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November 2004 Volume II, Number 9

Compiled by Deb Miller Slipek, News Finder Extraordinary &
Jane Leonard, MRP President & Editor
IN THIS ISSUE:
-across THE FIELD
-FUNding updates
-Training, Events and Conferences
-Tools and Miscellaneous

ACROSS THE FIELD - Translating Talk into Action - by Jane Leonard

We apologize for the week's delay in getting this newsletter to you. Blame it on the elections. No…don't really, but we, like the rest of the country, and especially swing states like Minnesota, just needed to take a breather. We heard from friends and relatives in non-swing states who told us how little attention they had received from the national candidates. We in Minnesota were inundated - visits every other day it seemed from candidates and various family members. Advertising that never ended. My hope is that all the talk translates into action for the "Heartland" that each candidate claimed was so important to America. Both campaigns mentioned entrepreneurship and health care affordability - critical ingredients for a strong and resilient state and country. We hope for federal leadership in these areas but so much depends on ourselves taking responsibility to work together and help each other at state and local levels.

To that end, and as promised in the October Round-Up newsletter, Minnesota Rural Partners is continuing the momentum it started with several other organizations to coordinate business, funding, and education resources into a streamlined system called Minnesota's Entrepreneurial Gateway - "MEG" for short. We are gathering folks from business, government, education, non-profits, and foundations next month for a kickoff meeting, motivated in part on our failure to obtain a Kellogg Foundation grant to jumpstart the effort. Failure just helps us refine the focus and begs another try. Try we will, knowing that the resources already exist to do this. It is a matter of applying our collective will and experience to the challenge. If you would like to help, please contact me at 651-645-9403 or jleonard@minnesotaruralpartners.org.

This same diligence inspires us to co-host the upcoming Digital Junction conference in Minneapolis on December 1 (http://www.msnetfund.org). I've worked in telecommunications and community technology for the past 14 years. Minnesota was once a leader in this arena, but we've been lazy about making good community use of digital tools. They can help us manage the vast array of knowledge we possess to benefit the common good and spur progress for our state. I think we lost heart when the Internet boom went bust. But toolmakers have continued to fashion incredibly sophisticated yet user-friendly information technologies. These tools can help us sort through and organize knowledge to help us make wiser, more informed investments in and policy on such things as healthcare, land use, housing, education, and economic development, etc. Many are web-based. Tools like BizPathways.org can help communities organize and target business assistance resources, matching user to resource at just the right time and right place in the business development process, savings lots of time, money, and energy. Amazing information analysis and mapping tools at the Community Informatics Resource Center at the Rural Policy Research Institute bring instantly to our fingertips what just a few years ago may have taken months of research and analysis. And more and more, Geographic Information Systems tools, such as those harnessed by Regional Development Commissions and county offices, give policymakers and planners critical knowledge to make short and long-term decisions that help stretch the dwindling funds for much needed public infrastructure and services.

The Digital Junction Conference on December 1 will showcase these tools and more. The meeting is truly for the non-techie - the person who adores their community and wants the best for it and seeks out ways to help it grow and prosper. I promise there will be little-to-no tech-talk. It will be people-talk through and through. Sign up for the conference as soon as possible to get a free registration -- at http://www.msnetfund.org

Speaking of communities who have figured out how important digital is to their future, congrats to the first round awardees in the Blandin Foundation's Get Broadband program. The seven communities--Grand Rapids, Cohasset, Ely, International Falls, Marshall Area (including Ghent, Minneota and Tracy), Thief River Falls and Windom--were awarded a total of $97,500. Check out more information at http://www.blandinfoundation.org.

And a heads up for 2005 events: the University of Minnesota at Morris again hosts the Small Towns Symposium in June 6-8, 2004. It will feature workshops on the future of small towns, a follow-up to the first two symposiums on the past and present state of small towns. And then stay tuned in late July for the 8th annual Minnesota Rural Summit - site yet to be determined but two locations are in the running and will be announced next month. The theme will build on the work of previous Summits - and entice participants to consider "The Great Reconnect" between our rural and urban resources and people in Minnesota.

