Funding and Financing Opportunities
FINRA INVESTOR EDUCATION FOUNDATION offers funding to nonprofits, and state and public colleges and universities for projects that advance understanding of the relationships among financial literacy, financial capability, and financial well-being. Deadline: A Project Concept Form may be submitted at any time. Grants of $50,000 to $100,000 are available. Visit the Foundation's website here for application guidelines and more information.
THE NOTAH BEGAY III FOUNDATION is offering grants to organizations working to prevent or reduce childhood obesity and type 2 diabetes in Native American children. Funds may be used for capacity building, community planning, or community health assessments. Deadline: 9/12/2014. Click here to visit the Foundation's website.
SEVENTH GENERATION FUND is accepting applications for grants of up to $5,000 for Native American community-based organizations and projects aligned with one of the fund's program areas. Deadline: 9/15/2014. Click here to review program areas and application guidelines.
THE EPA is offering grants through the Brownfields Area-Wide Planning Grant program which provides support to conduct research, technical assistance, or training activities that will enable the development of an area-wide plan for brownfields assessment, cleanup, and subsequent reuse. Deadline: 9/22/2014. Click here to review funding guidelines.
U.S. SOCCER FOUNDATION is offering grants to nonprofits for their "Safe Places to Play" grant program. This program provides grants to organizations to build or enhance a field space in their community. Funds may be used for synthetic turf, lighting, irrigation, and installation of sport courts. Deadline to apply: Letter of Intent 9/24/2014; application 10/1/2014. Click here for application guidelines.
THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY'S COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS FUND (CDFI Fund) has released the Notice of Allocation Availability (NOAA) for the calendar year 2014 round of the New Markets Tax Credit Program (NMTC Program). The NOAA makes up to $5 billion in tax credit allocation authority available for the CY 2014 round, pending Congressional authorization. Deadline to apply: 10/1/2014. NMTC application materials and resources are available here.
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES is offering grants through the American Indian/Alaska Native Early Head Start Expansion and Early Head Start-Child Care Partnerships program which provides support to expand access to high-quality, comprehensive services for low-income American Indian/Alaska Native infants and toddlers and their families. Deadline: 10/6/2014. Click here to visit the website for more information and to apply.
BEN & JERRY'S FOUNDATION is offering grants of up to $20,000 to support nonprofit community-organizing groups in the United States working to further social and environmental justice and support sustainable and just food systems. Deadline: 10/15/2014 (pre-applications). Click here for application guidelines.
LOWE'S CHARITABLE AND EDUCATION FOUNDATION is accepting applications for Toolbox for Education Grants. Grants of up to $5,000 will be awarded in support of projects that have a permanent impact on a K-12 school community, such as a facility enhancement or landscaping/clean-up effort. Deadline: 10/15/2014. Click here to visit the website and review funding guidelines.
THE NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION FOUNDATION is offering capacity building grants to nonprofit organizations whose missions are focused on the improvement and responsible use of public land sites throughout the nation. Grants of up to $5,000 are provided to increase organizational effectiveness so that grantees can better conserve public lands. Deadline: 10/30/2014. Visit the Foundation's website here to learn more about the program and the online application process.
THE DELTA REGIONAL AUTHORITY will award funding to rural counties and parishes within the Delta region (Alabama, Arkansas, Tennessee, Illinois, Missouri, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Kentucky) for the purposes of direct technical support and assistance needed to develop a connected workforce development system at the local level. Deadline: 11/4/2014. For application guidelines and more information, click here.
USDA is offering grants to nonprofits through the Rural Community Development Initiative (RCDI) which provides financial and technical assistance to recipients in developing their capacity and ability to undertake projects related to housing, community facilities, or community and economic development. DEADLINE: 11/12/2014. Click here for application guidelines.
Training Events and Conferences
Harvard's Joint Center for Housing Studies and the AARP Foundation will release their new report, "Housing America's Older Adults--Meeting the Needs of an Aging Population", during a live webcast of the event in Washington, DC, on September 2, 2014 at 11:00 AM ET. The report presents new research on, and the urgent needs of, our aging population. Click here to see the agenda, register for the Washington, DC event, and to watch the live webcast.
Art-Force and the National Rural Assembly are hosting a convening of artists-artisans-designers, rural leaders and advocates, elected and agency representatives, CSAs and CDCs, food producers and distributors, policy researchers and scholars, and entrepreneurs and small business owners September 3-5, 2014 in Greensboro, North Carolina. The event offers three days of dialogue, workshops, and exploration of how partnerships between the creative arts and agriculture can produce innovative strategies for economic redevelopment and well-being in rural and economically distressed communities. Click here to learn more about this conference.
