July 2006 Volume IV, Number 7

Compiled by Deb Miller Slipek, News Finder Extraordinary & Jane Leonard, MRP President & Editor
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We just wanted to warn you that this issue is super-packed with all sorts of information, so dig in or browse, but just be prepared for a lot of great stuff. As always, if you want to go right to the website version, click on http://www.minnesotaruralpartners.org/newsletter.htm

IN THIS ISSUE:

- ACROSS THE FIELD
- POLICY
- FUNDING
- MEETINGS & CONFERENCES
- OPPORTUNITIES
- RESOURCES & MISCELLANEOUS

ACROSS THE FIELD, by Jane Leonard
Giving Back

I dedicate this July newsletter to my former boss and mentor, Frank Ongaro, Sr., who died June 29 at the age of 77 in Hibbing, MN. Frank gave me my start in rural community and economic development. I worked for him when I was a graduate student, and then was hired to help run several community improvement programs, first at the State Planning Agency and then, when our offices moved, to the MN Department of Trade and Economic Development. Frank was a boyhood chum of Governor Rudy Perpich, a former biology instructor and basketball coach at Hibbing Community College, and a teacher and coach to the young crew who worked in the office he led, the office of Environmental Resource Development.

Frank helped start and/or incubate several innovative programs that recognized the value of the natural and built environment in fostering economic development, such as the Governor’s Design Team, Minnesota Main Street, Community Pride, Minnesota Beautiful, and Picture-It-Painted. He engineered a partnership with the DNR and MnDOT to identify and develop the state wildflower highway routes that still bear those designations today. He also helped thousands of fourth-graders learn about environmental stewardship at the annual Arbor Day Environmental Fairs at Ironworld, which was recognized as a national Arbor Day award winner in the early 1990s.

Like any good coach, Frank didn’t micromanage from courtside, but let us play the game full-speed, thinking on our feet, with solid fundamentals guiding us. He encouraged inventiveness and shielded us from higher-level second-guessing. Frank’s dedication to our development as people and professionals stuck with me. Now that I am a bit older and grayer, I try to mentor and give back as he did. Frank – thank you. Your legacy lives on in all whose lives you touched.

POLICY

--The latest issue of the Main Street Economist is available on the Center for the Study of Rural America’s website.  Mark Drabenstott and Jason Henderson discuss, "A New Rural Economy: A New Role for Public Policy" in this issue.  The authors present the positive trends in rural employment and income growth in recent years, but suggest that rural regions face long-term economic challenges.  They discuss the roles of entrepreneurship, innovation, and building critical mass in economic development and how public policy can foster these activities.  http://www.kansascityfed.org/RuralCenter/mainstreet/MainStMain.htm.

--Minnesota will examine its own policies and practices in entrepreneurship during the next four months with a series of four successive multi-site videoconferences. Minnesota Rural Partners and regional co-hosts will sponsor the series to gather your ideas for a proposed Office of Entrepreneurship (or some sort of public/private consortium to help coordinate entrepreneurial development efforts across Minnesota). The first meeting is set for, Wednesday, July 19, from 10 a.m. to 12 noon at sites across Minnesota. Click on this link to check for a site near you: http://www.minnesotaruralpartners.org/officeofentrepreneurs/index.htm. Other meetings follow, via videoconference on August 16, September 20 and a date yet to be determined in October 2006.         

If you have any questions, would like to help us schedule another site closer to home or serve as a co-host for the sites, contact Denise Pfeifer; Minnesota Rural Partners, dpfeifer@minnesotaruralpartners.org; 507.828.5559

FUNDING

--Get Broadband Community Grant Program: The Blandin Foundation’s Get Broadband community grant program supports communities that want to make technology a key component of their economic and community development strategy--communities that want their businesses to be globally competitive.  The Blandin Foundation provides a cash grant, planning and technical assistance, pre-and post market surveys, and ongoing information assistance.  Application deadlines for 2006 are August 18 and November 10.  For more information contact Bill Coleman: 651-426-7741 or email: bill@communitytechnologyadvisors.com
 
--The Hispanics in Philanthropy Funders’ Collaborative for Strong Latino Communities, which brings together foundation, corporate, government, and individual donors in support of Latino communities, announces its 2006 Grant Round for Latino nonprofit organizations in the Upper Midwest, including Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and Iowa.  Nonprofit organizations located in the Upper Midwest area that are (1) Latino-led, (2) Latino-serving and (3) have an annual operating budget under $2 million, are eligible to submit a proposal for an organizational capacity building grant.  (For detailed eligibility criteria please visit the Hispanics in Philanthropy website noted below. If your organization does not fit the criteria, please contact Saanii Hernandez, information below, to learn about other future funding opportunities.)

