PUBLICATIONS
Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City's Main Street Economist explores the possibility that the pendulum of farm profits may be about to swing. http://www.kansascityfed.org/publications/research/mse/index.cfm?ealert=mse0113
Social Enterprise resources - https://www.se-alliance.org/featured-resource
Webinar: National Release of the 2013 Assets & Opportunity Scorecard: How Financially Secure are Families?
Wednesday, January 30, 1 pm EST / Noon CST / 11 am MST / 9 am PST
Register today for the webinar release of the 2013 Assets & Opportunity Scorecard to find out how your state fares in helping its residents achieve financial security. The 2013 Assets & Opportunity Scorecard is a comprehensive look at how Americans are faring in terms of financial security and opportunity.
Key highlights from this year's Scorecard release include:
- State-by-state trends in asset poverty.
- Data on 69 outcome measures across five issue areas, including Financial Assets & Income, Businesses & Jobs, Housing & Homeownership, Health Care and Education.
- Data on more than 30 policy measures that states can adopt to help families succeed.
- Responses by the Assets & Opportunity Network on their work to improve outcomes for families.
The Assets & Opportunity Scorecard is an important resource that advocates can use to help frame their 2013 agendas. Participation in the release webinar is free, but advanced registration is required. Click here to sign up.
About the Scorecard - Released annually, the Scorecard explores how well residents are faring in the 50 states and the District of Columbia and assesses policies that are helping residents build and protect assets along five issue areas: Financial Assets & Income, Businesses & Jobs, Housing & Homeownership, Health Care and Education. The 2013 Scorecard assesses states across more than 100 outcome and policy measures in these five areas to determine the ability of residents to achieve financial security.
PBS Documentary discusses food, community and access - http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/blog/can-food-deserts-become-oases
TOOLS:
The Community Tool Box is a global resource for free information on essential skills for building healthy communities. It offers more than 7,000 pages of practical guidance in creating change and improvement. http://ctb.ku.edu/en/default.aspx
Understanding the Shale Energy Industry - http://strengtheningbrandamerica.com/special-challenges/leveraging-the-shale-energy-opportunity/resources-to-better-understand-the-shale-energy-industry/?goback=%2Egde_137517_member_204686774 While this is on a particular business website, the tools under the Academic section on the webpage are good solid resources.
10 Tips for building strong and engaged action teams – From Everyday Democracy
One of the toughest challenges community coalitions face is building strong and engaged action teams. Setting clear expectations, hosting regular meetings with team leaders, and fostering a creative environment are some ways to build strong and engaged action teams. Check out these tips for more ideas.
· 10 ways to make your materials more inclusive - As diverse we are racially, ethnically and culturally, we are also very diverse in how we learn. Check out these tips to help you develop discussion materials that will make your dialogues more inclusive of varying learning styles and literacy levels.
· How to bridge the language gap - Communities are made up of many kinds of people, and often times a significant population speaks a language other than English. In order to have an inclusive dialogue, it's important to offer interpretation services. Here are some tips for successful interpretation in your dialogues.
· 5 ways to overcome barriers to youth engagement - Engaging young people in community efforts can be easier said than done. Check out our list of five common challenges, along with possible solutions you can implement right away.
TRAINING
· WEBINAR: Leveraging Social Media for Social Enterprise Events, Wednesday, January 23rd at 2:00 Central (3:00 Eastern)
Ritu Sharma of Social Media for Nonprofits and Laura Coltrin of Eventbrite will present clear strategies, tactics, and resources for using social media to ensure the success of social enterprise events. Join us to learn:
- How to use Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and other tools to maximize results for business and fundraising events
- Practical recommendations to implement before, during, and after your event
- How to use scheduling, analysis, and optimization tools to help you work more efficiently and drive performance
Click here for details and registration
All registrants will receive a full video recording and printable slides, so you can sign up today and watch whenever it's convenient. If you have any questions or need assistance, please email us at webinars@se-alliance.org.
· WEBINAR: SBA Webinar on Loan Programs for Native American Community Lenders, January 23, 2013 at 1:00 p.m. (ET)
Community lenders that want to increase their lending to small businesses in Native American communities are invited to attend a U.S. Small Business Administration webinar January 23, 2013. This webinar, hosted by the SBA Office of Economic Opportunity and the SBA Office of Native American Affairs, will feature SBA’s Community Advantage Pilot Loan and Microloan programs, geared toward nonprofit financial intermediaries that want to learn more about how to employ these programs to provide financing and technical assistance to small businesses in Native American communities.
Participants should note that the webinar is only open to lenders.
Conference Call-in Instructions:
1. Dial the AT&T Connect Teleconference Toll-Free Number – 1-888-858-2144
2. Enter the AT&T Access Code – 5962990 (press the # key)
Web Conference Login Instructions:
1. Login at www.connectmeeting.att.com
2. Enter “Meeting Number” 1-888-858-2144
3. Enter “Access Code” 5962990
4. Enter “Email Address, First and Last name”
5. Click Submit
6. Click Participant
7. Click Participant Application (Recommended)
8. Click “Enter” Event
9. Click Dial-In/Already Connected by Phone
(Close the Telephone Connection Instructions pop-up box)
System Requirements:
To set up the AT&T Connect Participant application, a user's PC must run either Windows 2000, Windows XP (SP1, SP2, SP3 are supported), or Vista with either Internet Explorer 6.0 (or higher) supported. AT&T Connect does support the Mozilla or Firefox browser.
