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Special Feature
Investing in People, Place, and Resilient Rural Economies: Q&A with Caitlin Cain.
"The infrastructure of our communities is not just physical; it is also social and economic,” said Caitlin Cain, the new director of Rural LISC. In a wide-ranging conversation, she talks about the impact of COVID-19, the importance of investing in communities of color and the tremendous range of rural innovation that already exists—and needs appropriate capital to grow.” Read the full Q&A here.
Funding & Finance Opportunities
Community
The NALCAB RURAL CAPACITY BUILDING PROGRAM provides short-term, 0% interest, no-origination-fee lending capital to eligible entities serving LMI rural communities in 15 states and Puerto Rico. Eligible rural entities must demonstrate that capacity building assistance is needed to improve their ability to engage in community development and affordable housing in eligible rural areas. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. Click here for more information and to apply.
THE DUKE ENERGY FOUNDATION is offering grants in communities served by the company in the Carolinas, Florida, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, and Tennessee. The Foundation provides Local Impact Grants of up to $10,000 to nonprofit organizations whose programs focus on one of the Foundation's investment priorities: K-12 Education, Workforce, Nature, and State Strategic Impact. In addition, Power for Students Grants work to improve extracurricular activities and programs for students in underserved communities. Applications for Local Impact Grants and Power for Students Grants may be submitted throughout the year. Visit the Foundation's website here to review the funding guidelines and take the online eligibility quiz.
A Community Thrives, a grantmaking and crowdfunding program of USA TODAY NETWORK with funding from the Gannett Foundation, invests in community-building initiatives across the country. The program is a way to share community improvement ideas on the national stage, gain support through donations and local connections, and get a chance at receiving a portion of an additional $2,000,000 in grants to help projects succeed. During the campaign, nonprofit organizations have the chance to raise funds for their charities on their official A Community Thrives challenge page. At the end of the crowdfunding period, the Gannett Foundation will award grants ranging from $2,500 to $100,000 to selected organizations. Nonprofit organizations and municipal programs such as libraries and schools are encouraged to apply by 9/11/2020. To learn more about how to participate in the program visit the A Community Thrives website here.
Health
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES is offering grants through The Healthy Tomorrows Partnership for Children Program for innovative, community-based initiatives to improve the health status of infants, children, adolescents, and families in rural and other underserved communities by increasing their access to preventive care and services. This program supports projects related to a range of topical areas including, but not limited to, medical home or care coordination, mental and behavioral health services, child development and school readiness services, and promotion of healthy weight and physical activity. The deadline is: 10/6/2020. Click here for more information and to apply.
ROBERT WOOD JOHNSON FOUNDATION is offering grants through its Community Solutions for Health Equity Program. The Program is focused on elevating the voices of communities of color and other communities left out of discussions when local healthcare systems in the United States and its territories are creating policy. Grants will focus on providing community-based organizations with the financial support to increase the ability to organize members, build partnership with other constituencies, and develop effective communications. Deadlines: the deadline for letters of intent is 10/7/2020; full proposals will be due 1/18/2021. Information about the call for proposals may be downloaded from the Foundation's website here.
Native Americans
HUD is offering grants to develop, maintain, and operate affordable housing in safe and healthy environments on American Indian reservations and in other American Indian areas, and to carry out other affordable housing activities that benefit low-income families. Deadline: 12/10/2020. Click here for more information and to apply.
Other
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Culture of Health Prize elevates and honors communities that are at the forefront of advancing health, opportunity and equity for all. The prize, a collaboration between RWJF and the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, is open to all communities – urban, rural, tribal, large or small. Counties are essential to addressing health inequity by fostering healthier people, families and places. https://www.naco.org/blog/now-accepting-applications-2021-rwjf-culture-health-prize
USDA is making $1 million in grants available under the Rural Placemaking Innovation Challenge (RPIC). Eligible recipients may use the grants to develop multi-jurisdictional plans to benefit cities or towns with 50,000 residents or less. Organizations may use funds to develop actionable plans, convene partners, identify community needs and implement priorities to build rural prosperity. Deadline: 09/10/2020. Click here to review Grants.gov guidelines and to apply.
