Funding and Financing Opportunities
THE GEORGIA-PACIFIC FOUNDATION supports a wide range of nonprofit organizations that improve the quality of life in communities where Georgia-Pacific operates, and where company employees live and work. The Foundation supports the following key investment areas: education, including job readiness and literacy; community enrichment, including affordable housing, cultural, youth, and safety programs; environment, including resource conservation, environmental education, and clean air/clean water; and entrepreneurship, especially among youth, women, and minorities. Deadline: grant applications are accepted between January 1 and October 31, annually. Early submission is encouraged. Visit the company’s website here
to take the required online eligibility survey.
THE PEYBACK FOUNDATION is offering grants for programs that provide leadership and growth opportunities for children at risk (ages 6-18). The Foundation provides grants to nonprofit organizations in the states of Colorado, Indiana, Louisiana, and Tennessee. Priority is given to programs addressing the following categories: Leadership and Life Skills, Mentoring, After-School/Summer Programming, and Healthy Living. Grants may range up to $15,000, although most grants funded are in the $10,000 range. Deadline: 2/10/2015. Visit the Foundation’s website here to download an application form.
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION is offering grants to nonprofits and institutions of higher education to help migrant and seasonal farmworkers and members of their immediate families obtain a general education diploma, and gain employment or be placed in an institution of higher education or other postsecondary education or training. Deadline: 2/12/2015. Click here for funding guidelines.
THE SCOTTS MIRACLE-GRO COMPANY is offering grants of up to $1,500 to nonprofits, educational institutions and government agencies to foster the development of gardens and green spaces in the United States. Deadline: 2/13/2015. Visit the company’s website here to review application guidelines.
USDA is offering grants to nonprofits, Indian Tribes, businesses and states to provide broadband and internet access to underserved rural areas, including Native American lands. Deadline: 2/17/2015. Click here for funding guidelines.
WELLMARK FOUNDATION is offering funding through the Healthy Communities Small Grant Program. Grants of up to $25,000 will be awarded in support of sustainable, innovative community-based wellness and prevention initiatives in Iowa and South Dakota. Deadline: 2/23/2015. Click here for an application and guidelines.
THE DOLLAR GENERAL LITERACY FOUNDATION supports nonprofit organizations, educational institutions, and libraries that offer literacy programs in communities served by Dollar General in 40 states. Following are descriptions of programs offering grants: adult literacy grants support nonprofit organizations that provide direct services to adults in need of literacy assistance; family literacy grants support family literacy service providers that combine parent and youth literacy instruction; and summer reading grants help nonprofit organizations and libraries with the implementation or expansion of summer reading programs for students who are new readers, below grade level readers, or readers with learning disabilities.
Deadline: 2/26/2015. In addition the Foundation offers youth literacy grants to support schools, public libraries, and nonprofit organizations that work to help students who are below grade level or experiencing difficulty reading. The application deadline for this program is 5/12/2015. Visit the Foundation’s website here to access guidelines for each grant program.
The National Association of Counties (NACo) and the National Association of Development Organizations (NADO) Research Foundation
have announced a new opportunity for counties and regions experiencing economic challenges due to the contraction of the coal industry. Throughout 2015, NACo and NADO Research Foundation will host three intensive, hands-on training workshops designed to boost the innovative potential of coal-reliant counties and regions seeking to grow and diversify their economies. Counties and regions are asked to form teams to apply to enter the program, and teams that submit winning applications will be selected to attend a workshop facilitated by expert practitioners. These workshops will be structured to guide counties and regions to design solutions tailored to their communities’ needs and identify implementable projects.
Deadline: The application for the first workshop, to take place in Eastern Kentucky in April, is due 2/27/2015. For more information about this program including eligibility, application instructions, and FAQs, please visit the program webpage here.
THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE is offering grants to nonprofits and Indian Tribes for programs that ensure the successful transition of young fathers from secure confinement facilities and out-of-home placement back to their families and their communities. Deadline: 3/2/2015. Click here for funding guidelines.
THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES is offering grants through the Administration for Native Americans’ Sustainable Employment and Economic Development Strategies program. The program supports community-based projects that will foster economic development through the creation of small businesses and sustainable job growth. Priorities include creation of sustainable employment opportunities, professional training and skill development that increase participants’ employability and earning potential; creation and development of small businesses and entrepreneurial activities; and a demonstrated strategy and commitment to keeping the jobs and revenues generated by project activities within the Native communities being served. The deadline is 3/4/2015. Click
here for guidelines and an application.
USDA is offering grants through the Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program to encourage the next generation of farmers and ranchers, who will be integral to sustaining America's agricultural future. Deadline to apply: 3/13/2015. Click here for funding details.
THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES is offering grants through the Native Asset Building Initiative to Native American organizations that support low-income Native American, Alaskan Native, Native Pacific Islander, and Guam Native individuals and families to acquire long-term assets and improve their economic status. Deadline: 3/25/2015. Click here for guidelines and an application form.
THE NFL FOUNDATION AND LOCAL INITIATIVES SUPPORT CORPORATION (LISC) are offering grants to nonprofit community-based organizations for financial and technical assistance to improve the quality, safety, and accessibility of local football fields. The NFL Foundation Grassroots Program seeks to redress the shortage of clean, safe, and accessible football fields in low- and moderate-income neighborhoods. Deadline to apply: 3/30/2015. Click here to learn more about the program and funding guidelines.
THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION is offering grants to nonprofits, LEAs, and IHEs to provide superior STEM teacher preparation, along with better course materials and teaching methods. Deadline: 4/14/2015. For application guidelines, click here.
THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES is offering grants to Community Development Corporations for projects designed to address food deserts and improve access to healthy, affordable foods. Bonus points will be given to projects that create jobs in a rural community. Deadline: 4/24/2015. Click here to visit the program website for funding guidelines.
THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES is offering funding to Community Development Corporations for projects designed to address the economic needs of low-income individuals and families through the creation of employment and business opportunities, including expansion or construction of clinics and health centers. Bonus points will be given to projects that create jobs in rural communities. Deadline to apply: 4/24/2015. Click here for program guidelines and an application.
Training Events and Conferences
“People & Places 2015 Community Conference” will be held March 4-6, 2015 in Washington, DC. The conference is geared toward people working to bring opportunity and prosperity to low- and moderate-income communities across the country. For details and to register, click here.
National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials will host its Washington, DC conference “Building Communities Together: New Leadership and New Opportunities” March 15-18, 2015 at the Renaissance Washington DC Downtown Hotel. Click here to visit the website.
The Center for Rural Entrepreneurship and the Aspen Institute Community Strategies Group are planning a Community Development Philanthropy Conference March 16-17, 2015 in Washington, DC (prior tothe March 18-19 Foundations on the Hill conference). Participants will learn how community foundations are using adaptive toolkits to achieve greater impact in their communities. For more information about the convening, send your name, organization and email to da...@e2mail.org.
Cross-Currents: Art + Leadership Powering Rural Economies Conference, will be held in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, March 18-20, 2015. Arts and cultural leaders from across the country will convene with new colleagues and artists working in rural agencies, philanthropy, placemaking, arts organizations, civic planning, entrepreneurial initiatives, and the research and policy arenas from across America. Click here to learn more about this event.
Novogradac will host an Affordable Housing Conference May 7-8, 2015 at the Hyatt Regency in San Francisco, California. Click here for more information and to register.
The Center for Community Progress will host the Reclaiming Vacant Properties Conference in Detroit, Michigan on May 19-21, 2015. Click here for more information and to register.
Other Conferences Coming Up...
National Housing and Rehabilitation Association will host a Spring Developers Forum in Marina Del Ray, California May 18-19, 2015. Sessions will explore developing affordable housing in today's evolving industry. Click here to visit the website.