Wealth Creation and Rural Livelihoods will offer a webinar on September 4 from 1:00-2:00 PM ET on the Jacobs Center for Neighborhood Innovation in San Diego, California. The Jacobs Center is part of a unique partnership involving neighborhood residents and a large network of local and national investors. Learn how a local family foundation spawned a network of engaged residents, community associations, and other investors who converted 60 acres of abandoned industrial land into a thriving (and still expanding) commercial and cultural center known as The Village at Market Creek and in the process has enabled residents to own 20 percent of the project, and a new neighborhood foundation another 20 percent, while pledging to go out of business and turn over all remaining assets to the community in 20 years. To learn more about the Jacobs Center story, click here. To register for the webinar, click here.
The National Rural Housing Coalition is offering a social media webinar titled "How to Create an Effective Social Media Strategy" on Tuesday, September 9, 2014 at 3:00 PM ET. While social media has changed the way nonprofit organizations engage supporters, donors, volunteers, and policymakers, many rural housing organizations have not yet embraced the available technology. The webinar will focus on how to create a social media strategy, even with limited resources. To register, click here.
The CDFI Fund, in partnership with the Opportunity Finance Network, is holding a series of webinars exploring the financial intricacies of community health centers and ways CDFIs can invest in them. The webinars will be held September 9, September 24, October 7 and October 22 at 2:00 PM ET. Learn more about the series by clicking here.
CFED will host the annual Assets Learning Conference, "Platforms for Prosperity", September 17-19, 2014 at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in Washington, DC. This year's conference will showcase asset-building strategies that move individuals and families across America toward more secure financial futures. Click here to register.
The Federal Reserve Banks of New York and Philadelphia and the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University will host "Assessing the Household Credit Recovery: Post-Crisis Developments in Credit Use & Credit Repair" on Friday, September 19, 2014 at Rutgers University (New Brunswick campus). Speakers will share the latest research on trends in household lending, as well as emerging strategies for consumers to improve their balance sheets, repair credit, and gain access to mainstream financial products. Click here for more information and to register.
GrantStation is offering a webinar on Thursday, September 25, 2014, 2:00-4:00 PM ET on current trends affecting rural funding. Questions to be addressed in the webinar include: "When has it ever been easy to secure funding for rural communities? Is there a way to level the playing field so small towns and counties/boroughs can compete for both government and private sector grants? What are the other options for financially supporting a rural project whether you are a nonprofit or local government? Are collaborative efforts worth the effort? And, of course the biggest question: Who is funding rural America?" The webinar will be presented by Cynthia Adams, CEO of GrantStation. Cost: $89.00 per person, or $150.00 per site. Click the link here to register.
The Center for the Study of Social Policy and the national Summit Planning Team will host the 2014 Strengthening Families Leadership Summit October 7-8, 2014 at the Drake Hotel in downtown Chicago, Illinois. Participants will hear about the excitement and challenges in integrating Strengthening Families in new arenas: housing, health care, and neighborhood revitalization. Click here to learn more about the event and to register.
Novogradac will host its annual Affordable Housing Conference October 9-10, 2014 at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in San Francisco, California. Participants will discuss the ways affordable housing professionals can use the low-income housing tax credit and other tools to maximize the availability of affordable rental housing in communities across the nation. To learn more about the conference and to register, click here.
The 16th Annual National Conference for Grant Professionals will be held in Portland, Oregon, October 15-18, 2014. Over 600 conference participants will participate in 70 workshops on a wide variety of topics presented by experts in their respective fields. Learn best practices in grant management and grantwriting, and network with other grant professionals. Save $50 on registration with the discount code GS-50! Click here to learn more about the conference and to register.
Yellow Wood Associates, Inc. is offering WealthWorks Training for Coaches and Coordinators. The training is designed for professionals engaged in community and/or economic development that would like to become WealthWorks value chain coaches or coordinators. Participants work with value chain intermediary organizations (value chain managers), helping them identify, explore, construct, and measure the impacts of WealthWorks value chains. The next session begins with an on-site portion October 19 to 22, 2014 at Pendle Hill, just outside of Philadelphia. To register, participants are encouraged to submit an application early. The application is available here. For more information about WealthWorks, click here. Additional information about the training, including comments from current participants, can be found here.
The U.S. Green Building Council will host the Greenbuild International Conference and Expo October 22-24, 2014 in the Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, Louisiana. The event features industry speakers, LEED workshops and tours of green buildings in New Orleans. To learn more and to register, click here.