For additional information or to register an organization to receive funding information, visit the Hispanics in Philanthropy website at www.hiponline.org and click under Spotlight click on Upper Midwest Grant Round. Or contact Saanii Hernandez, Hispanics in Philanthropy—Midwest Program Manager at saanii@hiponline.org or 651-312-3743.

--ORHPC is solicitingproposals for the Hospital Planning and Transition Program. Grants will help small rural hospitals (50 beds or fewer) preserve access to health services or respond to changing conditions. Approximately $300,000 may be available and a maximum grant award will be $50,000. Application forms will be online July 15 at http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/chs/grants.htm#ruralhospital. The grant application deadline is September 1, 2006. Contact Doug Benson at doug.benson@health.state.mn.us for more information.

--Minnesota’s National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program is available for licensed providers practicing in health professional shortage areas. Information, candidate applications and site applications are online at http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/chs/loan.htm or contact Deb Jahnke at (651) 282-6334 or debra.jahnke@health.state.mn.us. The application due date has been moved up to August 1, 2006.

--The Central Minnesota Housing Partnership is looking for communities in their sevice area that have a need for rehabilitation for single family and/or rental units.  Contact Brenda K. Engelking, Community Development Director, Central MN Housing Partnership,   Email: brenda@cmhp.net,  Phone (320) 259-0393.

--The U.S. Department of Justice’s Office on Violence Against Women, via the Rural Domestic Violence and Child Victimization Enforcement Grants, launched a pilot targeting the needs of rural communities. Eligible applicants include faith-based and community organizations with the ability to serve rural victims of domestic violence. The deadline to apply is August 2, 2006. Information is online at http://www.factsdv.org/or contact Elizabeth Kelly at Elizabeth_Kelly@baylor.edu or (254) 710-1425.

--The application deadline is July 28, 2006, for Medica’s Addressing the Health Needs of Greater Minnesota Communities Grants. Grants up to $30,000 are available to address gaps in access and health care services. Information is online at http://www.medica.com/C12/MedicaFoundation3/default.aspx#cycle2.

--EPA Indoor Environmental Grants has an August 9th date for applications to the annual Reducing Public Exposure to Indoor Pollutants grant program. $180,000 is available to fund approximately 10 projects addressing Asthma, Indoor Air Quality (IAQ), Tools for Schools (TfS), Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS), mold, and general IAQ projects. Proposed projects must support demonstration, training, outreach and/or education that reduce exposure to indoor air pollutants and yield measurable environmental outcomes.  See:   http://www.grants.gov/search/search.do?mode=VIEW&oppId=10085

--The National Eye Institute encourages rural communities to apply for the 2007 Healthy Vision Community Awards. The awards provide funding for implementing health education and promotions that support the Healthy Vision 2010 objectives and the Healthy People 2010 goals to reduce health disparities and improve quality of life. Each award is not to exceed $10,000. Applications for 2007 must be postmarked no later than Thursday, August 31, 2006. Information is online at www.healthyvision2010.org/news/hvca.

--The Laura Jane Musser Fund was established by the estate of Laura Jane Musser of Little Falls, MN to continue the personal philanthropy which she practiced in her lifetime.

Areas of Interest are:

1. Initiative to Promote Collaborative Process in Environmental Decision Making proposes to assist public or not-for-profit entities to initiate or implement projects in rural areas to undertake consensus-based activities in environmental stewardship or dispute resolution. This funding will cover programs in their first three years and projects in the planning phase or implementation phase. It will not fund capital expenses, general operating support for organizations or ongoing program support. Grants of up to $35,000 may be made for projects in this area. The Musser Fund is likely to make a total of 4 to 6 grants in the Environmental Initiative this year. The deadline for a full proposal is September 5, 2006. A letter of intent is not required. Please visit www.musserfund.org to receive more information on submitting a full proposal.

