Rural eNews

February 2021

Funding & Finance Opportunities

Arts

Through the Rural Arts Initiative, the LAURA JANE MUSSER FUND hopes to assist nonprofit arts organizations to develop, implement or sustain exceptional artistic opportunities for adults and children in the areas of literary, visual, music and performing arts. In recognition of Laura Jane Musser's life-long commitment to excellence in the arts, and with awareness that pivotal and life-changing experience can occur for individuals through introduction to and participation in the arts, the Fund hopes to encourage and excite a wider population to appreciate, learn, and participate in the arts. General operating grants of up to $10,000 will be considered for this initiative. The geographic areas for this initiative are Colorado, Hawaii, Minnesota (Aitkin, Becker, Cass, Clay, Clearwater, Hubbard, Itasca, Koochiching, Mahnomen, Todd, and Wadena counties only), New York (Delaware, Greene, Otsego, Schoharie, Sullivan, and Ulster counties only), Wyoming, and limited counties in Texas. Eligible counties in Texas are located in the Rio Grande River Valley (Cameron, Hidalgo, Starr, and Willacy counties), Deep East Texas (Angelina, Houston, Jasper, Nacogdoches, Newton, Polk, Sabine, San Augustine, San Jacinto, Shelby, Trinity, and Tyler counties), and the Brazos Valley (Brazos, Burleson, Grimes, Leon, Madison, Robertson, and Washington counties).  Deadline:  applications will be accepted online through the Fund’s website from 2/10/2021 through 3/10/2021.  The complete guidelines for the initiative are available here.

CITIZENS’ INSTITUTE ON RURAL DESIGN (CIRD).  For 2021, the CIRD program consists of two different opportunities. Through the Local Design Workshops track, up to four communities will be selected to participate in an on-site rural design workshop. The workshops will bring together local residents and leaders from nonprofits, community organizations, and government agencies to develop actionable solutions to the community’s specific design challenge. Each workshop includes a $6,000 stipend to the host community. In addition, up to 15 rural communities will be selected to participate in the Design Learning Cohort track. Rural community leaders from government, nonprofits, local businesses, and civic organizations will be invited to gather together for learning, training, and support to make their community’s vision a reality. Deadline: the application deadline for both tracks is 3/12/2021. Visit the CIRD website here to download the Request for Applications.

Through the Environmental Initiative, the LAURA JANE MUSSER FUND assists public or not-for-profit entities to initiate or implement projects that enhance the ecological integrity of publicly owned open spaces, while encouraging compatible human activities. The Fund's goal is to promote public use of open space that improves a community's quality of life and public health, while also ensuring the protection of healthy, viable and sustainable ecosystems by protecting or restoring habitat for a diversity of plant and animal species. Planning grants up to $8,000 and implementation grants up to $35,000 will be considered for this initiative. The geographic areas for this initiative are Colorado, Hawaii, Minnesota, Wyoming, and limited counties in New York and Texas. Eligible counties in New York include: Delaware, Greene, Otsego, Schoharie, Sullivan, and Ulster counties. Eligible counties in Texas are located in the Rio Grande River Valley (Cameron, Hidalgo, Starr, and Willacy counties), Deep East Texas (Angelina, Houston, Jasper, Nacogdoches, Newton, Polk, Sabine, San Augustine, San Jacinto, Shelby, Trinity, and Tyler counties), and the Brazos Valley (Brazos, Burleson, Grimes, Leon, Madison, Robertson, and Washington counties).  Applications will be accepted online through the Fund’s website from 2/17/2021 through 3/17/2021.  The complete guidelines for the initiative are available here.

Broadband

TRUIST EPIC GRANT.  The $1 million Expanding Potential in Communities (EPIC) Grant program supports broadband initiatives in the southeastern United States, funded by Truist Financial Corporation’s Truist Cares initiative, a $50 million philanthropic pledge to help rebuild communities in the company’s markets affected by COVID-19. As the administrating partner, the Internet Society will support local broadband expansion by funding complementary Internet connectivity solutions to help alleviate disparities in education, employment, and social welfare that are exacerbated by lack of access to broadband.  Deadline:  2/19/2021. Target Region:  NC, GA, FL, VA, DC, SC, TX, AL, TN, KY, WV, DE, MD.  Click here to review program guidelines.

Covid-19

LOCAL INITIATIVES SUPPORT CORPORATION RURAL RELIEF SMALL BUSINESS GRANTS support small businesses and enterprises affected by Covid-19 across the country, especially those in underserved communities, including entrepreneurs of color, women- and veteran-owned businesses that often lack access to flexible, affordable capital.  Deadline:  2/2/2021.  Click here to learn more about these grants and to apply.

