December 2007 – Volume V, Number 11
Compiled by Deb Miller Slipek

IN THIS ISSUE
--Funding
--Meetings
--Opportunities
--Miscellaneous

 A Farewell to Kathie Davis

Over 20 years ago when I first started out in community and rural development work, one of the first people I met was Kathie Davis. She was working in the 1980s at Region 9 Development Commission in Mankato and later started her own consulting business. She was kind, generous in her time with newbies like me, and a wonderful role model as rural advocate, community organizer, and communicator. Kathie died earlier this month, and with her passing, we have lost a good friend and tireless leader for rural places and people.

Kathie was always ahead of the curve. She worked on rural entrepreneurship development and community betterment strategies before anyone else put those two key ingredients together to help strengthen rural communities. At the time of her death, she was busy as ever working on community-based entrepreneurship projects. We will miss her and will always be inspired by her dedication. I know Kathie must be organizing heaven right now and we can take some comfort in knowing she will always be an angel on our shoulders.  –Jane Leonard

FUNDING

--The National Association of Counties has grants available for rural counties to receive intensive technical assistance on the Rural Health Works model.  A selected county would receive $18,000 and participate in a process that assists counties to evaluate their healthcare system and to generate county-specific data on the importance of the healthcare sector to the local economy.  The deadline is December 15.  Go to www.naco.org/ruralhealthworks or contact Christina Rowland at crowland@naco.org or 202-942-4267.

--The Native American CDFI Assistance (NACA) program has $3.5 million available for grants and loans to qualified Native American groups.  The funds may be used for capacity building, community development and technical assistance.  The deadline is December 19.  For more information, go to: http://www.cdfifund.gov/docs/2008/naca/FY2008NACANOFA.pdf  or call 202 622-6355.

--U.S. HUD has $137 million in loan guarantees to help communities redevelop brownfields.  The deadline is December 28.  Visit www.grants.gov and enter # FR-5142-N-01 for more information.

--The USDA has $17 million available for Technical Assistance and Training Grants, to identify and evaluate solutions to water and waste disposal problems in rural areas. The deadline is December 31.   For more information, go to www.grants.gov and search for RDUP-TAT-GRANT-100307-FY08.

--The U.S. Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration will make $125 million available in Community-Based Job Training Grants (CBJTGs) supporting workforce training for high-growth/high-demand industries through the national system of community and technical colleges.  The purpose is building the capacity of community colleges to provide the training to succeed in local or regional high-growth industries where demand for qualified workers is outstripping the supply. The deadline is December 31.  For more information, go to www.grants.gov and enter SGA-DFA-PY-07-01 or call 202 693-3346.

--The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration has $5 million available in its State/Tribal Youth Suicide Prevention Grant Program.  The purpose of the program is to build on the foundation of prior suicide prevention efforts. The deadline for applications is January 11, 2008.  Contact Gwendolyn Simpson at 240 276-1408 or visit www.grants.gov and search for number SM-08-001.

--The Federal Communications Commission announced $417 million in grants will be available to help rural health-care providers build high-speed Internet networks to connect isolated communities to medical resources in urban centers.  About 6,000 hospitals, research centers, universities and clinics will get broadband access in the three-year pilot program. Go to http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/rural/rhcp.html for more information.

MEETINGS

--Willmar West Central Volunteer Connections - Monday, January 7th, 2008 from 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon.  Topic:  Volunteer Training, Benefits and Retention at the Bremer Bank (2nd Floor Training Room), 500 Willmar Avenue SE, Willmar.  Connections are an opportunity for leaders of volunteers to get together, learn and support each other.  Connections is a peer lead network of leaders of volunteers. There is no charge for Connections. 

--Marketplace for Entrepreneurs will take place January 16 in Grand Forks, ND. Marketplace offers participants a variety of workshops and exhibits relating to starting a business, entrepreneurship, finding funding, inventions, etc. More information is available at http://www.marketplaceforentrepreneurs.org/.

OPPORTUNITIES

--Explore Minnesota Tourism Council Openings -  Twelve positions on the Explore Minnesota Tourism Council will soon be open for new appointments.  Council membership includes up to 28 members appointed by the Governor, including the director of Explore Minnesota Tourism, who serves as chair; 11 representatives of statewide associations representing bed and breakfast establishments, golf, festivals and events, counties, convention and visitors bureaus, lodging, resorts, trails, campgrounds, restaurants, and chambers of commerce; 4 representatives - one from each of the four tourism marketing regions of the state; 6 representatives of transportation, retail, travel agencies, tour operators, travel media, and convention facilities; 1 or more ex-officio non-voting members including at least one from the University of Minnesota Tourism Center; 4 legislators, two from each house, one each from the two largest political party caucuses in each house; and other persons, if any, as designated from time to time by the Governor.  Meetings are held at least four times a year, in various locations.

