Lots of exciting opportunities this week! Several funding opportunities for place-making via arts, low-income housing/homelessness, and more.
From: Agans, Suzette - RD, Washington, DC [mailto:Suzette.Agans@wdc.usda.gov]
Sent: Friday, October 03, 2014 8:27 AM
Subject: Publications, Tools, Learning, and Funding
PUBLICATIONS
Price spreads are larger for more highly processed foods - Food price spreads—the difference between a food’s retail price and the value of the farm commodities used in the food—measure the cost of processing, wholesaling, and retailing food from the farmer to consumer. Price spreads vary by food products, reflecting different degrees of processing and marketing. The price spread for white flour, which averaged 30 cents per pound over 2000-2013, is smaller than the price spread for white bread. Multiple ingredients are required to produce bread (including flour, high fructose corn syrup, and vegetable oil) and bread must be mixed, baked, sliced, packaged, and advertised. These additional processing and marketing costs resulted in an average price spread for bread of $1.13 per pound over 2000-2013. Large price spreads signal that changes in farm prices will likely have a weaker effect on retail prices. When wheat prices climbed 162 percent from 2000 to 2013, the retail price of flour rose 79 percent, while retail bread prices were only 52 percent higher. A chart is available from ERS’s data product, Price Spreads From Farm to Consumer, updated August 11, 2014.
Cause for Optimism? Child Poverty Declines for the First Time Since Before the Great Recession
Reports of a decrease in child poverty rates between 2012 and 2013 which was driven by poverty declines in urban America. There was no significant change in rural or suburban child poverty rates. Includes rural child poverty data by state, region, and race/ethnicity. Organization: Carsey School of Public Policy. Date: 09 / 2014
Tips for Disaster Responders: Cultural Awareness When Working in Indian Country Post Disaster
Provides information for disaster response workers to build cultural awareness for supporting Native Americans before, during, and after a traumatic event. Discusses cultural values, types of traumatic events, traditional teachings, and talking circles. Organization: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Date: 09 / 2014
USDA has published a guide that presents statistics on food security, food expenditures, and use of food and nutrition assistance programs. Food insecurity was more common in large cities and rural areas than in suburban areas and exurban areas around large cities. Download a free copy here.
Rural Hispanic population growth mirrors national trends - Between 1990 and 2013, the Hispanic population in the United States (including both foreign and U.S. born) increased from 22.4 million to 54.1 million, growing 142 percent compared with 16 percent for the non-Hispanic population for the same period. Prior to 1990, growth of the Hispanic population was concentrated in larger cities and in relatively few States, mostly in the Southwest. The rural (nonmetro) Hispanic population grew at less than half the rate seen in urban (metro) areas during the 1980s—2.2 percent per year compared with 4.5 percent. Since 1990, however, growth in the Hispanic population has been widespread, occurring in metropolitan and rural communities in every region of the country; average annual population growth rates have been identical for metro and nonmetro Hispanic populations since 2000. However, both rural and urban areas have experienced lower rates of growth among Hispanics since the recession, due in part to a decline in immigration. Rural population growth remains above 2 percent per year for Hispanics, in marked contrast to population decline among non-Hispanic populations, averaging -0.2 percent per year since 2010. A chart is found in the ERS newsroom feature, Immigration and the Rural Workforce.
TOOLS
DSIRE – Database of State Incentives for Renewable and Efficiency - http://www.dsireusa.org/ is the most comprehensive source of information on incentives and policies that support renewables and energy efficiency in the United States. Established in 1995, DSIRE is currently operated by the N.C. Solar Center at N.C. State University, with support from the Interstate Renewable Energy Council, Inc. DSIRE is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy.
Improving Access to Health Care (Information): How You Can Help
Sep 22, 2014 -- The Commonwealth Fund has teamed up with the Nebraska Press Association (NPA) for an experiment, Rural Health News Service Pilot Project, that provides rural citizens access to unbiased health and health care information. The article describes the need for more coverage of rural healthcare and how this new program is working to address it.
