Tuesday, May 2, 2017

Community Resources

Funding and Finance Opportunities

 

Aging

 

KENDAL CHARITABLE FUNDS is offering Promising Innovations grants to nonprofit organizations that work to meet the needs of a burgeoning population of elders. In 2017, the program is seeking proposals that support aging in place and combat isolation of older adults through engagement in purposeful and meaningful ways within the greater community, designed to affirm their value and connectedness. The program hopes to identify factors that lead to isolation and to address them before and/or after they occur, especially utilizing new, replicable models. Grants will range up to $50,000 for a two-year period. Deadlines: letters of intent must be submitted by 5/19/2017; invited proposals will be due 8/4/2017. Visit the Kendal website here to learn more about the application process.

 

Children/Education/Youth

 

THE FORD FAMILY FOUNDATION (TFFF) supports educational projects, programs and out-of-school time facilities in rural communities that encourage the development of skills, confidence and support needed for school-aged youth (5-18 years) to connect with quality mentors, excel in school, develop leadership skills, graduate with a plan for the future and become successful citizens. Typical grant sizes range from $25,000 to $150,000 per year. While there are exceptions, TFFF prefers to fund no more than one-third of the proposed budget. The fund types include programs, operating requests and capital projects. Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis. Click here to learn more and to apply.

 

W.K. KELLOGG FOUNDATION provides grants to support programs that focus on developing a healthy start and quality learning experiences for all children, helping families get stable, high-quality jobs and connecting employers with talented candidates, and/or advancing racial equity, developing leaders, and fostering community engagement. Award amounts have ranged from $5,000 to $1,500,000. Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis. To learn more and to apply, click here.

 

THE DOLLAR GENERAL LITERACY FOUNDATION is accepting applications for its Youth Literacy Grant Program. Grants of up to $4,000 will be awarded to schools, public libraries and nonprofit organizations in support of efforts to help students who are reading below grade level or experiencing difficulty reading. Deadline: 5/18/2017. Click here to review funding guidelines.

 

THE TONY HAWK FOUNDATION is dedicated to promoting the construction of new, quality skateparks located in low-income communities throughout the United States. The Foundation primarily supports projects that can demonstrate a strong grassroots commitment, particularly in the form of planning and fundraising by local skateboarders and other community groups. Priority is given to projects that are designed and built from concrete by experienced skatepark contractors and include local skaters in the planning, fundraising and design process. Grants of $1,000 to $25,000 are provided to nonprofit organizations and state or local agencies, including public school systems and public projects. Deadline: 6/14/2017. Visit the Foundation’s website here to review the grant criteria and to submit an online application.

 

THE DUKE ENDOWMENT provides Child Care Grants for programs that offer opportunities for vulnerable children in North Carolina and South Carolina. Funding is focused on advancing evidence-based, nationally recognized practices that promote child well-being. Awards vary based on the size and scope of projects. Applicants are required fill out an online pre-application to confirm eligibility and gain access to the full application. Deadline for full application: 6/15/2017. Learn more and apply here.

 

Food

 

USDA is offering funding through the Food Safety Outreach Program . This Program will build upon the National Food Safety Training, Education, Extension, Outreach, and Technical Assistance Competitive Grants Program national infrastructure, with a sustained focus on delivery of customized training to members of the target audiences. Awardees will develop and implement food safety training, education, extension, outreach and technical assistance projects that address the needs of owners and operators of small to mid-sized farms, beginning farmers, socially-disadvantaged farmers, small processors, or small fresh fruit and vegetable merchant wholesalers. Grant applications will be solicited directly from those in local communities - to include those from community-based organizations, non-governmental organizations, food hubs, farm cooperatives, extension, and other local groups. Deadline: 6/6/2017. Click here for more information and to apply.

 

Leadership

 

THE FORD FAMILY FOUNDATION provides Technical Assistance Grants to assist organizations and communities in their efforts to develop leadership expertise, engage in planning efforts or advance collaborations in rural communities with populations of less than 35,000. This concept is the core of "capacity building." Types of grants include Leadership Development Technical Assistance, Effective Organizations Technical Assistance, and Community Collaborations Technical Assistance. Typical grant sizes range from $1,000 to $5,000. A minimum 20% cash match towards the project is required and demonstrates board/leadership commitment. Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis. To learn more and to apply, click here.

