Compiled by Deb Miller Slipek, News Finder Extraordinary &
Jane Leonard, MRP President & Editor

Special announcement: Have you ever applied for and/or received a US Department of Commerce TIIAP or TOP grant? If so, please consider joining Dr. Kate Williams (Research Fellow from the University of Michigan School of Information) for a discussion on TIIAP/TOP on Dec 12 from 8:30-9:30 a.m. at the Digital Junction conference at the Four Points Sheraton in Minneapolis. Participants in the discussion are invited to peruse the Digital Junction trade show and/or stay for the conference for $25. Dr. Williams has been tasked with doing look-back research on the now defunded federal TOP/TIIAP program, which many of us benefited from over the past 10 years. Email Jane Leonard at jleonard@minnesotaruralpartners.org if you would like to come to that TOP/TIIAP meeting only (and not the whole Digital Junction conference), or sign up for the Digital Junction conference at http://www.msnetfund.org). Note - the conference agenda does not show this TOP/TIIAP gathering, as it is not for the general public. But there will be a designated meeting space available for those who applied for and/or received a TOP or TIIAP grant to meet with Dr. Williams. She will be a keynoter later at the conference. Please come and be a part of this exciting research effort.

..and now back to the Round-Up….

IN THIS ISSUE:

- Across the Field
- Meetings & Conferences
- Policy - - Check out the meetings section! Plenty of policy…
- Funding
- Professional Opportunities
- Tools & Miscellaneous

ACROSS THE FIELD, by Jane Leonard
Season's Greetings: "Knit up the Culture…."
Turn Anxiety into Faith, Hope, and Risk-Taking through Minnesota's Gateway

The season we typically begin with Thanksgiving marks a time period often overwhelmed by the commercial selling, buying and giving of gifts. But no matter your spiritual beliefs, the season's lesson is love - of a child sent to unite us, of shelter in the storm, of family, friends, neighbors and community. Its gifts for us today are faith and hope in the midst of a collective anxiety. It's a season that if we pay attention, should give us courage to take risks in the year ahead and be better people than we are today.

This view came home to me again this past weekend. With friends I occasionally volunteer as an usher at local theaters. It's a great way to see good productions for free and help out my community at the same time. Last Saturday, we ushered at Penumbra, a theatre in St. Paul, Minnesota, that produces works through the prism of the African American experience. The play was "Black Nativity- a Celebration of Family, a Celebration for the Soul…Testify!" It's a production that has shown for the past 18 years, written by Lou Bellamy and T. Mychael Rambo. This year's production was based on stories told to the writers by several local families. It was also inspired by the writings of John Edgar Wideman, an acclaimed author based in Massachusetts, who among his many accomplishments was also the second African American to win a Rhodes scholarship.

The quote that inspired the 2005 production also motivates me: Wideman writes, "The process for me that is going to knit up the culture, knit up the fabric of the family, the collective family - all of us - is that we tell our own stories. That we learn to tell them and tell them in our own words and that they embrace our values and that we keep on saying them, in spite of the madness, the chaos around us, and in spite of the pressure not to tell."

This experience at Penumbra was superimposed in my brain against another storytelling last week -- the first in a new lecture series at the University of Minnesota, the Willard W. Cochrane Lecture on Public Policy, presented by Ambassador Clayton Yeutter, former United States Trade Representative and Secretary of Agriculture. He spoke on the upcoming farm bill and the Doha Round of trade negotiations. Like the Penumbra play, he also talked about anxiety, hope, faith. But what he concentrated on most was risk-taking. That all those farm programs are really about managing risk and about the only thing we can't manage is the weather. But his basic question was whether or not the federal government (that's all of us, folks, and our tax dollars) should pay to manage the risk - through crop insurance and other farm subsidy programs -- or should the private sector bear the risk?

This dilemma is set against the reality that the rest of the world is catching up to the U.S. in its market sophistication. (For a follow-up, hear from the Brazilian trade negotiator who successfully challenged the U.S. in our subsidization of cotton. Pedro de Camargo Neto is talking in Minnesota on Friday at the Freeman Forum -- http://www.freemanforum.org). Who pays to manage the risk is the ultimate question that must be answered for each of us, whether it's the farm bill or our own businesses or the health of ourselves and our community.

At Minnesota Rural Partners, for the past year we've been telling a story and building a program -- Minnesota's Entrepreneurial Gateway (MEG) system -- that helps manage risk across a community, region, and state. It's not an either/or as to who pays to manage risk. It's both -- the public and private sectors working together to find the balance of investment and risk-taking that works for them. We've been telling the MEG story to everyone - from small town leaders to large public and private institutions. We're telling it again at the Association of Minnesota Counties annual meeting this week. We've been telling the story in other states, too, because sometimes it's hard to get people to listen to innovative ideas here at home.