Source: The Communications Network
The Democracy Collaborative has been tracking state and local policies that provide a supportive environment for the expansion of community wealth building models and innovations. They have assembled some of the most important existing and proposed policies in a new report: "Policies for Community Wealth Building: Leveraging State and Local Resources". Download a free copy here.
LEARNING
WEBINAR: Rewriting the Rural Narrative, Thursday, October 9, 2014, 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm Eastern
RSVP Link: http://www.eventbrite.com/e/rewriting-the-rural-narrative-registration-129368253...
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: Community Benefit Agreements (CBAs): An Exciting New Tool for Social Enterprises, held on Tuesday, October 14th at 1PM CDT.
To register, go to this link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/webinar-community-benefit-agreements-an-exciting-new-tool-for-social-enterprises-tickets-13295141125. Once you have registered, a confirmation page will come up with webinar access information.
WEBINAR: Evaluating Impacts of Natural Resource Development, October 28, 2014 (Tuesday), 3:00 PM CT / 4:00 PM – Eastern Time
Meredith Redlin & Jeffrey Jacquet (South Dakota State University) http://connect.msu.edu/ncrcrd
New technologies in natural resource industries, most notably hydraulic fracturing (i.e. fracking) but also turbine technologies, have rapidly expanded development of these resources in the North Central region. The impacts emerging from this development have social, economic, and environmental ramifications for both communities and states, and for adjoining states and communities. In response, multiple efforts through universities and extension, industry, non-government organizations and governments seek to address and define both benefits and detriments in these impacts. However, many of these efforts are fragmented, and knowledge gained within and across engaged entities (and within and across regions) is inadequately shared. To address this need, we convened an international group of researchers in January of 2014. In this webinar, we present a series of findings demonstrating both this fragmentation, and also the breadth of interdisciplinary knowledge. We also present a series of strategies for linking across disciplines and steps taken for building a national network
About the Speakers:
Meredith Redlin is a Professor in the Dept. of Sociology and Rural Studies. She teaches, researches and publishes in the areas of community development and rural diversity.
Jeffrey Jacquet is an Assistant Professor in the Dept. of Sociology and Rural Studies. He has published widely in the areas of energy and environment.
Registration: There is no registration and no fee for attending this webinar.
WEBINAR: Two Years Out: A Review of the Native American Institute’s Project on the Potential and Impact of the HEARTH Act. October 30, 2014 (Thursday), 12:30 PM CT / 1:30 PM – Eastern Time
http://connect.msu.edu/ncrcrd There is no registration and no fee for attending this webinar.
In 2012 the United States government passed the Helping Expedite and Advance Responsible Tribal Homeownership Act, or the HEARTH Act. For this webinar we will review literature on the Hearth Act and discuss findings from surveys and interviews, on the Hearth Act, with tribally-based professionals working on land development and land policy in tribal communities.
Speakers:
Gordon Henry, an enrolled member of the White Earth Chippewa Tribe of Minnesota, is a Professor in the English Department and an affiliated faculty with the American Indian Studies Program at MSU. Professor Henry served as Director of the Native American Institute at MSU from 2010 to 2013. He is also Senior Editor of the American Indian Studies Series at the Michigan State University Press.
Tim Mrozowski, Professor in the School of Planning Design and Construction. Tim is a practicing architect and Professor of Construction Management in SPDC at MSU where he Co-Directs the MSU Construction Industry Research and Education Center (CIREC). He conducts research on sustainability, application of LEED to design and construction, energy codes, energy audits, energy modeling and construction project management.
Adam Haviland is Ph.D. candidate in the anthropology program at Michigan State University. His research examines the role of language and linguistic practices in shaping and marking Native spaces in urban contexts. His research also looks at the role of kinship and the generational transmission of language and culture on the process of maintaining Native identities and spaces.
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. If you’ve never used Adobe Connect on the computer you will be using, please use the “Test your connection” link below and do a test connection to the actual meeting space well in advance of the scheduled meeting time. http://connect.msu.edu/common/help/en/support/meeting_test.htm. To facilitate Q&A’s, participants submit questions/comments via the Chat Function in Adobe Connect. The webinar will be recorded and archived at http://ncrcrd.msu.edu/ncrcrd/chronological_archive.