 

MEYER FOUNDATION is accepting applications for nonprofit leader sabbaticals. Up to three organizations will be awarded grants of $50,000 each to allow their executives to take a three- to four-month sabbatical. Deadline to apply: 6/1/2017. Click here for an application.  

 

Native Americans

 

FIRST NATIONS DEVELOPMENT INSTITUTE has issued an RFP for a new nutrition program for native children. Grants of up to $15,000 will be awarded to Native American communities interested in expanding nutrition resources for existing programs that serve American Indian children between the ages of 6 and 14. Deadline: 5/5/2017. Click here for funding guidelines.  

 

THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES is offering Native American Research Centers for Health (NARCH) grants to provide funding for new or continued centers that support research and research training to meet the needs of American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities. Funding should be used for research on AI/AN communities and individuals with the intent to reduce health disparities. Grantees should seek to strengthen partnerships and AI/AN community engagement in health research and increase the number of AI/AN scientists and health professionals engaged in health research. Up to 15 grants will be awarded with amounts ranging from $100,000 to $1,000,000. Deadlines: letter of intent (optional) due 5/24/2017; application due 6/24/2017. To learn more and to apply, click here.

 

THE AMERICAN INDIAN COLLEGE FUND, through its Full Circle Scholarships program, is providing a number of scholarship opportunities for American Indians and Alaska Natives who are pursing undergraduate degrees at a Tribal College. Eligibility and amounts vary by scholarship. Deadline: May 31, 2017. To learn more and to apply, click here.  

 

Rural Development/Capacity Building

 

USDA is offering funding through the Rural Cooperative Development Grant program. The Program provides support to improve the economic condition of rural areas by assisting in the startup, expansion or operational improvement of rural cooperatives and other business entities. The application deadline is: electronic applications 5/26/2017; paper applications 6/2/2017. Click here to review funding guidelines.

 

THE HAWAII COMMUNITY FOUNDATION is offering grants to nonprofit organizations in Hawaii for operating support through its FLEX Grants Program. Funds may be used for a variety of purposes, including but not limited to, administrative costs, program expenses or salaries. FLEX is intended to support organizations that can demonstrate the importance of their organization to their community, the effectiveness of their services and/or activities, and their financial stability. Applicants with operating budgets under $250,000 are eligible to receive up to $20,000. Applicants with operating budgets over $250,000 are typically able to request up to 20% of their annual budget, not to exceed $50,000. Deadline: 5/31/2017. To learn more and to apply, click here.

 

Veterans

 

THE HOME DEPOT FOUNDATION’S VETERAN HOUSING GRANTS PROGRAM will award grants to nonprofit organizations throughout the United States for the development and repair of multi-unit veteran housing facilities. Awards ranging from $100,000 to $500,000 support new construction and rehabilitation/repair of single-family or multifamily housing, permanent supportive housing, or transitional housing. Although projects in rural areas will be considered, high priority is placed on large metropolitan areas that have a dense veteran population. Nonprofit organizations with a current operating budget of at least $300,000 are eligible to apply. Deadline: 6/23/2017. Visit the Foundation’s website here to review the funding guidelines and take the online eligibility quiz.  

 

Other Opportunities

 

THE FORD FAMILY FOUNDATION is providing grants that support the development of physical places that are open to the public and have multiple uses in order to encourage civic participation, community collaboration and other ways of bringing residents together for the well-being of the community. Community Building Spaces grants may be used toward land acquisition, purchase of buildings, new construction and renovation, fixtures, furnishings and equipment, and architecture, engineering and planning fees in rural communities with populations of less than 35,000. Typical grant sizes range from $50,000 to $250,000, and funds requested may not exceed one-third of the project’s total budget. Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis. For more information on eligibility, criteria and how to apply, click here.  