The National Housing Conference and Federal Home Loan Bank of Chicago will host a regional housing forum on the past, future, and promise of affordable housing on October 22, 2014 from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM at the Palmer House Hilton in Chicago, Illinois. Regional and national housing and community development leaders will discuss: lessons learned from the housing boom, bust, and ongoing recovery; the potential for reviving neighborhoods; the social return on investments in housing; and emerging service-enriched housing models. For more information, and to register, click here.
The California Coalition for Rural Housing will host the 2014 Rural Housing Summit October 23-24, 2014 at the Asilomar State Conference Grounds in Pacific Grove, California. The event brings together housing professionals and advocates to discuss key policy and program issues and develop an action plan to improve living conditions for low-income and rural California families. Click here to learn more about the event.
Housing Assistance Council will offer "Farmworker Housing Quality and Health: A Transdisciplinary Conference" on November 11, from 7:30 AM to 5:00 PM in Arlington, Virginia. Registration is $50 until October 1 and $70 after that date. Click here to learn more about this event and to register.
CFED will offer its annual I'M HOME Conference November 12-13, 2013 at the Hyatt at Olive 8 in Seattle, Washington. The Conference brings together audiences interested in applying manufactured housing solutions to affordable housing challenges to network, learn, and share best practices with one another. Registration is open to the general public. Click here for registration information.
The National Housing Conference will host its annual conference November 18-20, 2014 at the Marriott City Center in Oakland, California. Participants will learn the best practices that are helping communities across the country meet affordable housing challenges. To register, click here.
Information and Other Resources
A blog in Shelterforce's Rooflines poses the question "Is the Housing Crisis Over in Rural America?" The piece, by Housing Assistance Council's Lance George, sheds some light on affordable housing in rural areas. Read the post here.
The National Community Land Trust Network, in partnership with the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, has released two working papers on inclusionary housing: "Resident and Community Engagement in Community Land Trusts" examines the practices of six well-established CLTs that have successfully engaged residents and communities in their operations. Download a copy here. "Achieving Lasting Affordability through Inclusionary Housing" analyzes 20 inclusionary housing programs to show how long affordability periods, strong legal mechanisms, carefully designed resale formulas, dedicated program stewardship, and strategic partnerships can help preserve affordable homes for multiple generations. Download a copy here.
Community development isn't just about where low-income people live; it's about how well they live. Zip code and health are intrinsically linked. In the first of a series of articles on this from the Institute for Comprehensive Community Development, LISC's Amy Gillman looks at how and why community development has become so critical to the question of better health in distressed areas, with everything from good housing and strong schools to local health centers, fresh food markets, and athletic programs helping sever the long-standing link between poor places and poor health. Read the full article here.
A report by the U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee recognizes that keeping rural communities healthy is vital to the U.S. economy. The report provides an overview of rural populations, rural health statistics, barriers to healthcare in rural areas, economic implications of rural healthcare, and relevant policy actions to keep rural America healthy. Click here for a free copy of the report.
Diabetes management programs in Florida and Kentucky are helping rural diabetic patients better manage their health, and promoting community awareness of the disease. The incidence of diabetes is about 17 percent higher in rural areas and racial and ethnic minorities are also at higher risk of developing the disease, according to Rural Healthy People 2020 (RHP) co-author Jane Bolin, director of Texas A&M's Southwest Rural Health Research Center in College Station, Texas. Click here to learn more.
A report from Fannie Mae shows that young renters still aspire to homeownership, but remain pessimistic about their ability to improve their credit scores or save enough for a down payment. Read the report here.
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has released a report on the New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) program. The report expressed the concern that, "Multiple funding sources for community development projects may be leading to duplication of the federal New Markets Tax Credit." The report also identified complexity of financial structures in NMTC projects as a challenge. Typically, communities combine multiple sources of funding in order to make these large projects financially feasible. The GAO report is available here.
"Rural Connections: Challenges and Opportunities in America's Heartland" is the title of a report prepared by TRIP, a national transportation research group. The report looks at the condition, use, and safety of the nation's rural transportation system and discusses recommendations to improve connectivity in America's small communities and rural areas to access jobs, education, and healthcare. Download a copy here.
The Federal Housing Finance Agency is requesting input on its FY 2015-2019 Strategic Plan. The plan outlines three major priorities: ensuring safe and sound regulated entities; ensuring liquidity, stability and access in housing finance; and managing the conservatorships. Comments are due by September 15, 2014. Click here to download the strategic plan and to submit your comments.
New research from the Center for Community Change on how to talk about poverty shows that messages that focus on people's life experiences, like "struggling to make ends meet" and "living paycheck to paycheck," are more impactful than talking about "poverty". Read the Center's research brief, which is full of helpful terms and strategies to talk about building an economy that works for all of us, here.
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