LOR FOUNDATION is offering 50 $1,000 grants to help with census efforts in rural parts of the Mountain West. These $1,000 Instagrants are available to 501(c)(3) organizations working to ensure a complete count in rural parts of Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico. Deadline: 9/15/2020. For more information about the Foundation and to apply, click here.
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR is offering funding through the Strengthening Community Colleges Training Grants program that seeks to build the capacity of community colleges to collaborate with employers and the public workforce development system to meet local and regional labor market demand for a skilled workforce. The application deadline is 10/8/2020. Click here for more information and to apply.
U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY is offering grants for developing inventories of brownfield sites, prioritizing sites, conducting community involvement activities, conducting planning, conducting site assessments, developing site-specific cleanup plans, and developing reuse plans related to brownfield sites. Deadline: 10/28/2020. For more information and to apply, click here.
U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY is offering grants to carry out cleanup activities at specific Brownfields sites, resulting in better community environmental health. Deadline: 10/28/2020. For more information and to apply, click here.
U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY is offering Brownfields Multipurpose Grants to carry out a range of eligible assessment and cleanup activities within a proposed target area, such as a neighborhood, a number of neighboring towns, a district, a corridor, a shared planning area or a census tract. Funds must be used for environmental site assessments, brownfields site cleanup, and the development of a plan for the revitalization of one or more brownfields site. Deadline: 10/28/2020. For more information and to apply, click here.
Training Events and Conferences
WEBINARS, Online Events, and Calls
“Tenant Responses to the Eviction Crisis,” Tuesday, September 1, 2020, 3:00 PM EDT. Shelterforce is partnering with Nonprofit Quarterly and frontline tenant advocates to offer a real-time picture of what’s happening on the ground, through this webinar, and help identify what individuals and nonprofits can do to address the housing situation in their own communities. Register here.
Enterprise is offering a six-series training program led by a team of leaders from across Puerto Rico to introduce attendees to the sequence of steps necessary for resilient home design, construction and operation before during and after an extreme weather event. Available simultaneously in Spanish and English, the program will highlight best practices in the areas of: site fortification, building protection, passive habitability, water and energy management, community preparedness and more. Learn more and register here.
NACo Town Hall: “Practical County Approaches to Ensure a Census 2020 Complete Count,” September 9, 2020, 2:00-3:00 PM EDT. Register here.
Rural Development Initiatives and Kelley Nonprofit Consulting are offering “Ready, Set, Grant!” beginning September 10, 2020 to help small, rural nonprofits looking to improve their ability to find and sustain funding. Registration is open now for this virtual grant-writing training to learn basic concepts and create a roadmap to funding success. Learn more and register here.
Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia is offering a webinar: “Research for Equity in Recovery IV: Unemployment Insurance During the COVID Crisis: Lessons for Improving the UI Program,” Thursday, September 10, 12:00 noon–1:15 PM EDT. During this panel you’ll learn about changes in unemployment insurance (UI) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act and how lessons learned from these changes can guide reform of the federal-state UI system. Register here.
Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia is offering a webinar, “Research for Equity in Recovery V: Does COVID-19 Accelerate Automation?” Thursday, September 17, 12:00 noon–1:15 PM EDT. During this session, you’ll hear from experts about the channels through with the pandemic could expedite the pace of automation, evidence from the current and previous recessions, and strategies to mitigate negative consequences from accelerated automation. Register here.
Thursday, September 17, 2020, 2:00 PM EDT, Bank of America and AARP will offer “Fostering Resilience, Resisting Abuse” a webinar that will share how AARP Foundation works to forge practical approaches to address senior poverty, particularly given the unprecedented job losses and economic strains resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. Register here.
Grounded Solutions Network National Conference scheduled for September 21-24, 2020 has been cancelled.
Radically Rural: Remote will be a one-day online event designed to host panels of speakers and allow audiences to interact with their own questions. It will take place on September 24, 2020. Click here to register.
National Conference for Growing Community Foundations will be held virtually October 26-27, 2020. Click here to register.
Community Heart and Soul is offering free Getting Started with Community Heart & Soul Virtual Workshop Series, starting September 29, 2020! This five-part series will prepare participants to get started with Community Heart & Soul, a proven model for community development based on what matters most. For more information and to register, click here.
