From our colleagues at USDA-RD; focus on local food systems and economic development!
From: Agans, Suzette - RD, Washington, DC [mailto:Suzette.Agans@wdc.usda.gov]
Sent: Friday, September 26, 2014 10:07 AM
Subject: Publications, Learning, and Funding
PUBLICATIONS
Farmers Market and Local Food Marketing – List of Program and Services available from UDSA Agriculture Marketing – including food hubs, local food, farmers market and grant programs.
Food Value Chains: Creating Shared Value to Enhance Marketing Success - Food value chains are business arrangements distinguished by their commitment to transparency, collaborative business planning and exchange of market intelligence and business know how among chain partners, and their interest in developing business strategies and solutions that yield tangible benefits to each participant in the system. The Wallace Center, in collaboration with USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service, and American University has released a new resource, Food Value Chains: Creating Shared Value to Enhance Marketing Success. This document is designed to provide guidance on how food value chains are initiated and structured, how they function, and the benefits they provide to participants, with the intent of encouraging their adoption where the opportunities for successful collaboration exist. Source: USDA AMS
Moving Food Along the Value Chain: Innovations in Regional Food Distribution – Report examines the aggregation, distribution, and marking of weight diverse food value chains to glean practical lessons about how they operate, the challenges they face, and they take advantage of emerging opportunities for marketing differentiated food products. Source: USDA AMS
AARP and Harvard University Release Report Addressing Housing Issues Facing Older Americans
AARP and the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University recently released a new report, Housing America’s Older Adults: Meeting the Needs of An Aging Population. The report notes that “the existing housing stock is unprepared to meet the escalating need for affordability, accessibility, social connectivity, and supportive services” for older adults (defined as 50 and over in the report). The publication addresses these issues and provides strategies for solving these difficult challenges, noting “these changes will improve not only quality of life for older adults, but also the livability of communities for people of all ages.” Click here to download the report.
Empowering Women through Financial Literacy: Realities and Resources
Learn how financial literacy can empower women. Extra Credit explores myths, realities, and resources for women's financial empowerment.
LEARNING
WEBINAR: Rewriting the Rural Narrative Thursday, October 9, 2014, 4-5 p.m. EDT
Brain drain—the loss of 18-29 year olds—dominates the conversation about rural population change. Yet at the same time, a lesser known migration is occurring. A majority of rural counties are, in fact, experiencing “brain gains” as newcomers age 30-49 move in. Most communities aren’t tuned in to positive migration and miss out on the opportunities that come with newcomers. Ben Winchester, research fellow for the University of Minnesota Extension, Center for Community Vitality, has studied the trend and has great ideas for making the most of positive migration patterns. Join our next CommunityMatters® and Citizen’s Institute on Rural Design™ webinar to hear Ben’s research on rural migration trends and the impacts they have on social and economic opportunity. Learn how communities are responding to these trends and what can be done in your town.
WEBINAR: “Building Relationships through Better Understanding of One Another ”
Tuesday, October 14, 2014, 12pm-1pm (CST) / 1pm — 2pm (EST). http://univmissouri.adobeconnect.com/r6vthwavfhd/ - “Enter as a guest.” Type your name (first and last) into the text box provided, and click on “enter room.” You are now in the meeting room for this webinar.
Presentation: “The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place” - George Bernard Shaw. Too often, we walk away from a conversation with another person comprehending the opposite of what he or she had intended. Missed messages can worsen when the communicators come from different backgrounds – socially, culturally, and linguistically. Understanding how we hear one another, will improve communication. This interactive webinar will help participants learn about the varying barriers to clear communication and the cultural patterns that come into play when we interact.
Debra Bolton, PhD: Dr. Bolton has been on faculty at Kansas State University for nine year as an extension specialist in Family and Consumer Sciences. She works with Agents in 26 counties of Southwest Kansas where the three population centers are Minority-majorities. Bolton is engaged in multi-lingual research in densely-settled and frontier rural communities focusing on health, well-being, integration, and social connectedness. She presents workshops in cross-cultural communications, grant development, logic model building, and strategic planning. Besides working with agents, Debra, a certified family life educator, teaches writing to women working on high school diplomas. In her past careers, Debra worked in public radio and taught English literature. Debra studies geography and plays banjo for a band in her spare time.