Regards to Rural 2015, June 26-27, 2015 in Bend, Oregon. Visit the website here to learn more about this conference for rural people and communities.
Information and Other Resources
"Challenging but transformative"—that's how LISC's President and CEO Michael Rubinger, in an interview on MSNBC’s Morning Joe, described the work of helping lift low-income neighborhoods across America. Rubinger made a case for investing in comprehensive community development, which was also included in a video segment highlighting LISC's effort to repurpose an abandoned school in Flint, Michigan into affordable senior housing. Click here to view the interview and video segment.
EcoBuilding Pulse published an article, “Three Exceptional Adaptive Reuse Projects”. The three projects draw from history to create inventive and useful structures that still maintain a close connection to their past, whether in design or ideology. Read the piece here.
CFED has released the 2015 version of its Assets and Opportunity Scorecard. It assesses the 50 states and the District of Columbia on 133 outcome and policy measures, which describe how well residents are faring and what states can do to help them build and protect assets. Access the data here.
The Pew Charitable Trusts has published a brief titled “Changing Patterns in U.S. Immigration and Population”. The analysis shows how the patterns are fueling population growth, and even reversing declines, in some surprising areas. Get a copy of the document here.
The Carsey School of Public Policy at the University of New Hampshire has published “Understanding Connections between Rural Communities and Family Well-Being: A Study of Hampton, Iowa,” that looks at the role of “place” in shaping the futures of rural residents, particularly low-income residents. Get a copy of the brief here.
Federal Office of Rural Health Policy has published a paper that identifies effective approaches to conduct health insurance outreach and enrollment activities in rural areas. The document describes challenges rural communities face when planning outreach and enrollment strategies and how to best overcome these challenges such as possible political resistance, limited access to internet, and geographic remoteness. Download a copy here.
CFED has launched The Taxpayer Opportunity Network to support those who provide free tax preparation assistance for low-income communities. The Taxpayer Opportunity Network connects users with practitioners from across the country as well as tools and resources. The Network also facilitates advocacy for expanding resources for tax preparation services and creating a ‘right-side up’ tax code. To visit the site, click here.
The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) has released its 2015 Scorecard outlining priorities for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, including: studying alternate credit score models, preparing to implement Duty to Serve requirements (after the final rule is published), developing strategies to reduce the number of vacant real estate owned properties held by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and continued work on the Common Securitization Platform. Get the Scorecard here.
CFED has published “10 Facts About Resident Ownership in Manufactured Home Communities”, which lists the advantages of homeowner cooperatives that allow occupants to own the land their home is located on. Click here to read the newsletter.
The National Center for Rural Health Works published their study on the economic impact of healthcare on rural communities. Types of impacts examined include hospital construction, critical access hospitals, primary care physicians, general surgeons, pharmacies, dentists and more. Get a copy here.
Notable Books about Rural America…
“Worlds Apart: Poverty and Politics in Rural America”, is a revised edition of the 1999 landmark publication "Worlds Apart: Why Poverty Persists in Rural America" by Cynthia M. Duncan, founding director of the Carsey Institute for Families and Communities at the University of New Hampshire and research director at AGree, an initiative bringing together diverse interests to transform food and agricultural policy in the United States. Available from Yale University Press here.
Employment Opportunities
NeighborWorks Capital is seeking a Senior Loan Officer. This senior lending position has significant responsibility for origination, underwriting, and closing loans, with a secondary responsibility for new business development. The application deadline is Friday, February 6, 2015. Read the position description here.
Rural Community Assistance Corporation (RCAC) is seeking a Policy and Advocacy Director to oversee public policy and advocacy efforts across the West. More information about the position can be found on the RCAC website here.
----------------------------------------------------------
Rural LISC works with 63 partner organizations creating sustainable rural communities across 39 states. Visit our website here and sign up for the Rural LISC RSS feed here. If this email was forwarded to you and you would like to sign up to receive the Rural e-News each month, click here.
Forward this email