Prosperity Now will host The Virtual 2020 Prosperity Summit, September 30-October 2, 2020. Click here for more information and to register.
Novogradac Credit and Bond Financing for Affordable Housing Conference will be held virtually October 1-2, 2019. Register here.
The next Regards to Rural (R2R) conference scheduled for fall 2020 will transition to a virtual event on October 8-9, 2020. Click here to register.
The 2020 GIA Annual Conference, “Bigger, Bolder, Older: Promoting Innovation for All Ages,” will be a virtual event October 14-16, 2020. Register here.
Webinar and Conference Recordings
Save the Date...
This October 26-30-2020, the Rural Assembly invites you to join our first-ever virtual gathering! Join us online for a diverse line-up of activities, speakers, and workshops crafted for rural advocates and allies. Conceived in the spirit of a festival, we welcome participation at all levels and encourage old and new allies to claim a spot at the table to help us chart the future of rural America.
National Housing Conference's Solutions for Affordable Housing online convening will take place Tuesday, December 1, 2020, 11:00 AM - 5:00 PM EDT via Zoom.
Information and Other Resources
Articles, Information, and Reports
An Accurate Census Count is Imperative for America. Here’s Why. Matt Josephs, LISC SVP and head of the organization’s policy team, makes the urgent case for why a fair and accurate census count is so important for the health and wellbeing of our communities. Anything short of that undermines equity and thwarts our democratic process. Every one of us, he writes, has a role to play in making sure the census is successful. Read more here. Respond to the 2020 census online. How to respond by phone or mail.
USDA launched a resource guide to provide rural community leaders and economic development practitioners a complete list of programs at Rural Development, Forest Service, and National Institute for Food and Agriculture that can be used to support recreational economies in rural America. This guide addresses key factors necessary to build a sustainable recreational economy including natural resource management, conservation activities, infrastructure investment, business development and more. Get the guide here.
Nationwide Survey on Rural Health. A new nationwide survey is seeking input from organizations who provide essential services to rural Americans on how their services have been impaired by the COVID-19 pandemic. Find out more and fill out the survey here.
Underlying disparities and public policy decisions increase the impact of natural disasters on communities of color, and also make their recovery more challenging. The LISC (Local Initiatives Support Corporation) Research team published a new report on the role of community organizations in advancing equitable recovery and resilience efforts. This new report examines the role of local organizations in promoting more equitable disaster recovery and climate resilience. It describes the challenges that local groups face, the strategies they employ, their accomplishments, and the policy changes needed to advance the critical work. Get the report on the LISC website here.
“With Amtrak’s Proposed Cuts, What Will Happen to Rural Rail?” is the title of an article in The Daily Yonder. Many people in rural America depend on Amtrak as their only viable connection to the outside. Driving isn’t an option for some, and Greyhound doesn’t stop in Havre, Montana, or Devil’s Lake, North Dakota. According to the National Association of Railroad Passengers, a non-profit that lobbies for improved rail service, a full 18% of Amtrak passengers travel to a station with no air service. For many of those passengers, Amtrak is a necessity. But some fear it will soon struggle to meet even that need. Read the article here.
From the U.S. Chamber Foundation, we are reminded that following a rare derecho that ravaged communities in Iowa, challenges from the storm continue to exist across the state, including power outages, debris removal, ensuring shelter for disaster victims, as well as access to food and water for those displaced. The economic impact of the 37 million acres of farmland that were flattened are also yet to be realized. Find out what the current needs are in the area, how the business community is responding, and what you can do to help. Read more here.
Introducing RuraLead - Strengthening Leadership to Transform Rural Communities. As we seek to understand impactful leadership qualities and leadership development practices, we are thrilled to be launching the year-long learning initiative, RuraLead: Strengthening Leadership to Transform Rural Communities. This initiative is coordinated by Rural Development Initiatives with support provided by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and multiple regional partners across the United States. Learn more about this initiative, click here.
Springboard for the Arts has launched A Handbook for Artists Working in Community, a resource that draws on the organization's decade-long experience in artist-led creative placemaking and community work. This resource, supported in part by the Our Town knowledge building program, is available for free download and is a practical manual for individual artists who would like to begin or deepen this kind of artistic practice – working in and working with community. Get the Handbook here.