 

THE HEARST FOUNDATIONS are offering support for well-established nonprofit organizations that address significant issues within four major areas of interest – culture, education, health and social service – and that primarily serve large demographic and/or geographic constituencies. In each area of funding, the Foundations seek to identify those organizations achieving truly differentiated results relative to other organizations making similar efforts for similar populations. The Foundations also look for evidence of sustainability beyond their support. The Foundations do not generally provide funding for organizations with an operating budget under $1 million. Grant amounts vary depending on the type funding requested. For more information and how to apply, click here.  

 

THE FORD FAMILY FOUNDATION is offering small grants to organizations working in rural communities with populations of less than 35,000 in response to unexpected needs or simple projects. These grants are highly competitive and limited; priority is given to short-term grant requests for simple projects, unforeseen emergencies that interrupt programming or services, and one-off events or activities. Grants can range from $1,000 to $10,000 and funds are released within 60 days. Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis. To learn more and to apply, click here.

 

THE FUND FOR SHARED INSIGHT, administered by Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, is a multi-year collaborative effort among funders that pools financial and other resources to make grants to improve philanthropy. Shared Insight emerged from the belief that foundations will be more effective and make an even bigger difference in the world if they are more open. Listen for Good, an initiative of the Fund for Shared Insight, invites nonprofit organizations and funders to join in exploring a systematic and rigorous way of getting feedback from the people who are benefiting from foundation funding. In order to participate in Listen for Good, a nonprofit organization must be nominated by an existing or new funder. Applicants must have a minimum annual budget of $500,000 in the current and previous fiscal years. In 2017, grants totaling $45,000 over two years will be provided to U.S. nonprofit organizations working in any issue area. This amount includes $15,000 from the nonprofit organization’s funding partner and $30,000 from the Fund for Shared Insight. Deadline: 5/26/2017. Visit the Fund for Shared Insight website here to learn more about the grant guidelines and application details.  

 

THE PEOPLEFORBIKES COMMUNITY GRANT PROGRAM offers funding for projects that leverage federal funding and build momentum for bicycling in communities across the United States. Grants of up to $10,000 are provided for bicycle infrastructure projects and targeted advocacy initiatives that make it easier and safer for people of all ages and abilities to ride. Eligible applicants include nonprofit organizations with a focus on bicycling, active transportation, or community development; city or county agencies or departments; and state or federal agencies working locally. Deadlines: letters of interest for the fall 2017 grant cycle will be accepted 6/12/2017 to 7/21/2017; full applications will be due 10/13/2017. Visit the PeopleForBikes website here to review the grant guidelines.

 

ATHERTON FAMILY FOUNDATION offers grants providing funding for projects and programs in Hawaii in the following areas: arts, culture and humanities, community development, education, environment, health, human services, spiritual development and youth development. Past awards have ranged from $2,000 to $100,000. The maximum grant for major capital projects is $200,000, normally paid out over three years. Applications must be submitted through the Hawaii Community Foundation online application process and are reviewed four times annually. Deadlines: July 3, 2017 for September deliberation; October 2, 2017 for December deliberation. For more information and to apply, click here.

 

Training Events and Conferences

Oklahoma Business Event for your Small Business/Self Employed Clients:  May 9, 2017 – IRS Opportunities & Financing for Small Business – 36 Degree North, Tulsa, OK. For more information contact Senior Stakeholder Liaison of the Internal Revenue Service, Anita Douglas at 405-982-6699 or Anita.E.Douglas@irs.gov

 

Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) will host a webinar, “Borrowing from LISC,” Tuesday, May 2, 2017 at 1:30 PM EDT. Are you a current borrower or thinking that you may need financing at some point in the future? Tune into this webinar and hear everything you always wanted to know about borrowing from LISC. Click here to register.

 

On May 11, 2017, USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, in collaboration with USDA/NIFA's Institute of Food Safety and Nutrition, will host a conference on preparing winning grants, at Delaware State University, in Dover, Delaware. This workshop will focus on NIFA’s Food Science and Nutrition competitive grant programs, with an emphasis on mentorship and successful grant writing. Click here for more information on the event and to register.

 

USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) is offering a competitive funding opportunity webinar to provide an overview of the USDA NIFA competitive grant programs. The two-part informational webinar is meant to enhance the application success rate of all, with a focus on tips for minority serving institutions.  It is divided into: Session I (11:00 AM-12:00 PM EDT); and Session II (1:00-2:00 PM EDT). Both sessions will be offered on May 25, 2017. Click here to register.