The MEG story tells us that through information and communications technology tools and down-home community organizing, we can reorganize our approach to community and economic development so that one stop, in person or on-line, gets you to everything you need to start a business, grow one, or find out more about other resources in your community. The MEG story says that in a community that works well, there is no wrong door. The information tools and person-to-person helpful attitudes build connections, so that people who live together in a community can be entrepreneurial, sharing risk and supporting business development and community development at the same time. Through MEG, community members organize their story and "knit up the fabric" to build businesses, jobs and productive lives in four ways:

1. They invest their own financial capital in their community and leverage that capital wisely with outside funds.
   
2. They provide first-class, lifelong educational and cultural resources so that people have the creative capital to know about the world around them and innovate accordingly.
   
3. If they want to make it easier to start and grow businesses, at the first step, they make widely known the options for affordable health insurance in their community. In the second, more advanced step, they advocate and help build a community, state and/or national health insurance solution not because it is the right or moral thing to do (tho it is…) but because we are losing our world competitiveness without a systemic solution (one that doesn't rely on a confusing and cobbled-together bunch of programs that increase, not decrease, the cost of health care).
4. They pay attention to community design to foster human interaction, productivity (with 21st century infrastructure such as broadband everywhere), pride of place and belonging.
   

Through MEG, they tangibly organize and promote their community economic development resources through a local information Gateway so people can easily find what they need, when they need it. Like the Gateway that Dakota County built with us to tell their story. (see http://www.dakotacountybizpathways.org/) Or the multi-county Gateway in Northeast North Dakota. (see http://nd.bizpathways.org/Bizpathways/Index.aspx)

MEG will continue to be our story for 2006. Join us and we'll help you build your own community Gateway (see http://www.minnesotagateway.net). We'll knit your Gateway with other Minnesota communities, counties, and regions into a fabric of innovative enterprise. Together we can share the risk to push past our individual anxiety, restore faith in working together to achieve common aims, and give all of us great hope for the future.

CONFERENCES & MEETINGS

AMC Conference - Dec 5-7 at the RiverCentre, St. Paul - The conference is designed to engage and educate county officials and staff on important topics and trends affecting county government. For more information visit the AMC web site: http://www.mncounties.org

Managing Mental Illness and Emotional Crisis in the Workplace - December 6, 2005 Noon at the Four Points by Sheraton Minneapolis- 4:30 pm - To educate small- and medium-sized employers about mental illness in the workplace and how to develop strategies for managing emotional crises and mental illness while supporting employees to stay on the job, improve overall productivity, and hold down costs and risks. Sponsored by the Mental Health Association of Minnesota. A $40 membership donation is suggested. Call (612) 331-6840 for details.

Municipal Technology Summit Tuesday December 6 at the former Fort Snelling Officer's Club - Bringing together City Administrators and Managers from the greater Twin Cities metropolitan area to discuss the future of municipal broadband and to hear the success stories of Dave Pokorney, City Administrator for Chaska and Clint Pires from St. Louis Park. Also participating in the panel will be Bill Coleman of Community Technology Advisors, and Becca Vargo Daggett of the Institute for Local Self Reliance. Mike O'Connor, a mainstay in the Minnesota telecommunications landscape will moderate the Summit. For more information visit the ipHouse web site: http://www.iphouse.com

The Freeman Forum: Globalization and U.S. Farm Policy - December 9 Space is still available to hear the former Brazilian trade negotiator, an agricultural economist, local politicians and more at the Humphrey institute in Minneapolis. Students are free; non-students pay $10 only if they plan to have lunch. (Visit the Freeman Forum web site for more info and to sign up: http://www.freemanforum.org.) An exciting update - Portions of the Freeman Forum will be shown at four Interactive Television (ITV) Broadcast sites at University of Minnesota campuses around Minnesota (Crookston, Morris, Duluth, and Rochester). The ITV lectures are free. (Visit the Freeman Forum web site for more info http://www.freemanforum.org or sign up for the ITV lectures by emailing us your name and contact info info@minnesotaruralpartners.org.)

Digital Junction: New Crossroads - Digital Justice - December 12 Space is also available for the 2nd annual conference on grassroots use of communications and information technologies for community development, hosted by The Minneapolis Foundation Minnesota State Network Fund. December 12, 2005, Four Points Sheraton, Minneapolis. Cost is $25, with sliding scale for group attendance. (Visit the MSNet web site for more info and to register: http://www.msnetfund.org.)