2. Intercultural Harmony promotes mutual understanding and cooperation between groups and citizens of different cultural backgrounds within defined geographical areas through collaborative, cross – cultural projects. Projects must be inter-cultural, rather than focused on just one culture. This program will fund new programs or projects within their first three years and either the planning or implementation phase of the project. It will not fund any capital expenses, general operating support or ongoing program support. Funding priority is placed on projects that build positive relationships across cultural lines, engender intercultural harmony, tolerance, understanding and respect, enhance intercultural communication, rather than cultural isolation, while at the same time celebrating and honoring each culture’s unique qualities and offer members of various cultural communities an opportunity to work together on projects with common goals. The deadline for a full proposal is October 10, 2006. A letter of intent is not required. Please visit www.musserfund.org for more information on submitting a full proposal.

3. Rural Initiative wants to encourage collaborative and participatory efforts among citizens in rural communities that will help to strengthen their towns and regions in a number of civic areas including, but not limited to, economic development, business preservation, arts and humanities, public space improvements and education. Projects that are funded must demonstrate support from a diverse cross-section of community members and institutions, matching financial and/or in-kind support from the local community, significant volunteer participation and reasonable plans to complete their project within 18 months or less. The program will fund new programs or projects within their first three years and in a planning and/or implementation phase. It will not fund capital expenses, general operating support or ongoing program support. Programs in Colorado, Hawaii, Minnesota, New York and Wyoming may apply. The applicant community must have a population of 10,000 or fewer and must be able to demonstrate the rural characteristics of their location. Funds will be available for Planning (up to $5,000) and Implementation (up to $25,000). The deadline for a full proposal is September 5, 2006. A letter of intent is not required. Please visit www.musserfund.org for more information on submitting a full proposal.

 --Foster's Community Grants, a program of the Foster's Group, a global company headquartered in Melbourne, Australia, provides support to nonprofit organizations in the U.S. and Australia for community-building projects. Grants are provided in the following focus areas: wellness, including both physical and mental health; culture, including artistic, sporting, and educational activities; and the environment, including all aspects of the natural environment. Applications will be accepted from August 1 to September 29. Visit the website http://www.fosters.com.au/about/fosterscommunitygrants.htm

MEETINGS and CONFERENCES

--Leadership: Strengthening Organizations and Communities - July 24, 2006, 8:30 a.m. – 4 p.m. at the Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis.  Effective nonprofit leadership engages the energy, creativity, talent and passion of people at every level of an organization. The Minnesota Council of Nonprofits and the Nonprofit Leadership Center at the Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs are pleased to co-sponsor this conference designed for nonprofit leaders (staff members, board members, volunteers) and those interested in nonprofit leadership at any stage – emerging, mid-career, and established – and in any role within an organization. Featured keynote speakers include Jeanne Bell, Associate Director, CompassPoint Nonprofit Services; Emmett Carson, President and CEO, Minneapolis Foundation; Jim Krile, Director of Community Leadership, Blandin Foundation; Jon Pratt, Executive Director, and Bao Vang, Leadership Program Coordinator, Minnesota Council of Nonprofits; and Jodi Sandfort, Associate Professor, Humphrey Institute. Registration is $100 for MCN members; $150 for non-members. Limited scholarships are available. For the full agenda or online registration, see www.mncn.org/event_leadership.htm#leadership.

--The Southwest Initiative Foundation is sponsoring a satellite video-conference of The Minneapolis Foundation's Minnesota Meeting on the topic of Health Disparities in Minnesota on  July 27, 2006 -- 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in Marshall, MN, at Southwest Mn State University, RM B 524 on Floor 5 near the Library. No cost to attend. Light lunch will be provided. Please RSVP by July 21 to cheryl@swifoundation.org or call 320-234-0903.  Featured speaker is Dr. Michael Trujillo, former Director Indian Health Service and former Assistant U.S. Surgeon General.

--Minnesota’s Consolidated Plan for Housing and Community Development - The State of Minnesota has begun the Consolidated Planning process for the 2007-2011 Consolidated Plan and the 2007 program year for the programs funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).  And we need your input!
How to Get Involved - You can participate in the development of the Consolidated Plan -- 

Attend a Regional Forum:
July 24:  Grand Rapids, Public Library, 140 NE 2nd Street, 218-326-7640, 4:00 p.m.
July 25:  Fergus Falls, Public Library, 205 East Hampden Avenue, 218-739-9387, 4:00 p.m.
July 27: Marshall, Lyon County Courthouse, Conference Rooms 4 and 5, 607 West Main Street, 507-537-6236, 4:00 p.m.
July 31:  St. Paul, Retirement Systems of MN, 60 Empire Drive, 1st floor,  651-296-2761, 4:00 p.m.
August 3:  Owatonna, Public Library, 105 North Elm, 507-444-2460, 4:00 p.m.