Note: The phone number is the “meeting number” when logging in to https://www.connectmeeting.att.com. A separate telephone line is needed for the conference call-in portion. For assistance with AT&T Connect Web Conference Service, contact AT&T Connect Customer Care at 1-888-796-6118.
· WEBINAR: An Integrated Community Development Strategy for the 21st Century will be the topic of the January 24, 2013 WCRL webinar. The webinar will take place from 1 - 2 pm ET (noon - 1 pm CT). David Sloan Wilson, SUNY Distinguished Professor of Biology and Anthropology at Binghamton University, and David Currie, Executive Director of the Binghamton Regional Sustainability Coalition will be our presenters. To register, click here.
· Webinar: Green Business Practices for Low-Income and Minority Entrepreneurs, free Webinar on Tuesday, January 29th at 2:00 pm Eastern
Reserve your Webinar seat now at: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/499420041. After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Webinar.
What does "green" business really mean? How do we inspire aspiring entrepreneurs and small business owners to embrace sustainable business practices on a limited budget? This is a unique webinar as it can serve as a tool both for small business counselors and their clients seeking to build their understanding of the Green Economy. The webinar is hosted by Jason Friedman, Principal of Friedman Associates. Jason has 25 years experience working to build the capacity of nonprofit organizations that help low-wealth individuals and communities.
The webinar is sponsored by ISED Ventures in Des Moines, Iowa, an SBA Women's Business Center, and the Academy for Green Microenterprise Development. The Academy is a U.S.
SBA PRIME program that builds the capacity of microenterprise CDFIs to advance sustainable businesses. The Academy is led by Access to Capital for Entrepreneurs (ACE) a CDFI based in Cleveland, Georgia that specializes in green business financing. For more information on ACE, go to www.aceloans.org or www.georgiagreenloans.org
FUNDING
The Citizens’ Institute on Rural Design is a National Endowment for the Arts leadership initiative in partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Project for Public Spaces, Inc., along with the Orton Family Foundation and the CommunityMatters® Partnership. CIRD brings local leaders, non-profits, and community organizations together with experts in planning, design, and creative placemaking – all in an effort to help communities solve pressing design problems and to put design tools into the hands of the people who can create local change. CIRD does this by offering an opportunity for four rural communities to host local design workshops, and by offering free public resources (such as webinars, conference calls, and a resource-rich website) to practitioners and community leaders across the country. The new website created for this initiative is www.rural-design.org. They have also released the 2013 RFP which you can find by clicking here. To read the press release, go to http://rural-design.org/sites/default/files/images/cird_press_relea.... The deadline for submitting a proposal is Tuesday March 5, 2013 at 5:00 pm EST.
The American Academy of Pediatrics' Community Access to Child Health (CATCH) program is seeking applications from pediatricians and pediatric residents in the planning or initial implementation stage of a community-based child health initiative. The program is designed to help increase children’s access to a medical home or specific health services not otherwise available. Applications due January 31. http://tinyurl.com/bv8lq9n
The National Endowment for the Arts is offering grants through its Big Read program for community-wide reading programs. Seventy-five grants of up to $20,000 each will be awarded to nonprofit organizations for community-wide reading programs that encourage reading and participation by diverse audiences. Deadline to apply: 2/5/2013. http://tinyurl.com/y6wbjj
USDA Tribal Colleges Research Grants Program - Application deadline: February 14, 2013
USDA: Federally Recognized Tribes Extension Program (FRTEP) - Application deadline: February 15, 2013
NOAA: Projects of Special Merit Competition - FY2013 - Application deadline: February 15, 2013
NOAA: FY 2013 Coastal and Marine Habitat Restoration Project Grants - Application deadline: February 19, 2013
EDA: Planning Program and Local Technical Assistance Program - Application deadline: Accepted on a continuing basis and processed as received
All About the Fruits and Veggies Grant Program Invites Applications From Youth Garden Initiatives - Forty grants worth $500 each in gardening supplies and resources will be awarded to schools, community organizations, and nonprofit programs located within a fifty-mile radius of a Jamba Juice store....Deadline: February 18, 2013
Dollar General Literacy Foundation Invites Applications for Adult Literacy Grants - Grants of up to $15,000 are available to nonprofit organizations, educational institutions, and public libraries that provide direct services in adult literacy and are located within twenty miles of a Dollar General store.... Deadline: February 28, 2013
Dollar General Literacy Foundation Accepting Applications for Youth Literacy Grants - Grants of up to $4,000 are available to schools, public libraries, and nonprofits located within twenty miles of a Dollar General store that are working to help students who are below grade level or experiencing difficulty reading.... Deadline: May 23, 2013
Captain Planet Foundation Accepting Applications for Youth Environmental Projects - Grants are available to schools and organizations in the U.S. working to get environment-based education into schools and to inspire youth and communities to participate in community service through environmental stewardship.... Deadline: February 28, 2013
Sustain Our Great Lakes Offers Funding for On-the-Ground Habitat Restoration and Enhancement - Grants of up to $1.5 million will be awarded for projects in the Great Lakes basin related to habitat restoration, delisting of beneficial use impairments within areas of concern, and technical assistance for private landowners.... Deadline: February 14, 2013 (Pre-proposals)
Northwest Area Foundation and American Indian College Fund Launch Tribal College Leaders in Innovation Project - The new program will honor five tribal colleges whose programs contribute to vibrant and healthy communities in the Northwest Area Foundation's service area.... Deadline: March 1, 2013
Suzette M. Agans
Rural Development | Community and Economic Development
U.S. Department of Agriculture
1400 Independence Ave., S.W. Stop 3254 | Washington, D.C. 20250
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"