 

The National Housing Law Project will offer a free webinar “Prepayments and Loan Maturities: Protecting Residents and Preserving RD Rental Housing,” on Tuesday, May 30, 2017, 2:00-3:30 PM EDT. Thousands of Rural Development (RD) rental housing units are lost due to prepayments each year. Thousands more will reach loan maturity over the next few years. RD subsidies that support low-income residents lose their Rental Assistance and Interest Credit Subsidies when a development is prepaid or its loan matures. Register here.  

 

Center for Community Progress will host a VAD Academy in Indianapolis, Indiana, May 31-June 1, 2017. Vacant, Abandoned, and Deteriorated (VAD) Properties Training Academy is a two-day "boot camp" for public, private, nonprofit and community leaders working on tough property challenges. The first of two VAD Academies in 2017 will take place in Indianapolis and the deadline for registration is May 17. Click here to learn more about this event.

 

National Housing Conference Housing Visionary Awards Gala will be held June 8, 2017, in Washington, D.C.  Click here to register.

 

2017 National Community Development Association Annual Training Conference will be held June 14-17, 2017, at the Hyatt Regency in Miami, Florida.  Click here for more information and to register.

 

Annual Council for Affordable and Rural Housing Meeting & Legislative Conference, hosted by the Council for Affordable and Rural Housing, will be held June 19-21, 2017 in Arlington, Virginia. Click here for more information and to register.

 

2017 Policy Summit on Housing, Human Capital, and Inequality, will be held June 22–23, 2017, in Cleveland, Ohio. This year’s summit features research and practitioner sessions on the theme Transforming Regional Economies: Growth and Equity through Policy and Practice. Click here to register. 

 

Save the Date…

Rural Community Assistance Corporation (RCAC) is hosting RCAP Outreach and Well Assessment Workshop for health and environmental professionals and others who work with well owners on August 24, 2017, from 8:30 AM – 12:30 PM in West Sacramento, California at the RCAC Corporate Office (3120 Freeboard Drive, West Sacramento, California). The second RCAP Outreach and Well Assessment Workshop will be hosted on September 7, 2017, from 8:30 AM – 12:30 PM in Portland, Oregon at the Portland State Office Building (800 NE Oregon Street, Portland, Oregon.  

 

The National Association of Development Organizations (NADO) will be hosting its annual training conference September 9-12, 2017, in Anchorage, Alaska. Registration can be found here.

 

Save the date for the Investing in America’s Workforce 2017 Conference. Join leaders in workforce, employers, and policy-makers from communities across the country for a dialogue on how to invest in creating a stronger workforce. The event will be held October 4-6, 2017, in Austin, Texas.  

 

NDC Academy will be held October 23-25, 2017, in Washington, D.C. with the theme “Rethinking How We Invest: Homes, Jobs and Communities in 2017 and Beyond.”

 

Information and Other Resources

National Endowment for the Arts has created a Creative Placemaking Artistic Field landing page on its website. Listed are creative placemaking-related news, features, videos, podcasts, resources, partnerships, funding guidelines and initiatives all in one place. Visit the page here.

 

An article in The Washington Post “In the Tennessee Delta, a Poor Community Loses Its Hospital — and Sense of Security,” highlights the impact and contributing factors of rural hospital closures by looking at a rural town in Tennessee that recently lost its hospital and several surrounding hospitals. The piece also details the efforts and complications with trying to resurrect the hospital, find alternate healthcare solutions and improve the health of the community. Read the article here.

 

The Spring 2017 issue of Cascade, the quarterly community development journal from the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia, features articles on rental housing affordability, including information on a new rental housing data tool from the Philadelphia Fed; the impact of expiring federal subsidies on rental affordability; and a nonprofit investment vehicle to preserve affordable rental housing. Get the issue here.  

 

Measure of America has released “Promising Gains, Persistent Gaps: Youth Disconnection in America,” a report that presents data on disconnected youth in America, young people between the ages of 16 and 24 who are neither in school nor working. Disconnection has been shown to have lasting negative effects, such as lower incomes and poorer physical and mental health. The report includes rural-specific data, and an interactive tool allows data to be sorted by state, county, race/ethnicity, gender, congressional district and more. Get the report here.