And finally, look for the 2005 Playbook on the Entrepreneurial Community Champion process to be available in December. It is updated from the 2003 version first debuted at the 2003 Rural Summit. It walks community leaders through a step-by-step process to assess community resources for entrepreneurship and small business development, and helps you build on four cornerstones of financial resources, community design, education and culture, and health care to create a supportive environment for entrepreneurship. Contact us at http://www.minnesotaruralpartners.org or http://www.bizpathways.org for order information and training assistance. The Playbook integrates with the BizPathways tool as the online organizing foundation for the ECC process.

FUNDING

-- FCC/USDA Rural Utilities Service launch a new Rural Wireless Community VISION Program. It will provide access to experts from the FCC's Wireless Telecommunications Bureau and RUS to aid rural communities in developing rural broadband deployment models. The deadline is December 1, 2004. For more information go to: http://wireless.fcc.gov/outreach/ruralvision/index.html

-- Lakescaping Project Grants. Lakeshore or riverfront property owners in north-central and west-central Minnesota (parts of Beltrami, Hubbard, Cass, Becker, Ottertail, Grant, Douglas and Stevens Counties) are eligible to apply for demonstration grants for shoreline projects to be completed during the spring of 2005. The MN Department of Natural Resources is looking for landowners or lake associations to nominate privately owned lakeshore parcels for restoration demonstration sites. The grants provide up to $3,500 of plants and professional contractor services, and require matching funds of $500 from the landowner or lake association, and another $500 of in-kind contributions. Applications will be accepted until November 30, 2004. For more information contact the DNR in Bemidji, MN at 218/755-2976.

-- HUD Expands Section 184 Native American Home Loan Program that will allow tribes to increase the number of Native American homeowners beyond reservations. Tribal housing agencies can now designate wider regions as "Indian area" - meaning tribes can go beyond reservation borders to assist tribe members under this program. This will provide greater opportunity for banks and other lenders to make mortgage loans to Native Americans. The Section 184 program also provides a 100 percent guarantee for mortgages on Indian lands. The program can also be used to rehabilitate existing homes, build new homes and refinance higher interest rate loans. See new Section 184 guidelines at: www.hud.gov/offices/pih/publications/notices/index.cfm

TRAINING, EVENTS AND CONFERENCES

-- Getting Ready for 2005 Public Policy Conference will be held November 18, 2004, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Radisson Riverfront Hotel, St. Paul. Participants in this conference, sponsored by the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits, will gain new skills, sharpen existing ones, and develop strategies to address key policy issues facing the nonprofit sector. The conference will address strategies for nonprofit advocacy in the upcoming legislative session and examine the economic forecast and budget debates. For more information or to register, see www.mncn.org/events.htm. A limited number of full and partial scholarships are available to nonprofits with operating budgets under $100,000.

-- Digital Junction - Tools for Community and Economic Development Conference will be held at The Depot conference center in Minneapolis on December 1st. Information and communications technology tools such as geographic information systems and complex database programs are now much more user-friendly. They are simply tools that help us manage knowledge in ways that inform and empower grassroots action for community and economic improvement. Attend this conference to see how seemingly disparate tools can be brought together in a comprehensive package useful to citizens, nonprofits, businesses, and grassroots community and economic development leaders. Sponsored by Minnesota State Network Fund of The Minneapolis Foundation; hosted by Minnesota Rural Partners and Community Computer Access Network, Community Technology Empowerment Project. Details at http://www.msnetfund.org or by contacting Jane Leonard at jeonard@minnesotaruralpartners.org

-- Health Disparities Initiative Conference: Looking Back, Moving Forward: Continuing Our Investment in the Health of Minnesota's Communities of Color and American Indians
December 6-7, 2004 at the Earle Brown Heritage Center, Brooklyn Center. Sponsored by the Minnesota Department of Health's Office of Minority and Multicultural Health, this conference will celebrate the work funded by the 2001 Minnesota Legislature with the Eliminating Health Disparities Initiative. Participants will learn about the results to date, the emerging and promising practices to eliminate racial and ethnic health disparities developing in Minnesota, how communities use cultural assets to eliminate health disparities, the development of culturally appropriate and relevant health education materials, and more. Registration deadline is November 22. For more information, see www.health.state.mn.us/ommh. With questions, call 651-297-5813 or email OMMH@health.state.mn.us.