FUNDING
The Healthy Tomorrows Partnership for Children Program (HHS), which assists in providing access to healthcare for children, youth, and their families nationwide, and employs preventive health strategies through innovative, community-driven programs. The agency is looking to fund programs that represent either a new initiative within the community or an innovative new component that builds upon an existing community-based program or initiative. Deadline: 10/14/2014. Click here to review application guidelines and to apply.
Country Doctor of the Year Award - Application deadline: Oct 15, 2014
Award to a physician who best exemplifies the spirit, skill, and dedication of America's rural medical practitioners. Sponsor: Staff Care
USDA Rural Child Poverty Nutrition Center Cooperative Agreement - Letter of Intent (Optional): Oct 20, 2014
Application deadline: Dec 1, 2014 . Will award funds to establish a national center dedicated to reducing child food insecurity in persistently poor rural counties.
Sponsor: USDA Food and Nutrition Service
HUD is offering grants to promote a community-wide commitment to the goal of ending homelessness; by providing funding for efforts by nonprofit providers, States, and local governments to quickly re-house homeless individuals and families while minimizing the trauma and dislocation caused to homeless individuals, families, and communities by homelessness. Deadline: 10/16/2014. Click here to apply.
THE DISABLED AMERICAN VETERANS CHARITABLE SERVICE TRUST is offering grants to nonprofits for programs that support veterans and their families. Programs supported by the Trust typically provide the following: food, shelter, and other necessary items to homeless or at-risk veterans; mobility items or assistance specific to veterans with blindness or vision loss, hearing loss, or amputations; qualified therapeutic activities for veterans and/or their families; and physical and psychological rehabilitation projects. Priority is given to long-term service projects providing direct assistance to sick and injured veterans and their families. Deadline to apply: 10/20/2014. Click here to review application guidelines.
The YMCA OF THE USA is accepting entries from individuals and groups for its third annual My Fresh Page Project competition. Through the competition, the Y will award a total of $20,000 in support of small ideas that impact communities in big ways. Community members from across the nation will be able to vote for their favorite idea once a day, now through October 24, 2014. Applicants may submit their projects in one of three prize categories: $5,000 prize, $1,000 prize, and $500 prize. The deadline to apply: 10/24/2014. Click here for further guidelines.
THE GRISWOLD CARES FOUNDATION provides grants to nonprofit organizations throughout the country that enhance the quality of life for low-income seniors and adults with disabilities who choose to age in place. The Foundation's 2014 funding priorities focus on support for programs that provide respite care and short-term home care. The Foundation also supports local community and grassroots organizations who provide other programs and services with the intent of helping those of limited financial means to age in place. Deadline: 10/31/2014. Visit the Foundation’s website here to submit an online application.
Aaron Copland Fund for Music Invites Applications From Contemporary American Music-Related Projects - DEADLINE: October 31, 2014
The fund's supplemental grants program provides project-specific and general support to nonprofit organizations that have a history of substantial commitment to contemporary American music....
WHOLE KIDS FOUNDATION is offering grants to schools and nonprofit organizations working at schools to support edible gardens at schools serving any grade K-12. These grants of $2,000 are awarded in the U.S. and Canada. Consideration is given to new or existing garden projects at any stage of development, whether planning, construction, or operation, that help children engage with fresh fruits and vegetables. Deadline: 10/31/2014. Visit the Foundation’s website here to complete the online application.
THE LAURA JANE MUSSER FUND is offering grants for programs that encourage collaborative and participatory efforts among citizens in communities in Colorado, Hawaii, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wyoming. Through the Rural Initiative Program, the Fund supports efforts that will help to strengthen individual rural towns in the targeted states in a number of civic areas, including, but not limited to, economic development, business preservation, arts and humanities, public space improvements, and education. Deadline: 11/1/2014. Specific grant guidelines and application procedures are available on the Fund’s website here.