 

An article in the Daily Yonder provides an analysis of federal jobs data that finds employment growth was concentrated in large metropolitan areas in 2016. Some rural places, such as Appalachia, did gain some jobs, while others, like those where shale gas fracking had boomed relatively recently, lost employment during 2016, and the losses were proportionally highest in counties not adjacent to metro areas. Read the article here.  

 

CFED released a report, “A Downpayment on the Divide,” that explores the barriers to equal housing opportunity and proposes a number of policy recommendations to reduce inequality in homeownership. Get the report here.

 

The Department of Health and Human Services has compiled “Profile of Older Americans: 2016.” This profile covers 15 topical areas including population, income and poverty, living arrangements, education, health and caregiving. Get the report here.  

 

The National Rural Housing Coalition has published “2017 Impact Report.” The survey asked organizations to respond to seven categories, including homeownership activities, rental housing activities, and clean water and sewer activities. In addition, the survey asked for organizations that provide housing counseling, technical assistance, or are Community Development Financial Institutions, Community Development Corporations or Intermediaries to respond on their activities. The survey analyzed data from 104 organizations of their activity in Fiscal Year (FY) 2016. The report and presentations of some of its case studies are available here.

 

The Christian Science Monitor released a new story highlighting efforts being made in Appalachia to help young people realize the economic opportunity that exists in their communities and within themselves. The old mind-set that the region needs a big jobs provider – like coal – is hard to break, but many are working to help young people in Appalachia envision lives that don’t revolve around hauling solid black fuel out of the ground. Perhaps more than at any time in the past, the focus is on bootstrap ingenuity – encouraging a more entrepreneurial economy. The goal is not just to pump money into the region, but to help communities foster the desire and have the tools to build a new future for themselves, one small business at a time. Read the full story here.

 

New research from the Carsey School of Public Policy finds that more than 95 percent of U.S. children had health insurance in 2015. In this brief, author Michael Staley examines rates of children's health insurance across the United States, by region and by place type, breaking down rates by private and public coverage. Get the brief here.

Center on Budget and Policy Priorities has published a report showing how Medicaid provides affordable and comprehensive health coverage to over 30 million children, not only at the doctor's office, but also often at school. Get the report here.  

 

The PEW Charitable Trusts' Stateline reporting service conducted an analysis of a 2016 report highlighting nationwide teacher shortage areas. The report found that high schools are cutting many Minnesota employers say they can’t find skilled workers with the right career training. Two-thirds of states are currently reporting a shortage of CTE teachers in at least one specialty, according to the analysis. Find the full analysis and data here.

 

The County Health Rankings & Roadmaps program released their 2016 Key Findings Report, which demonstrates that rural counties have had the highest rates of premature death for many years, lagging far behind other counties. While urban counties continue to show improvement, premature death rates are worsening in rural counties. Ranking the health of nearly every county in the nation, the County Health Rankings illustrate what we know when it comes to what is keeping people healthy or making people sick. The Roadmaps show what we can do to create healthier places to live, learn, work and play. Download the full report here.

 

The Albuquerque Journal reported that New Mexico became the first U.S. state to require all local and state law enforcement agencies to provide officers with antidote kits this April as the state works to curb deaths from opioid and heroin overdoses. In 2014, New Mexico had one of the highest overdose death rates in the nation, second only to West Virginia, and remarkably has fallen to 44th place in a more recent survey. In addition to the antidote kits, the state is enforcing other measures to improve its opioid epidemic. Read the full article here to learn more about what’s being done.

 

Employment Opportunity...

 

Mutual Housing California is seeking a Chief Executive Officer. Click here to read the full position description.  

 

Thanks,

Dave

 

Associate Professor and Community Development Specialist

Department of Agricultural Economics

Oklahoma State University

323 Agricultural Hall

Stillwater, OK 74078-6025

405-744-6170

405-744-8210 – fax

http://rd.okstate.edu

Find grants and professional development resources on my blog
http://okextdevres.blogspot.com/

 

 

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