THE CHRISTOPHER & DANA REEVE FOUNDATION'S Quality of Life Grants Program is offering a COVID-19: Addressing Social Isolation track, which is designed to address social isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic, with the goal of enhancing connectedness of people living with paralysis and their caregivers to their communities and preventing adverse health outcomes. Grants ranging from $25,000 to $50,000 will be provided. Deadline:  3/16/2021.  Click here to visit the website for application guidelines.

Food

USDA – National Institute of Food and Agriculture – Food and Agriculture Service Learning Program - Awards grants to enhance or expand existing farm to school initiatives and other experiential learning initiatives related to food and agriculture, especially in underserved areas. Promotes engagement between parts of the food system, farms, and schools in order to increase understanding of agriculture and improve children's nutritional health. Aims to increase low-income children's access to school meals, while improving the quality of food served in schools. Deadline: 5/3/2021.  Click here to review program guidelines.

Housing

USDA is offering funding through the Rural Community Development Initiative (RCDI) to help nonprofit housing and community development intermediary organizations support housing, community facilities, and community and economic development projects in rural areas. Priority will be given to applications that address USDA's goal to reduce the morbidity and mortality associated with Substance Use Disorder (including opioid misuse) in high-risk rural communities.  Deadline:  3/22/2021.  Click here for application guidelines.

Native Americans

SEVENTH GENERATION FUND FOR INDIGENOUS PEOPLES is offering grants for native community projects in the areas of violence against women, crisis response, community empowerment, cultural vitality, and land and water stewardship.  Deadline:  3/15/2021.  Click here to review funding guidelines.

Other

The National Development Council’s (NDC) Grow America Fund (GAF) is taking applications for Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) First Draw and Second Draw Loans.  Click here to get started.

THE DOLLAR GENERAL LITERACY FOUNDATION supports nonprofit organizations, educational institutions, and libraries that offer literacy programs in communities served by Dollar General in every state with the exception of Alaska, Hawaii, Idaho, and Montana. The Foundation provides support through the following grant programs: Adult Literacy Grants support nonprofit organizations that provide direct services to adults in need of literacy assistance. Family Literacy Grants support family literacy service providers that combine parent and youth literacy instruction. Summer Reading Grants help nonprofit organizations, schools, and libraries with the creation or expansion of summer reading programs for students who are below grade level readers or readers with learning disabilities. Deadline:  online applications for the three programs described above must be submitted by 2/18/2021.  Click here to review guidelines.

THE BANK OF AMERICA CHARITABLE FOUNDATION works to advance pathways to economic mobility in order to build thriving communities. The Foundation provides grants to nonprofit organizations that serve specific states and regions in the United States. In 2021, the Foundation will issue two requests for proposals that address the following focus areas: The Economic Mobility Focused on the Needs of Individuals and Families category provides support for workforce development, education, and basic needs. Deadline:  applications will be accepted through 2/19/2021. The Economic Mobility Focused on the Needs of the Community category provides support for affordable housing, neighborhood revitalization, and small businesses. Deadline:  applications will be accepted from 5/31/2021 through 6/25/2021.  Click here to review guidelines.  Click here for how to apply.

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES – Rural Communities Opioid Response Program – Implementation. The Rural Communities Opioid Response Program (RCORP) is a multi-year initiative by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) aimed at reducing the morbidity and mortality of substance use disorder (SUD), including opioid use disorder (OUD), in high risk rural communities. This notice announces the opportunity to apply for funding under RCORP-Implementation. Application Due Date: 3/12/2021.  Click here for program details.

APPALACHIAN REGIONAL COMMISSION (ARC) released a Request for Proposals for applications for the 2021 POWER (Partnerships for Opportunity and Workforce and Economic Revitalization) Initiative. POWER seeks to diversify economies in communities and regions affected by job losses in coal mining, coal power plant operations, and coal-related supply chain industries due to the changing economics of America’s energy production. ARC is making funds available through the POWER Initiative for regional investments to develop a competitive workforce, foster entrepreneurial activities, develop industry clusters, strengthen substance abuse response, and expand broadband in coal-impacted areas. Application Due Date: Required Letters of Intent (due Friday, March 5 by 5:00 pm ET), and full applications (due Friday, April 16 by 5:00 pm ET).   More information can be found here.

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE is offering grants to develop and implement outreach strategies targeted at, and provide victim services for, underserved populations of adult and youth victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking.  Deadlines:  Letter of Intent (optional): 3/16/2021; application: 3/23/2021.  Click here for more information and to apply.