THE CATHOLIC CAMPAIGN FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT (CCHD) is offering grants in the following two categories: 1) Community Development Grants supporting nonprofit organizations that nurture the participation of people living in poverty to change structures and policies that affect their lives. At least 50 percent of those benefiting from the applying organization's efforts must be people experiencing poverty. 2) Economic Development Grants supporting Economic Development Institutions that include the voice of the poor and marginalized in developing new businesses that offer good jobs or develop assets that will be owned by local communities. Grants range between $25,000 and $75,000. Deadline: pre-applications for both programs are due by 11/1/2014. Visit the CCHD website here for more information.
ArtPlace America has opened the fifth round of its National Grants Program. The National Grants Program is designed to invest in creative placemaking projects that involve cross-sector partners committed to strengthening the social, physical, and economic fabric of their communities. Deadline: Letters of Inquiry are due by 11/3/2014. Funding priorities include rural communities throughout Arizona, Iowa, the Upper Peninsula in Michigan, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, and Wisconsin. ArtPlace is also particularly interested in projects from states in which it has not yet issued grants, including Delaware, Montana, New Hampshire, Nevada, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Utah, and Wyoming. Click here to visit the website for complete information on applying for these grants.
AEDI - HUD's Office of Rural Housing and Economic Development has issued a Notice of Funding Availability for the Appalachia Economic Development Initiative to increase access to capital for business lending and economic development in the chronically underserved and undercapitalized Appalachian region. Deadline: 11/3/2014. Click here for funding guidelines.
Webinar: Appalachian Economic Development Initiative Notice of Funding Availability, Date: October 9, 2014, 2:00 p.m. EDT
Call-in instructions and additional materials will be emailed to participants on Tuesday, October 8, 2014 for the Appalachian Economic Development Initiative call. The 60 minute call will include presentations and a Q&A session. Please RSVP by email to rhed@hud.gov no later than 10 a.m. EDT on Tuesday, October 8, 2014. If you have questions, call 1-877-RURAL-26 (1-877-787-2526).
Delta Community Capital Initiative (DCCI) - HUD issues a NOFA making $1,000,000 available, Submission Deadline: November 3, 2014, DCCI NOFA
The DCCI’s goal is to increase access to capital for affordable housing, business lending and community facilities in the chronically underserved and undercapitalized Lower Mississippi Delta Region. Specifically, it will provide direct investment and technical assistance to community development lending and investing institutions that focus on affordable housing, small business and community facilities to benefit the residents of Lower Mississippi Delta Region.
WEBINAR Delta Community Capital Initiative Notice of Funding Availability: A Discussion of the Community Capital Initiative's Focus on the Mississippi Delta Region
Date: October 7, 2014, Time: 2:00 p.m. EDT. The Office of Rural Housing and Economic Development (ORHED) invites you to take part in our next Peer-to-Peer conference call. This call will offer participants the opportunity to learn about the Delta Community Capital Initiative's (DCCI) Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA). Speakers will include:
- Valerie G. Piper, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Economic Development, Community Planning and Development, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
- Jackie L. Williams, Ph.D., Moderator, Director, Office of Rural Housing and Economic Development, Community Planning and Development, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
- Mark Kudlowitz, Associate Program Manager, CDFI Fund, U.S. Department of Treasury
- Lillian Salerno, Administrator, Rural Business Cooperative Service (RBS), Rural Development, U.S. Department of Agriculture
Format of the call: Call-in instructions and additional materials will be emailed to participants on Monday, October 6, 2014. The 60 minute call will include presentations and a Q&A session.
Please RSVP by email to rhed@hud.gov no later than 10 a.m. on Monday, October 6, 2014. If you have questions, call 1-877-RURAL-26 (1-877-787-2526).
THE FEDERAL TRANSIT ADMINISTRATION announced approximately $20 million in funding for the Pilot Program for Transit Oriented Development Planning. These funds are for local communities to integrate land use and transportation planning through a transit capital investment. Award amounts will vary from $250,000 to $2 million. Deadline: 11/3/2014. For guidelines, click here.
Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Invites Applications for Undergraduate Scholarships - DEADLINE: November 4, 2014
Scholarships of up to $160,000, plus advisors, networking services, and other opportunities, will be awarded to high-achieving low-income high school students who seek to attend the nation's best four-year colleges and universities....
