RARE Monday Mailing-Issue 28

Monday Mailing

Year 19 • Issue 28 08 April 2013

May 5, 2010

Quote of the Week: “Between what happens to us and our response is a space. In that space lies our freedom to choose our response.” ~ Anonymous

Oregon Fast Fact #20: It is against the law in Myrtle Creek to box with a kangaroo.

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The Ford Family Foundation-Grant Programs Panera Expands Sliding Scale Menu Offering to 48 Restaurants Boulder Food Rescue Models Saving Food in Any Town The Fund-a-Farmer Project Feds Recommend Removing Dams from Klamath River Resource Guide on Public Engagement USDA StrikeForce for Rural Growth and Opportunity Deep Development as Government Shrinks Funding Opportunities Galore Oregon Aims for First State Microbe, Brewer’s Yeast

1. The Ford Family Foundation-Grant Programs The Ford Family Foundation supports nonprofit organizations that benefit rural communities throughout the state of Oregon and in Siskiyou County, CA. (The Foundation defines rural as communities with populations of 30,000 or less and not adjacent to or part of an urban area.) The Foundation's Responsive Grant Program focuses on four specific categories: Positive Youth Development, Access to Health and Dental Services for Children, Child Abuse Prevention and Intervention, and Public Convening Spaces. In addition, the Foundation provides small grants for technical assistance, as well as to address critical needs. Online preliminary applications are accepted throughout the year. Visit the Foundation’s website for information on the funding priorities and typical grant range for each of the Foundation’s grant categories.

For more information, click here.

2. Panera Expands Sliding Scale Menu Offering to 48 Restaurants Panera put its customers to the test with its Panera Cares Community cafe experiment which invited them to pay what they wanted (even nothing at all) for their meals. Would the cafes go bankrupt?

The program started when company founder Ron Shaich decided to give hungry people a place to eat with dignity, even if they couldn’t afford the listed prices. Would enough people pay the suggested price – or even give a little more – to cover free food given to those who couldn’t or did not want to pay?

The model has proven to be successful – the nonprofit cafes earn 7080 percent of the revenue at the company’s standard for-profit cafes.

Among customers, around 60 percent pay the suggested amount for their food, 20 percent pay less and 20 percent pay more.

To access the full story, click here.

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3. Boulder Food Rescue Models Saving Food in Any Town Forty percent of the food in the U.S. goes to waste. Let’s sit with that for a minute. Almost half of what we produce is going to the landfill. Meanwhile, over 50 million Americans live in food-insecure households. Ouch.

There are changes we can make in our own lives to adjust those numbers. By looking with a critical eye at what gets thrown away and reducing our own food waste we can raise awareness about the issue. We can also contribute to, volunteer with, support, and start organizations that save food from landfills and get it into the hands, and stomachs, of those going without.

Boulder Food Rescue is one such project. Powered 90% by bicycle--that figure only drops to 80% during Colorado’s freezing winters--BFR picks up food that would otherwise end up in dumpsters and distributes it to over 40 organizations including soup kitchens, low-income schools, elderly homes, low-income family units and homeless shelters. In the last year and a half, the organization has rescued over 250,000 pounds of food.

To access the full story, click here.

4. The Fund-a-Farmer Project The Fund-a-Farmer Project, a project of Food Animal Concerns Trust, awards grants for projects that help family farmers transition to pasture-based systems, improve the marketing of their humane products, or more generally to enrich the conditions in which the farm animals are raised. Together with our farmer partners, we are leading our country back to a food system that is both financially and ecologically sustainable.

For more information about this program, click here.

5. Feds Recommend Removing Dams from Klamath River The federal government on Thursday recommended that all four aging hydroelectric dams be removed from the Klamath River in southern Oregon and Northern California to help struggling wild salmon runs, and nearly $1 billion should be spent on environmental restoration.

The final environmental impact statement making those recommendations was posted on a U.S. Department of Interior website.

However, whether that will ever happen remains in doubt. Legislation authorizing the secretary of Interior to approve dam removal and appropriating $800 million for restoration work have not gained any traction in Congress.