THE NATURE'S PATH GARDENS FOR GOOD program supports nonprofit organizations with community garden projects in the U.S. and Canada. The focus is on community gardens that make fresh organic food more accessible in the local neighborhood. Grants must be used specifically for the development of an organic garden that will supply food to a nonprofit feeding agency such as a food bank, soup kitchen, emergency pantry, shelter, before- or after-school program, or other similar type of program. Projects must demonstrate high community support and a viable plan for the project. For 2021, Nature's Path will award 21 grants of $5,000 each.  Deadline:  3/24/2021.  Click here to review application guidelines.

MARY KAY DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SHELTER GRANT PROGRAM is offering grants to support domestic violence shelters. The Foundation will award a grant to at least one domestic violence shelter in every state that applies, and many grants have gone to rural areas.  Deadline:  4/30/2021.  Click here to review program guidelines.

Veterans

THE DISABLED VETERANS NATIONAL FOUNDATION is offering funding through the Foundation's Capacity Building Grant Program to nonprofit organizations throughout the country that offer support to veterans and disabled veterans. These grants of up to $25,000 are awarded to organizations that are addressing the mental and physical recovery of veterans in unique ways. Service dogs, equine therapy, yoga, art therapy, and recreational therapy are just a few of the innovative programs that the Foundation supports.  Deadline: letters of intent 2/28/2021; invited applications will be due 3/31/2021. Visit the Foundation's website here to review the Capacity Building Grant Program guidelines.

THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR is offering funding through the Homeless Veterans' Reintegration Program, Incarcerated Veterans' Transition Program, and the Homeless Female Veterans' and Veterans' with Families Program support services to reintegrate homeless veterans into the labor force by placing them into family-sustaining employment and to stimulate the development of effective service delivery systems that will address the complex problems facing homeless veterans. Grant recipients will provide an array of client-centered services utilizing a case management approach that directly assists homeless veterans and provides critical linkages to a variety of support services available in their local communities. The application deadline is 3/1/2021.  Click here to review application guidelines.

Training Events and Conferences

WEBINARS and other Online Events

"The Remote Working Landscape: Rural Oregon’s New Opportunities and Challenges Oregonians” webinar, February 3, 2021, 3:00-4:00 PM ET.  Oregonians have discovered new ways of working and convening in 2020. This session considers the environmental, technological, and workforce implications of a more permanent shift to remote work and virtual relationships, and the impact on rural places.  Register here.

Tuesday, February 9, 2021, 4:00 PM ET the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies and National Alliance of Community Economic Development Associations will host a webinar designed to provide access federal funds and harness the power of the arts and culture to achieve your community development goals. Register here.

The first installment of this year's CDFA Federal Financing Webinar Series will take place on February 9, 2021, at 2:00 PM ET.  “Restoring Local Economies with Federal Partners” will cover the various forms of financing programs available to state and local governments through Treasury, HUD, and EDA for restoring local economies.  Click here to register.

On Wednesday, February 17, 2021, 1:00 to 5:00 PM, NeighborWorks America is hosting a virtual national symposium, "Shared Equity Housing: Creating Lasting Affordability and Community Ownership" that will explore the opportunities and benefits of using shared equity strategies to keep homes permanently affordable and address community challenges and needs.  Learn more about this event and register here.

CDFA is pleased to partner with Opportunity Appalachia to bring their Investor Convening to a national audience on February 23-24, 2021. The virtual event will include 16 Opportunity Zones projects ready for investment in West Virginia, Virginia, and Ohio along with panel discussions about the importance of linking capital to rural Appalachian communities. Register here.

National Low Income Housing Coalition will host a Housing Policy Forum virtually, March 30–31, 2021.  Register here.

 Webinar and Conference Recordings

“Rural Community Action Assembly on Tourism, Entrepreneurship, and Economic Development;” view a recording and slides from this event, which looked into the roles that peer learning networks, intermediaries, and community development finance institutions play in leveraging regional and local tourism for small business development and an equitable rural recovery.  Click here to view the recording and slides.

National Rural Transit Assistance Program has made available a recording of a January 14, 2021, webinar centered on transit planning basics, best practices, and activities that rural and tribal transit agencies can implement during, while recovering from, and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Speakers discuss challenges brought on by the pandemic, as well as opportunities for improvement.  Listen to the recording here.

Save the Date...

The National Housing Conference will host Solutions for Housing Communications online 2021 convening, taking place Thursday, March 18, 2021.  Look for more information to be posted here.