Watch the NACo town hall on ensuring safety in local businesses during the pandemic. Access the recording of our recent town hall on data-driven decision making and innovative approaches to ensuring local businesses, retailers and restaurants can operate safely during and in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. Watch the video here.
The National Housing Conference online newsletter included a Guest Feature: “Celebrating progress in the face of disaster and broken regulations” by Seana O’Shaughnessy, Community Housing Improvement Program. She writes about rebuilding after the Paradise fires, 21 months ago. Read the piece here.
Affordable Housing Finance reports that Mercy Housing will hire a SVP of Racial Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. The national nonprofit creates a new post to address social justice issues. Read more of this article here.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has released a report, “COVID-19 among American Indian and Alaska Native Persons — 23 States, January 31–July 3, 2020.” The report examines the cumulative incidence in 23 states of laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 among American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) people, compared with rates among non-Hispanic white people. Possible causes for the elevated incidence of COVID-19 in AI/AN populations is discussed. Get the report here.
The Urban Institute, with funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, is looking to partner with a cohort of up to eight counties to use metrics to inform local strategies to boost economic and social mobility and narrow racial and ethnic equity gaps. The institute is seeking applications from counties interested in applying these metrics to their own work to promote upward mobility. Learn more about the initiative here.
How to Prepare for Natural Disasters: A Pre-Disaster Toolkit for Small to Medium-Sized Communities. U.S. EPA Urban Waters Federal Partnership toolkit designed to help small- to medium-size communities jump-start their natural disaster planning process. https://www.epa.gov/urbanwaterspartners
Carsey School of Public Policy has published a brief that discusses the wide variations in unemployment and the level of job loss during the COVID-19 pandemic across the nation’s demographic groups that have historically suffered disparities in the workforce, including persons of color, women, and immigrants. https://carsey.unh.edu/publication/inequities-job-loss-recovery-amid-COVID-pandemic
COVID-19’s Impact on Multifamily and Affordable Housing. The coronavirus has heightened inequality in the housing market, a crisis that the country will continue to experience even after the pandemic is over, says Lee Oller of Merchants Capital. https://www.multihousingnews.com/post/covid-19s-impact-on-multifamily-and-affordable-housing/
Carsey School of Public Policy has released a new brief, “Health Conditions and an Older Population Increase COVID-19 Risks in Rural America.” The author discusses the likely influence that the age structure and the incidence of pre-existing health conditions have on the risks of those exposed to COVID-19 in rural and urban counties in the United States. Read the brief here.
Urban Institute: 22 million renters and owners of manufactured homes are mostly left out of pandemic assistance. Read the Urban Institute blog here.
NPR reports that Rural Maine leads the way in safe school reopening. Maine has some of the lowest coronavirus infection rates in the country. And a few schools in rural districts have already opened their doors to in-person learning. Listen to a clip from All Things Considered, or read the transcript here.
A report from the Carsey School of Public Policy, “COVID-19 Didn’t Create a Child Care Crisis, But Hastened and Inflamed It,” shows that child care providers are struggling to address revenue losses associated with closures, fewer enrollments, and new safety guidelines. Meanwhile, demand for formal child care is shifting in yet-unknown ways, with unemployment, telework, uncertain school reopenings for older children, and health-related concerns all playing a part. Get the report here.
“Hotel Rooms for the Homeless Change Health Outcomes Beyond COVID” is an article in Shelterforce. Beyond the crucial goal of reducing the spread of COVID-19, providers say that the shift from shelters to hotel rooms has made dramatic positive change for their clients. Read Full Article here.
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COVID-19 Resources
Homebase offers Memos, Guides, and Curated Resources here.
Carsey School of Public Policy has updated their reporting on COVID-19 Economic Crisis: By State. Get the data here.
Rural LISC works with 92 partner organizations creating sustainable rural communities across 45 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 eNews each month, click here.
Send information on funding opportunities, events, publications, resources, or rural-related issues to sfelzke@lisc.org. Announcements will be published at our discretion based on space and applicability. Please do not copy this document without permission.
