders of
Opportunity Initiative in Fiscal Year (FY) 2014. FTA will make available approximately $100 million from recoveries from the Section 5309 Bus and Bus Facilities Program authorized by the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient, Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA–LU), Public Law 109–59 and prior authorizations.
This announcement is available on the FTA Web site at: http://www.fta.dot.gov. A synopsis of this funding opportunity will be posted in the FIND module of
the government-wide electronic grants Web site at http://www.GRANTS.GOV.
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Newsletters and email from where I gather this information include:
v Foundation Center RFP Service - To subscribe or unsubscribe, or to change your e-mail address, visit: http://foundationcenter.org/newsletters/
v To subscribe to the RAC Health Listserv - click here to go to the subscription form.
v Electronic newsletter of the RUPRI Center for Rural Entrepreneurship, Rural Entrepreneurship News. To subscribe, http://team.energizingentrepreneurs.org/news2/public_html/lists/?p=subscribe
v Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City newsletter: http://www.kansascityfed.org/alert/’
v Blue Avocado Nonprofit Magazine - They have a newsletter on boards and nonprofit management, down-to-earth and useful. http://www.blueavocado.org/
v Rural LISC e-newsletter - http://www.lisc.org/rural
v National Association for Development Organizations (NADO) – www.nado.org
v ERS - A notification service is provided by USDA's Economic Research Service for Charts of Note and other research to keep you informed of the latest and most relevant research on the topics that interest you. You can subscribe at http://www.ers.usda.gov/Updates/
v Department of Labor – Email Subscription Service - https://public.govdelivery.com/accounts/USDOL/subscriber/new?topic_id=USDOL_167
v Good Done Great - Knowledge Sites – webinars and websites geared to nonprofits – to subscribe - http://4good.us1.list-manage.com/profile?u=04c75b52bdc230f3f32ad149d&id=7dc46f4ba6&e=53110692a1
v Orton Family Foundation – email sign-up - http://www.orton.org/sign_up
This is the bulk of them, a few others are random.
Suzette M. Agans
Community and Economic Development
Rural Development | U.S. Department of Agriculture
1400 Independence Ave., S.W. | Washington, D.C. 20250-3253
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"
This electronic message contains information generated by the USDA solely for the intended recipients. Any unauthorized interception of this message or the use or disclosure of the information it contains may violate the law and subject the violator to civil or criminal penalties. If you believe you have received this message in error, please notify the sender and delete the email immediately.
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