Attend a Public Hearing
You are also invited to attend one or both public hearings held in St. Paul. The October hearing will take comments prior to the drafting of the plan; the December hearing will provide an opportunity to comment on the draft Consolidated Plan and the proposed allocation of 2007 HUD program funding among state needs.  The public hearings will be held on October 10, 2006 and December 12, 2006 in the Minnesota Room, 2nd floor, First National Bank Building, 332 Minnesota Street, St. Paul, 651-297-1291, 2:30 to 4:30 p.m.

Provide Written Comments
Can’t make the regional forums or public hearings?  Be sure to send us an e-mail or a letter about what you believe to be the state’s most important housing and community development needs and how you think funding should be allocated in the state.  Send your comments by October 10 to:  Consolidated Plan, c/o James Cegla, Minnesota Housing, 400 Sibley Street, Suite 300, St Paul MN 55101-1998, fax:  651-296-8139, or e-mail: jim.cegla@state.mn.us.

Programs Covered by Minnesota’s Consolidated Plan for Housing and Community Development

-Emergency Shelter Grants (ESG) - Agency:  Minnesota Department of Human Services
-HOME Investment Partnership Program (HOME) - Agency:  Minnesota Housing Finance Agency
-Housing Opportunities for People with AIDS (HOPWA) - Agency:  Minnesota Housing Finance Agency
-Small Cities Development Program (SCDP) - Agency:  Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development

--The Initiative Foundation, in partnership with the League of Minnesota Cities and the Gordon Rosenmeier Center for State and Local Government, will host a “Running for Public Office” workshop on Tuesday, July 25 at its office in Little Falls.  Independent candidates as well as those from all political parties and all levels of office are invited to attend this nonpartisan event.  The workshop fee is $35, and registrations are due Friday, July 21.  For more information, contact Rachel Durfee at (877) 632-9255 toll-free or email rdurfee@ifound.org

--Public Informational Meetings on DNR’s “Alternative Shorelands Standards”.  A series of public information sessions, outlined below, have been scheduled to provide training on the Alternative Shorelands Standards.  Two meetings (2:00-4:00PM and 6:30-8:30PM) will be held on each of the following dates:

-July 20, 2006 - (Hubbard County) Northwoods Bank, 1200 East First Street, Park Rapids;
-August 3, 2006 - (Douglas County) Holiday Inn, 5637 State Highway 29 South, Alexandria; and
-August 9, 2006 - (Cass County) Hackensack Senior Citizens Center, 213 First Street South, Hackensack.

Maps and driving directions to the meetings are posted on the DNR Website.  www.dnr.state.mn.us/waters Also added to the website are new fact sheets and a newly approved science based document called "An Assessment and Rationale for the Alternative Shoreland Standards."

--Institute for Alternative Dispute Resolution is offering a 30-Hour Certified Basic Mediation Training at Saint Cloud State University Campus, Voyageurs Room, Atwood Memorial Center.  The training will be September 25 to 28, 2006, from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm on September 25 to 27 and 8:00 am to 12:30 pm on September 28.  Registration Deadline: September 11, 2006; Cost: $695 before August 07, after is $745.00 (Full or partial scholarships may be available based on organizational financial need).  Go to: http://www.stcloudstate.edu/continuingstudies/instituteadr/
For additional information, please call (320) 308-3081.

--Grassroots & Groundwork: What Communities Are Doing to Get Out—and Stay Out—of Poverty will be held September 16-19, 2006 at the Crowne Plaza Riverside Hotel, St. Paul, Minnesota.  Private citizens, policymakers, business and civic leaders, service providers, educators and researchers, faith leaders and others who are interested in community-led approaches to lasting poverty reduction should attend. For conference details and to register: www.grassrootsandgroundwork.nwaf.org  

--Iron Range Business & Entrepreneur Expo will be held Saturday, September 30, 2006 from 10:00 am - 6:00 pm at the Mt. Iron Community Center.  If you have questions, call Shannon Hoffman at 1-800-422-0374 ext. 310 or email shannonh@entrepreneurfund.org

--Heads Up! Blandin Broadband Conference is set for October 18 – 19, 2006 (MEA week-end) at the Arrowwood Resort and Conference Center in Alexandria, MN. This year’s conference will focus on the Next Generation Broadband: Policies, Practices and People. Plan to be a part of this dynamic discussion of policy and practice focused on opportunities to use broadband-based technologies to create tomorrow’s world today. Registration for participants, exhibitors and sponsors will be available by early next week. Check out more information on the conference at http://www.blandinfoundation.org/html/public_bb_conference%202006.cfm
 
Make plans to bring your family; it’s MEA weekend and the conference room rate is good through the weekend!