TRIBECA ALL ACCESS will award a $15,000 grant to five narrative filmmakers and five documentary filmmakers whose teams include a U.S.-based director or screenwriter from a community that is statistically underrepresented in the film industry for use in the development, production, post-production, or marketing of their film project. Deadline to apply: 11/5/2014. Click here for guidelines.
THE MALONE FAMILY FOUNDATION is offering grants to nonprofit organizations in the state of Alabama, with limited funding in Florida and Georgia, for programs that expand the horizons of and opportunities for children and young adults. Initiatives whose direct objectives are providing better education, promoting self-esteem, and instilling in its beneficiaries a desire for self-improvement are of special interest. Preference is given to creative programs in the area of education from pre-kindergarten through higher education. Letters of inquiry are due 11/15/2014, with the deadline for invited proposals 12/15/2014. Visit the Foundation’s website here to learn more about the application process.
Promise Zones competition, 2nd round. To apply, communities must meet poverty rate and population requirements. HUD will designate six urban communities, one rural community and one tribal community through the competition. Deadline: 11/21/2014. Applications must be submitted via MAX Survey. Letters of Intent due Oct 17, 2014
Recorded webinars and upcoming webinars - http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/program_offices/comm_planning/economicdevelopment/programs/pz
THE AGSTAR FUND FOR RURAL AMERICA supports nonprofit organizations in the service area where AgStar has a significant business presence in Minnesota and northwestern Wisconsin. The Fund offers grants of up to $10,000 for direct project or program costs for programs in the following four major areas: education, environment, technology, and quality of life. Deadline: 11/30/2014. Visit the AgStar website here to review the funding guidelines and application instructions.
THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS (NEA) is offering Our Town grants to support creative placemaking projects that contribute towards the livability of communities and help transform them into lively, equitable, and resilient places with the arts at their core. The Our Town program supports arts engagement, cultural planning, and design projects. The NEA is also offering a new project category this year, funding up to five projects carried out by arts or design service organizations, or other national or regional membership organizations, that provide technical assistance to those doing place-based work. The goal is to expand the knowledge base about creative placemaking to their members and the field. Deadline: 12/15/2014. For those planning to apply, there will be two webinars offered on 10/1 and 10/6, 2014. Click here to learn more about this program and to register for one of the webinars.
Section 515 Multi-Family Housing Preservation Revolving Loan Fund (PRLF) Demonstration Program - Application deadline: Dec 22, 2014
Loans to carry out a housing demonstration program to provide revolving loans for the preservation and revitalization of low-income multi-family housing.
Sponsor: USDA Rural Development
Walmart Foundation Accepting Applications for Community Grant Program - DEADLINE: December 31, 2014
Grants of up to $2,500 will be awarded to local nonprofit organizations in support of initiatives in the areas of hunger relief and healthy eating, sustainability, women's economic empowerment, and/or career opportunities....
Hearst Foundations Grants - Application deadline: Applications accepted on an ongoing basis.
The Hearst Foundations are national philanthropic resources for organizations and institutions working in the fields of Education, Health, Culture, and Social Service. Sponsor: Hearst Foundations
National School Lunch After School Snack Program - Application deadline: Applications accepted on an ongoing basis.
Funding for schools to provide after school snacks to low-income children who participate in the National School Lunch program. Sponsor: USDA Food and Nutrition Service
Gannett Foundation Community Action Grants - Geographic Coverage: Limited to certain areas of 35 states and U.S. territories, see sponsor's website for more details.
Application deadline: Feb 28, 2015. Supports local organizations with funding priority given to programs that focus on education and neighborhood improvement, economic development, youth development, community problem-solving, assistance to disadvantaged people, environmental conservation, and cultural enrichment. Sponsor: Gannett Foundation
American Association of School Librarians Invites Applications for Innovative Reading Projects - DEADLINE: February 1, 2015
One grant in the amount of $2,500 will be awarded to an AASL member for a unique school library program that motivates and encourages reading in grades K-9....
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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