--NEW - Just announced….. Legislative Advocacy Training for Nonprofit Institutions - 12:30 - 3:30 pm Thursday, December 15th, 2005 at the Holiday Inn, St. Cloud, MN. A free training opportunity for nonprofits to learn more about the regulations and capacity impediments that affect lobbying and advocacy with the focus on nonprofits. Sponsored by the Northwest Area Foundation, Center for Lobbying in the Public Interest, and Minnesota Rural Partners. For more information please contact Denise Pfeifer at dpfeifer@minnesotaruralpartners.org or 507.828.5559

--And if you would rather meet in the Twin Cities --- The Minnesota Council of Nonprofits is pleased to introduce this series of workshops that will prepare nonprofit staff, board members and volunteers to engage in public policy debates at the state and local levels.

Public Policy 101: The Basics of Nonprofit Advocacy - Tuesday, December 13, 9 a.m. - noon, St. Paul Nonprofit advocacy and lobbying are legal and responsible ways to serve your constituencies. Lobbying laws, planning for advocacy, and basic advocacy skills will be introduced in this workshop. Cost: $35 for MCN members/$50 for non-members. For more information about this workshop, including location information, visit http://www.mncn.org/event_policy.htm.

Public Policy 201: Advanced Advocacy - Thursday, January 19, 9 a.m. - noon, St. Paul This training on advanced legislative and administrative processes is for experienced advocates. This session will focus on details of the legislative process, including rules and procedures. Cost: $35 for MCN members/$50 for non-members. For more information about this workshop, including location information, visit http://www.mncn.org/event_policy.htm.

Follow the Dollars: A Guided Tour through the State's Budget Process - Wednesday, January 11, 10 a.m. - noon, St. Paul In this popular workshop, you will gain an understanding of the basics of the Minnesota state budget, the timeline for the state's budget process, how the Governor's budget proposal is developed, how the budget travels through the Legislature, opportunities for input and advocacy in the budget process, and bonding or capital investments. Cost: $35 for MCN members/$50 for non-members. For more information about this workshop, including location information, visit http://www.mncn.org/event_policy.htm.

--Organic Gearhead/Gee Whiz Contest & Expo. Farmers are known for their ability to come up with unique solutions to everyday engineering challenges, and organic producers are no exception. To celebrate this skill and share ideas, the Minnesota Organic Conference, to be held January 20 - 21, 2006 in St. Cloud, will include a contest to showcase the practical benefits to farmers' tinkering tendencies. Growers are invited, by January 10, 2006, to submit an
entry to include:
* Inventor name(s) and contact information
* Title of idea
* Description of the idea, how it came about, how it worked
* Number of seasons and acres on which the idea was used
* Cost of implementing the idea
* Benefits in terms of financial savings, increased efficiency, improved safety, etc.
* One to two photographs or drawings of the equipment or practice
Conference attendees will select finalists. For details and to submit an entry, contact Noreen Thomas, 12506 20th St. N., Moorhead, MN 56560; 218/233-8066.

"Prospering in Rural America" is the theme of the Agricultural Outlook Forum on February 16-17 in Arlington, VA. Sponsored by the USDA, topics will include rural development, economic outlook for commodities, conservation, globalization and U.S. trade, animal health, bio-tech development and farm policy. To register, go to www.usda.gov/oce/forum or call 877 572-6043.

POLICY

(See events for policy info this month)

FUNDING

Applications are due December 16, 2005, for the Minnesota Rural Flex Grant Program. The program preserves access to needed health services and encourages collaboration and integration of rural community health systems. Grants may also be used for quality improvement, network development, health system improvements, and strengthening and integrating the Emergency Medical Services system. Eligible applicants are rural hospitals with 50 or fewer beds, Critical Access Hospitals, rural health networks, and rural EMS organizations. Information is online at www.health.state.mn.us/divs/chs/grants.htm#flex or contact Pam Hayes at (651) 282-6304 or pamela.hayes@health.state.mn.us

USDA has $17 million for Technical Assistance and Training Grants to improve water systems in rural areas. For more information, contact Stephen Saulnier, 202-690-2526. The deadline is December 31st.

USDA has more than $3 million available for the Tribal Colleges Extension Service Program. The grants are available to conduct non-formal education and outreach activities to help meet the needs of Native American people and to provide essential services to their communities. The deadline is Jan. 13. Contact 202-401-5048 for more information.