OPPORTUNITIES

-- Minnesota Broadband Award: the Association of Minnesota Counties (AMC) recognize the importance of innovative broadband use that will increase community economic vitality. The 2006 Minnesota Broadband Award is being launched to recognize innovators and showcase novel broadband applications and services for others to consider and adopt.
Nominations must be submitted no later than July 31, 2006. For more information, go to
http://www.blandinfoundation.org/html/MN_BB_Awards_2006.htm

--IATP seeks a Rural Communities Organizer.  The Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy is hiring an organizer/outreach coordinator to organize rural community forums and farmer meetings, coordinate rural engagement with partners, and reach out to farmers and rural communities on issues of economic development, particularly the bioeconomy and the environment.  See:  http://www.iatp.org/iatp/jobs.cfm

--PROGRAM SPECIALIST - The Initiative Foundation seeks an experienced community organizer with human service, training and grantmaking background to support community coalitions working on methamphetamine prevention, early childhood and youth issues.
Requires a bachelor's degree in community development, human services, education or related with three years experience or equivalent. To apply: Call 320-632-9255 for application and submit with resume by July 19 to: Initiative Foundation, 405 First Street SE, Little Falls, MN 56345.  EOE

RESOURCES and MISCELLANEOUS

--Minnesota Telephone Equipment Distribution has free phones, ring signalers, speakerphones and other equipment for people of all ages who have a hearing loss, speech and/or physical disability and meet the income qualifications. Go to: http://www.tedprogram.org/ or call (800) 657-3663 or (888) 206-6555 TTY.

--Minnesota Environmental Indicators: 2005  This report by the MPCA identifies new stresses on Minnesota's environment -- rising population, increased energy consumption, changing land use patterns -- and provides an overall status report (good, fair, or poor) for eight related environmental indicators in the areas of water, air and waste, as summarized on the web site above. An accompanying 16-page report fills in the detail.  Go to: 
http://www.pca.state.mn.us/publications/reports/mne-2005.html

--The Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City invites you to view the latest addition of its Research Working Paper Series.  This paper examines how assets and fiscal policy influence growth in factors of production in rural America. Results indicate that entrepreneurship, public infrastructure, and lower taxes encourage employment growth, while lower taxes and greater local wealth encourage manufacturing capital formation.  Their paper is now available at:  http://www.kansascityfed.org/Publicat/Reswkpap/RWP06-08.htm.

--Measuring the Success of Conservation Programs - Due to the influence and interactions of many factors, evaluation of conservation programs is a data-intensive and technically challenging process. This article provides an overview of the steps necessary for evaluating the success of conservation program. These steps must address two questions: 1) How do different farm operators in different circumstances decide what production and conservation practices to implement, in the presence and absence of the conservation program being evaluated, at different levels of incentives provided by that program?; and 2) How do the farm practices attributable to conservation program incentives affect environmental quality? See: http://www.ers.usda.gov/AmberWaves/July06SpecialIssue/Features/Measuring.htm

--Improving Air and Water Quality can be Two Sides of the Same Coin -- Agricultural production practices have generated a variety of substances that enter the atmosphere and have the potential of creating health and environmental problems. The air in some farming communities can be as impaired by pollutants such as ozone and particulates as air in urban areas. Two challenges for reducing air emissions from agriculture are potential inter-relationships with water quality, and a lack of information on farm-level emissions needed for effective regulation and management. See: http://www.ers.usda.gov/AmberWaves/July06SpecialIssue/Features/Improving.htm

--Farmland Retirement’s Impact on Rural Growth addresses an unintended consequence of high levels of enrollment in the CRP, that of farmland retirement’s impact of rural growth. To examine this issue, this article examines the local socioeconomic changes that accompanied CRP enrollment in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and discusses ERS analysis of the potential employment and output changes if all land currently enrolled in the program could be put to other uses, given the current distribution of land, prevailing commodity market conditions, and public policies. See: http://www.ers.usda.gov/AmberWaves/July06SpecialIssue/Features/Farmland.htm