Information and Other Resources

Articles, Reports, and Tools

Local Change, Big Impact: State and Local Policy Responses to Community Needs – The LISC Research and Evaluation and Policy teams are pleased to share the newest report, Local Change, Big Impact: State and Local Policy Responses to Community Needs, is now available on the LISC website here.  Based on responses to our survey fielded earlier this year, the landscape analysis summarizes innovative policies from across the country which enable the work of community development to increase access to affordable housing and economic opportunities, and to address health inequities.

The Rural Assembly has announced “The Rural Youth Catalyst Project,” which is designed to create opportunities that allow rural and Native youth to realize their hopes and dreams while remaining in or returning to their communities. We believe that when given the opportunity, rural and Native young people want meaningful leadership, real work and to contribute their skills and service to their communities.  Click here to learn more about the project.

CDFA has published a white paper on economic development that is equitable, inclusive, and outcome-driven for residents begins by prioritizing community engagement and clearly linking that engagement to actionable initiatives with measurable results. The white paper addresses ways community groups, businesses, philanthropies, economic developers, and governments can work together effectively to ensure that community goals and priorities are reflected in economic development practices. This report offers a Determine-Design-Evaluate framework to help leaders consider how to adapt their economic development efforts so that more residents prosper.  Get the report here.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have developed a Social Media Toolkit: COVID-19 Vaccinations.  The toolkit offers sample social media messages and graphics to help share information on COVID-19 vaccination, and addresses information on the vaccines, benefits of vaccination, vaccine safety, and what to expect after vaccination.  Access the toolkit here.

The Center on Rural Innovation has produced a Rural Edge video series that highlights the innovation, entrepreneurship, and ecosystem building happening in rural America. Each video has its own theme and collectively, we hope they highlight the different challenges and assets these communities must work with to be successful. They have a playlist of all the videos (trailers and teasers) on YouTube.  Individually, here are the videos and their themes:   Cape Girardeau, Missouri (digital skilling and co-working spaces); Wilson, North Carolina (broadband and remote work); Durango, Colorado (access to capital and accelerators).

Want more rural stories?  Check out the Pickle Shelf Radio Hour, a storytelling podcast on food and rural culture, co-produced by Lost Creek Farm and the Daily Yonder. You can listen to all the episodes on your favorite podcasting platform, and keep up with the show here on the Daily Yonder. The Pickle Shelf Radio Hour is available free on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and more popular podcasting services.

More than 60% of working-age renter households cannot afford a basic standard of living, Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies finds in a new paper titled, “The rent eats first: rental housing unaffordability in the US.” Roughly one in four renter households surveyed in the study spent more than half their income on rent alone. Harvard examined potential policy interventions, including universal affordable housing, healthcare subsidies and reduced food costs, but found that policy approaches that combine housing and transportation affordability would be the most effective in reducing cost burden.  Read the paper here.

A Shelterforce article “Health Care and Community Development Partnerships in the Time of COVID-19” reports that in the wake of the pandemic, why have some partnerships between health care and community development organizations struggled, while others have endured? Read the article here.

Early Effects of the Coronavirus Pandemic on Consumers and Communities.  Read the Federal Reserve’s fourth issue of Consumer & Community Context here, which features articles on how consumers, communities, and community development organizations have responded to the pandemic.

“Strengthening Rural People, Places, & Economies: RDI's Impact in 2020.”  This 2020 impact report from RDI features the first ever virtual Regards to Rural conference, and includes a snapshot of their work engaging, training, supporting, inspiring, and strengthening rural people, communities, and economies throughout the Pacific Northwest.  Get the report here.

The FCC has published the Fourteenth Broadband Deployment Report, with information specific to broadband access in rural and tribal communities and the U.S. territories. Includes rural broadband deployment data by state and county.  Get the report here.

HUD has unveiled its Find Shelter tool. The new online resource allows individuals and families experiencing financial hardship to locate essential resources within their community. The tool enables search by location and keyword for emergency shelter, food pantries, health clinics and clothing. Visitors to the site will also find helpful links to other emergency care resources, including homeless support, housing counseling and rental assistance.  Access the tool here.

After a brief lull in data reporting, The Daily Yonder’s Covid-19 Dashboard for Rural America is updated with new numbers for 2021. Click here to see case trends for your area and rural counties nationwide.

An article in the New York Times covers the toll that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on American Indian and Alaska Natives as tribal elders have been disproportionately killed by the disease. The article discusses the impact this has on Native language, history, and tradition, highlights efforts to protect elders as a mission of cultural survival.  Read the article 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.