TOOLS AND MISCELLANEOUS

--The Minnesota Small Business Development Centers (SBDC), a non-profit business assistance organization, is conducting an on-line survey of random businesses throughout Minnesota to determine the challenges and needs faced by entrepreneurs, managers and owners of small businesses. By identifying critical needs, the Minnesota SBDC program will be able to enhance its free one-on-one confidential professional business counseling services to meet the needs of its clients and to better serve the small business community. To participate in the online business needs survey, please visit: http://client.surveystandard.com/Invite.asp?S=299242 . For more information about the Minnesota Small Business Development Centers visit: http://www.mnsbdc.com

-- Rural America At A Glance, 2004 is a six-page brochure that highlights the most recent indicators of social and economic conditions in rural areas. These indicators are useful in developing policies and programs to assist rural areas. The brochure is the third in a series of reports that uses current social and economic data to highlight population, labor market, income, and poverty trends in rural areas. See http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/AIB793/

-- Profiles of America: Demographic Data and Graphic Builder, uses interactive tools to create maps, tables, and charts that display information on demographic trends, industrial structure, and the economic well-being of rural and urban communities. The program allows users to analyze rural and urban differences at the national, State, and county levels and provides useful information to community leaders, Federal officials, and researchers. See http://www.ers.usda.gov/Data/ProfilesOfAmerica/

-- Beige Book - Economic Research and Data Reports from the twelve Federal Reserve Districts generally indicated that economic activity continued to expand in September and early October. Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, Minneapolis, and Kansas City noted continued expansion in economic activity. Richmond and Dallas said the pace had quickened, while New York, Cleveland, and San Francisco suggested that growth had moderated somewhat. St. Louis received mixed reports on economic activity, and Atlanta cited widespread hurricane-related disruptions. Many reports suggested that higher energy costs were constraining consumer and business spending. The full National report can be viewed at http://www.federalreserve.gov/FOMC/BeigeBook/2004/20041027/Default.htm
For additional information, visit the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City's Web site. http://www.kc.frb.org

--"Regional Asset Indicators: Entrepreneurship Breadth and Depth" discusses why entrepreneurs are vital components of regional economic development and examines the concentrations of entrepreneurs in the U.S. labor force. http://www.kansascityfed.org/RuralCenter/mainstreet/MSE_0904.pdf

-- Rural Housing Programs Can Work in Indian Country: New HAC Guide Tells How.
Little-known federal resources are available to better serve the housing needs of Native Americans in rural areas, according to a new report by the Housing Assistance Council, a national nonprofit organization that focuses on rural housing issues. Making Rural Housing Programs Work in Indian Country by the Housing Assistance Council, is available free at www.ruralhome.org or for $5 (including shipping and handling) from HAC, 202-842-8600, luz@ruralhome.org

-- A Consideration of the Devolution of Federal Agricultural Policy is a new report published by USDA Economic Research Service. Diverse needs and preferences across the United States provide justification for the devolution, or decentralization, of many Federal Government programs to the State or local level. The move toward devolution, however, has not been evidenced in U.S. agricultural policy, despite significant differences across States in such areas as commodity production, production costs, income distribution, and opportunities for off-farm work. The existing structure of USDA funding and program delivery already reflects an appreciation of the gains from devolution, with some programs accommodating differences in State and regional preferences. This report considers the implications of devolving $22 billion in 2003 budget outlays, mostly for domestic commodity and natural resource programs and rural development and housing programs. See http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/AER836/

Editors' Note: Please send us your events, ideas, tools, etc., and we will endeavor to feature them in upcoming issues of the Rural Round-Up Newsletter