--Emphasis Shifts in U.S. Conservation Policy describes the policy shift in the 2002 Farm Bill toward increased funding of conservation policies, and shifting conservation priorities. The share of conservation funds allocated to working lands (land used for crop production or grazing) will increase, a modest increase in retirement programs will focus largely on wetland restoration, and the role of benefit-cost targeting in working land programs will be reduced, potentially reducing the cost-effectiveness of these programs. See:  http://www.ers.usda.gov/AmberWaves/July06SpecialIssue/Features/Emphasis.htm

--Land Retirement and Working Land Conservation Structures: A Look at Farmers’ Choices.  All sizes and types of farms have adopted conservation practices and installed conservation structures. Programs that support a wide range of alternative conservation practices are more likely to match the wide range of interests of farmers. Recent ERS research suggests that farms and farm households that install working-land conservation structures—such as contour strips or grass waterways—often differ from those that retire farmland. See:  http://www.ers.usda.gov/AmberWaves/July06SpecialIssue/Features/LandRetirement.htm

--Environmental Credit Trading: Can Farming Benefit?  Environmental credit trading is a market-based approach to complying with regulations with the potential to achieve pollution abatement goals at least cost to society. Agriculture can contribute to credit trading programs by generating pollution-reduction credits through the adoption of environmentally preferred practices and selling the credits to regulated firms. See: http://www.ers.usda.gov/AmberWaves/July06SpecialIssue/Features/Trading.htm

--AMBER WAVES, Volume 4, Special  Issue, July 2006  This special issue of Amber Waves, the magazine of the USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS), provides a closer look at the relationship between agriculture and the Nation’s land, air, water, and biological resources. The issue contains reprints and updates of articles and statistics highlighting: conservation policy and program design, impact of conservation programs on farmers and the environment, cost-effectiveness of conservation programs, and emerging issues, such as environmental credits. See:  http://www.ers.usda.gov/AmberWaves/July06SpecialIssue/

--The Partnership to End Long Term Homelessness has announced a new website for funders interested in collaborating and sharing strategies and best practices for fighting chronic homelessness. The website, www.endlongtermhomelessness.org features a searchable knowledge center of case studies, best practices, data and trends in the field of chronic homelessness. The partnership is sponsored by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Fannie Mae and The Rockefeller Foundation among others.

--A new policy brief from the Carsey Institute at the University of New Hampshire examines who is taking care of pre-schoolers of employed mothers in rural America. It finds most choose home-based care and recommends programs to make formal care more affordable and accessible or better training for home-care providers. Copies are available from Amy Seif by calling 603 862-4650 or download at: http://www.carseyinstitute.unh.edu/documents/ChildCare_final.pdf.

--The National Rural Health Association’s Health Disparities in Rural Populations provides a general background on health disparities facing all rural citizens. This is the first in a series of rural health disparities policy briefs. Online at: http://www.nrharural.org/advocacy/sub/policybriefs/HlthDisparity.pdf

--USDA Rural Development recently launched its Native American Site. This site is intended to help American Indians and Alaska Natives use USDA’s housing, economic development and community facilities programs. Please visit http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/rd/aian/resources.html

--Discovering Community Power: A Guide to Mobilizing Local Assets and Your Organization's Capacity, a study by the Asset-Based Community Development (ABCD) Institute in cooperation with the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, will help people strengthen their own organizations by enhancing connections with the community's assets, strengthen the community by investing in the community's assets, and strengthen current and future community-based projects, activities, and proposals. To download a PDF version of the report, see www.northwestern.edu/ipr/abcd.html.

--In the latest issue of the Main Street Economist is available Stephan Weiler, Jason Henderson, and Katie Cervantes discuss, "Innovative Regional Partnerships in the Rural Tenth District" in this issue.  The article discusses how rural communities can overcome their smaller size and remoteness by forming regional partnerships.  The authors also discuss why regional partnerships must be innovative to break down traditional barriers within the region.  http://www.KansasCityFed.org/RuralCenter/mainstreet/MainStMain.htm.

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EDITORS' NOTES: Thanks for your patience as we took time off for some summer vacation. We’ll be back on our regular schedule in August – newsletter publication date is August 8, so please have items of news and interest to us by August 4. If you have news, announcements, job listings, etc., please send them to jleonard@minnesotaruralpartners.org. We also accept paid advertisements and sponsorships to support the creation of the newsletter. Minnesota Rural Partners is a non-profit organization – we ask you to consider the work we do and if you find value in it, please make an investment to help sustain that work.

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

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