Upcoming vacancies include:
One Golf Representative     
One Chambers of Commerce Representative    
One Tour Operators Representative
One County Representative
One Convention Facilities Representative
One MN Association of Convention & Visitors Bureau Representative
One Bed & Breakfasts Representative
One Resorts Representative
One Trails Representative
One Southern Minnesota Tourism Region Representative
One Lodging Representative
One Member

Applicants must be ready to serve the broader interests of tourism in Minnesota by promoting activities that support, maintain, and expand the state's domestic and international travel market, thereby generating increased visitor expenditures, tax revenue and employment.  To apply, please complete the open appointments application form and send, along with a resume, to the Secretary of State’s Office by the end of December 2007. 

--Research Fellowship in Rural Community Development Honoring Nancy Nye, Activist and Professional Researcher and Evaluator  - The Carsey Institute at the University of New Hampshire and the national rural program of the Local Initiatives Support Corporation, Rural LISC, announce the first annual Nancy Nye Fellowship providing $7,500 for research in rural community development. The competition is open to practitioners, graduate students and professional researchers. The deadline for submissions is February 1. For more information, go to http://www.carseyinstitute.unh.edu/ or www.ruralamerica.org .

MISCELLANEOUS

--The current issue of Rural Voices is devoted the problem of rural homelessness.  In it, the Housing Assistance Council (HAC) announces a new initiative to address rural homelessness.  It will be launched in January, 2008.  For more information, email RHCBinfo@ruralhome.org.  To download Rural Voices, go to: http://www.ruralhome.org/manager/uploads/VoicesFall2007.pdf.

--The Rural Families Speak project, funded by USDA, has released its report on rural communities and rural low-income families.  The study followed 524 families in 17 states and 30 counties.  Subjects include employment, health, food security and social support. To download, go to: http://fsos.cehd.umn.edu/img/assets/16501/NRICGP%20Final%20Report.pdf.

--IRS Will Soon Require Small Nonprofits to File - Next year, many nonprofits that don't file a 990 will need to start filing an "e-Postcard," and in 2010, organizations that have neglected to file their annual returns or e-Postcards will start losing their exemptions.  The IRS has announced the next round of changes required by the Pension Protection Act of 2006: smaller nonprofits will be required to file Form 990-N starting in 2008, and organizations that fail to file Form 990, 990-EZ, 990-PF, or 990-N for three consecutive years will lose their tax exemptions.  Starting next year, an organization that does not file IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ because its income is $25,000 or less will have to file Form 990-N, the "Electronic Notice (e-Postcard) for Tax-Exempt Organizations Not Required to File Form 990 or 990-EZ."

--The Latino Enterprise Center (LEC) is a program of Main Street Project, to “strengthen Latino communities through leadership development, by organizing the programs and infrastructure needed to maximize the success potential of Latino/a entrepreneurs.  For information go to: www.latinoenterprisecenter.org

--Food Assistance and Nutrition Research Program Database - The Food Assistance and Nutrition Research Program (FANRP) supports a broad spectrum of food and nutrition assistance research. ERS has compiled an electronic database of the hundreds of peer-reviewed reports and articles based on FANRP-supported research published at ERS and elsewhere. The database is searchable by title, lead author, topic, year of publication, and data set analyzed as well as by exact word(s) or phrases contained in the publication’s bibliographic citation. To view the database go to: http://www.ers.usda.gov/Briefing/FoodNutritionAssistance/ResearchFindings/

--Farm Business and Household Survey Data:  Customized Data Summaries from ARMS.  This data-delivery tool has been updated with estimates on 2006 finances, structure, and characteristics of U.S. farm businesses and farm households. ARMS data inform USDA, congressional, administration, and industry decision makers when weighing alternative policies and programs that touch the farm sector or affect farm families. Use this interactive tool to create tailored reports on agricultural production technology, farm business and farm household viability, and the structure of U.S. agriculture from the latest ARMS data. See http://www.ers.usda.gov/Data/ARMS/

--The Rural School Community Trust has issued the fourth in a series of biennial reports titled “Why Rural Matters.” analyzing the importance of rural education in each of the 50 states and calling attention to the urgency with which policymakers in each state should address rural education issues. It finds enrollment in rural schools up 15 percent with the increase in minority student enrollment up 55 percent and 100 percent in some states. These increases are particularly challenging for districts already short of resources. The report is available at: http://www.ruraledu.org/site/apps/s/link.asp?c=beJMIZOCIrH&b=3508815.

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

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