ENVIRONMENTAL ASSISTANCE OPEN GRANT ROUND a 2-page preliminary applications due February 10, 2006. Eligible applicants: individuals, public and private entities. $400,000 available, $40,000 max. grant; 33% cash or in-kind match required. Details at
http://www.moea.state.mn.us/grants/current.cfm#open Environmental Assistance at the MPCA requests proposals for projects or practices or loan programs related to:
-- The development or implementation of pollution prevention projects or practices. These include activities such as green building, sustainable community development, commercial/institutional projects, low-impact development, energy efficiency and renewable energy.
-- Environmental education.
-- Research, development, or implementation of waste collection, resource recovery, processing, recycling, and reuse.
-- Source reduction, and prevention of waste, hazardous substances, toxic pollutants, and problem materials.
-- Collection, recovery, processing, purchasing, or market development of recyclable materials or compost.
To discuss potential projects in the areas of sustainable community development - green building, low-impact development, ordinance development, transit-oriented development, energy, water and transportation efficiency, renewable energy, distributed wastewater infrastructure -
contact Philipp Muessig at 651/215-0204 or 800/657-3843 or philipp.muessig@moea.state.mn.us

The Taproot Foundation has announced a new Annual Report Service Grant, providing nonprofit organizations with the processes and tools to produce an annual report each year, as well as an initial version for the first year. The application deadlines are Dec. 1, March 1, and June 1. For more information, visit http://www.taprootfoundation.org/grants/annualreport.shtml or call 415-359-1423.

CharityAdvantage is now accepting proposals for NP Online Action, a $4.2 million technology product and service program to improve technology and web-related activities for U.S.-based nonprofit organizations. The application deadline is open. For more information, go to http://www.charityadvantage.com.

MISCELLANEOUS

Materials from the Growing with Gigabits conference are now available online http://blandinfoundation.org/html/public_bb_conferences.cfm. Materials including a video of Governor Pawlenty's video linked remarks from Hong Kong and surveys responses from attendees on Blandin's Broadband Vision.

The new issue of Ten Magazine, looks at the emerging role of community colleges on the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City's Web site: http://www.kansascityfed.org/Publicat/TEN/pdf/Fall05CC.pdf

2007 Farm Policy Reform: Creating Healthy Farms, Healthy Food and a Healthy World, by the American Farmland Trust (AFT), outlines the AFT's vision for change: a transition to a system that links financial support to stewardship rather than the production of commodities. The report is available at http://www.farmland.org/policy2/2007FarmBill/index.htm

"Community Development: A Guide for Grantmakers on Fostering Better Outcomes Through Good Process" is a new report from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. It draws on the community development literature and evaluations of community development initiatives to spotlight the critical role of collaboration in this field. To download, visit www.hewlett.org.

Building Wealth in Rural Communities: The New Homestead Act and Individual Homestead Accounts. This report examines the potential for the Act and IHAs to build wealth through the creations of jobs, development of small businesses, home ownership and rehabilitation and increased retirement savings. Go to www.cfra.org/bw_new_homestead_act_report.htm.

The Pew Partnership for Civic Change is now accepting nominations for the Civic Change Award, given to an individual, organization, or community that has demonstrated a commitment to improving civic life. The deadline is Dec. 31. For more information, visit http://www.pew-partnership.org

The North Carolina Manpower Development Corporation (MDC) and Duke University have completed a study of Rural Poverty. Early findings indicate poverty is not static. Families regularly move into and out of poverty. When the study findings are confirmed, MDC will host community meetings to craft a community-base response and enhance programs and services for the poor. Visit www.mdcinc.org for more information or call (919) 968-4531.

"Critical Review of the Rural Poverty Literature: Is There Truly a Rural Effect?" focuses on whether something about rural places, beyond demographic characteristics and economics, makes poverty more likely. The Rural Policy Research Institute provided support for the report, which is online at www.irp.wisc.edu/publications/dps/pdfs/dp130905.pdf.

Financial Planning For Your Microenterprise Free Guide Available! The Association for Enterprise Opportunity (AEO), a national organization promoting small business development, now offers a free download of the guidebook Financial Planning for Your Microenterprise. This 76-page booklet provides information on a range of topics related to financial planning for you and your business. Visit the AEO website's resource page to download (File size: 6.5 MB): http://www.microenterpriseworks.org/links/resources.htm

JOBS

Applications are now being accepted for the University of Minnesota Extension Service position, Regional Extension Educator, Community Economics, a position based in the Extension regional center located in Marshall, Minnesota and serving the needs of sixteen counties in the Southwest region of Minnesota. To apply, submit a cover letter; resume or vita; three professional letters of reference; and transcript(s) for all college work (unofficial transcripts are acceptable), to:

Naaz Babvani
Extension Human Resources
260 Coffey Hall, 1420 Eckles Ave.
University of Minnesota
St. Paul, MN 55108
Telephone: 612-624-3717
Fax: 612-624-7749
Email: babva001@umn.edu
Application deadline is December 22, 2005. Initial application screening will take place after this date. Applications will be accepted until position is filled.

Minnesota Rural Partners is a nonprofit organization. Donations are tax deductible.

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