As one of his last acts before leaving office, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar called on Congress to take action, saying that removing the dams and implementing the Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement are important components of finding a solution to the basin's water problems.

To access the full story, click here.

6. Resource Guide on Public Engagement The National Coalition for Dialogue and Deliberation’s Resource Guide on Public Engagement is packed with tools and stories to help you tackle contentious problems in your community.

To download the Resource Guide, click here.

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7. USDA StrikeForce for Rural Growth and Opportunity Every day, the U.S. Department of Agriculture provides assistance to help grow American agriculture and provide tools to increase opportunity for rural communities. Unfortunately, 90 percent of America's persistent poverty counties are in rural America. USDA's StrikeForce aims to increase investment in rural communities for technical assistance and other resources in priority, povertystricken communities.

The results have already been impressive. For example, Farm Service Agency loans in StrikeForce areas were up almost 10 percent in 2012 over 2011 - even when the nation as a whole saw farm lending drop 10 percent. In the Natural Resource Conservation Service, program application by underserved producers last year increased by 82 percent in StrikeForce areas. Rural Housing loans were up more than 110 percent in 2012 over 2011 in StrikeForce areas.

For more information, click here.

8. Deep Development as Government Shrinks Rural community development practice and research are in a quandary. Daunting issues face physical places out yonder. Mix problems of pollution, weakening infrastructure and inadequate transportation with shrinking government, shifting economies, and global warming -- it's enough to run you ragged.

The traditional view of community development is ethical, rooted in self-governance and determination. But perhaps it has not been ethical enough in today’s world. The future, always uncertain and sometimes a bit scary, now offers some totally frightening scenarios of national decline. Symptoms include government paralysis and retrenchment at all levels; little or no care and concern for the victims of a prolonged economic malady; long distance corporate decision making; climate change and global warming.

To access the full story, click here.

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Oregon Aims for First State Microbe, Brewer’s Yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, a Latin mouthful commonly known as brewer's yeast, could become the official state microbe, joining the ranks of the beaver, western meadowlark and the thunderegg as an official state symbol.

Rep. Mark Johnson, R-Hood River, brought the idea to the Legislature as a way to celebrate the state's microbrew movement. His district is home to some of the state's most popular breweries.

But naming an official state anything isn't as easy as it sounds. Jory soil hit speed bumps in the Senate on its way to a designation as the state's official dirt, and a 2009 effort to anoint the Marionberry went splat.

To access the full story, click here.

10. Funding Opportunities Galore THE WICK KENNEY FUND provides support to nonprofit organizations that work to protect and restore watersheds in the western United States. The Fund’s discretionary grants focus on projects that: provide a real opportunity to change western water policy on a local, state, or national level; defend environmental laws critical for the protection of all western rivers; focus on a specific strategy for protection of a biologically important western watershed; or research and analyze issues Page 3 of 6

that affect western water. Discretionary grant inquiries are accepted throughout the year; however, grants are typically made only twice a year, in June and December. Click here <http://rurallisc.createsend5.com/t/r-l-owlyn-jrdkjkiilu-d/> to learn more.

THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION is offering grants to local educational agencies (LEAs) and community-based organizations (CBOs) to initiate, expand, and improve physical education and nutrition for students in grades K-12. The department anticipates awarding 95 grants for up to $750,000 per year for 3 years. Deadline: 4/12/2013. To learn more, click here <http://rurallisc.createsend5.com/t/r-l-owlyn-jrdkjkiilu-h/>.

THE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR is offering grants to nonprofit and public agencies that serve adult and youth female ex-offenders pre-and post-release. Deadline: 4/17/2013. Click here <http://rurallisc.createsend5.com/t/r-l-owlyn-jrdkjkiilu-k/> to learn more and get an application.

USDA has issued a NOFA for the Farm to School grant program for schools, state and local agencies, Indian tribal organizations and agricultural producers or groups of agricultural producers.

The Farm to School Grant Program offers support to improve access to local foods in schools and provides grants for training, supporting operations, planning, purchasing equipment, developing school gardens, developing partnerships, and implementing farm to school programs. Deadline: 4/23/2013. Guidelines for the program can be found here <http://rurallisc.createsend5.com/t/r-lowlyn-jrdkjkiilu-o/>.