WEBINAR: Arts and Community: Funding Opportunities and Resources from the National Endowment for the Arts, October 20, 2014 (Monday), 1:00 PM – Eastern Time
http://connect.msu.edu/ncrcrd Registration: There is no registration and no fee for attending this webinar.
This webinar will explain funding and resources provided by the National Endowment for the Arts to support arts-based community development activities. Through its programs the Endowment supports American communities in their efforts to engage the arts in making places more livable. It will explain Challenge America Fast Track, Art Works, and Our Town funding guidelines and walk through some new resources that provide technical assistance to communities.
About the Speaker: Jason Schupbach is the Director of Design Programs for the National Endowment for the Arts, where he oversees all design and creative placemaking grantmaking and partnerships, including Our Town and Design Art Works grants, the Mayor’s Institute on City Design, the Citizens’ Institute on Rural Design, and the NEA's involvement in the HUD Sandy Recovery Taskforce Rebuild by Design Competition.
To join the webinar go to http://connect.msu.edu/ncrcrd, “enter as a guest” is by default already chosen. Type your name into the text box provided, and click on “Enter Room”. You are now in the meeting room for the webinar.
FUNDING
Smart Growth America to Deliver Free Community and Economic Development Workshops to Communities
Each year, Smart Growth America makes a limited number of technical assistance workshops available to interested communities for zero cost. This competitive award gives communities a chance to understand the technical aspects of smart growth development through a one- or two-day workshop. Applications are now being accepted for the 2015 workshop series. Communities can apply for one of 12 workshop types as part of the free program, including planning for economic and fiscal health; regional planning for small communities; parking audits; land use code audits; walkability workshops; and others. Any unit or subdivision of local government, tribe, or regional government is eligible to apply for these free workshops. Communities may apply for more than one workshop, but must submit separate applications for each. Applications are due by October 23 at 5:00 p.m. ET. Click here for more information and to apply.
YMCA Announces Third Annual My Fresh Page Project Competition - DEADLINE: October 24, 2014
A total of $20,000 will be awarded in support of small ideas that have a big impact on a community....
Great Lakes Higher Education Guaranty Corporation Seeks to Boost College Readiness - DEADLINE: November 12, 2014
Two-year grants of up to $600,000 are available for programs in Iowa, Ohio, Minnesota, and Wisconsin that help prepare high school juniors in the math and English skills they will need for college....
Chesapeake Bay Trust Accepting Applications for Maryland Outreach and Restoration Projects - DEADLINE: December 5, 2014
Grants of up to $75,000 will be awarded for outreach and restoration activities that promote a stewardship ethic toward Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries and for on-the-ground restoration activities....
Arch Coal Foundation Invites Nominations for 2015 Teacher Recognition Awards - DEADLINE: January 5, 2015
Outstanding K-12 teachers from West Virginia and Wyoming will receive a $3,500 personal cash award and widespread recognition of their excellence in the classroom....
Mountaineers Foundation Offers Funding for Research and Conservation of Pacific Northwest Wilderness - DEADLINE: February 1, 2015
Grants of up to $5,000 will be awarded to organizations and agencies working to preserve the natural beauty and ecological integrity of the Pacific Northwest area
Treasury Department Publishes Funding Opportunities under RESTORE Act on www.grants.gov. Applications are due by March 15, 2015 under each competition. Trust Fund amounts are available to carry out eligible activities described in the RESTORE Act. These are:
a) Restoration and protection of the natural resources, ecosystems, fisheries, marine and wildlife habitats, beaches and coastal wetlands of the Gulf Coast region.
b) Mitigation of damage to fish, wildlife and natural resources.
c) Implementation of a federally approved marine, coastal, or comprehensive conservation management plan, including fisheries monitoring.
d) Workforce development and job creation.
e) Improvements to or on State parks located in coastal areas affected by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
f) Infrastructure projects benefitting the economy or ecological resources, including port infrastructure.
g) Coastal flood protection and related infrastructure.
h) Planning assistance.
i) Administrative costs.
j) Promotion of tourism in the Gulf Coast region, including recreational fishing.
k) Promotion of the consumption of seafood harvested from the Gulf Coast region.
Links are available from the Treasury Department’s website at http://www.treasury.gov/services/restore-act/Pages/default.aspx. This webpage presents a complete compendium of the Department’s activities.
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"
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