FOUNDATION FOR FINANCIAL PLANNING will award grants to nonprofit organizations nationwide for community outreach and pro bono activities that utilize financial planning practitioners in the delivery of services. The Foundation supports organizations that provide services to specific target audiences that are underserved by the market, in need of financial guidance, or in a financial crisis. Priority is given to outreach efforts for military personnel and their families, Financial Life Skills education programs through high schools and/or youth organizations, and programs offered through community-based organizations. Deadline: concept papers by 4/30/2013. Click here <http://rurallisc.createsend5.com/t/r-l-owlyn-jrdkjkiilu-x/> for more information.

USDA Rural Energy for America Program is seeking applications to provide assistance to agricultural producers and rural small businesses for energy efficiency and renewable energy projects authorized by the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (Farm Bill). Deadlines: renewable energy system and energy efficiency improvement grant applications and combination grant and guaranteed loan applications by 4/30/2013; renewable energy system and energy efficiency improvement guaranteed loan only applications by 7/15/2013; and renewable energy system feasibility study grant applications through 4/30/2013. More information on how to apply for funding can be found here <http://rurallisc.createsend5.com/t/r-l-owlyn-jrdkjkiilu-m/>.

HUD is also offering grant funds for the Resident Opportunity and Self-Sufficiency Service Coordinators Program. Grants may be used to hire a Service Coordinator to assist in the delivery and coordination of supportive services and other activities designed to help improve the living conditions of public and Indian housing residents who are elderly and/or disabled. Deadline: 4/30/2013. Click here <http://rurallisc.createsend5.com/t/r-l-owlyn-jrdkjkiilu-c/> for an application.

THE PRESBYTERIAN HUNGER PROGRAM provides grants to nonprofit organizations addressing hunger and its causes in the United States. Nonprofit organizations and Presbyterian congregations are eligible to apply. Deadline: letters of inquiry must be submitted by 4/30/2013.

Visit the programâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s website here <http://rurallisc.createsend5.com/t/r-l-owlyn-jrdkjkiilu-q/> to review the eligibility and criteria information.

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STATE FARM is offering grants through its Youth Advisory that funds student-led service-learning projects throughout the United States and in the provinces of Alberta, New Brunswick, and Ontario in Canada. Each grant request must fall under one of the following issue areas, chosen by the board itself: community safety and natural disaster preparedness, environmental responsibility, accessing higher education/closing the achievement gap, social health and wellness issues, and financial literacy. Programs must be youth-driven and youth-led. Grants range from $25,000 to $100,000.

Deadline: 5/3/2013. Click here <http://rurallisc.createsend5.com/t/r-l-owlyn-jrdkjkiilu-a/> for an application.

THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES is offering funds to expand substance abuse treatment and HIV services for African American, Hispanic/Latina, and other racial/ethnic minority women who have substance use or co-occurring substance use and mental disorders and are living with or at risk for HIV/AIDS. Deadline: 5/14/2013. Click here <http://rurallisc.createsend5.com/t/r-l-owlyn-jrdkjkiilu-f/> to learn more about the program and to apply.

THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES Department of Children and Families has grant money available through its Assets for Independence program, a communitybased approach for giving low-income families a means for stepping up out of poverty through IDA programs. Deadline: 5/24/2013. Get an application and details here <http://rurallisc.createsend5.com/t/r-l-owlyn-jrdkjkiilu-z/>.

BIKES BELONG COALITION is offering Community Partnership Grants which are designed support partnerships between city or county governments, nonprofit organizations and local businesses that aim to improve the environment for bicycling in the community. Grants range from $2,000 to $10,000 and are primarily provided for the construction or expansion of bicycle facilities such as bike lanes, trails, and paths as well as advocacy projects that promote bicycling as a safe and accessible mode of transportation. Deadline: 5/24/2013. Visit the Coalitionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s website here <http://rurallisc.createsend5.com/t/r-l-owlyn-jrdkjkiilu-v/> for an application.

HUD has released the NOFA for the 2013 Choice Neighborhoods Initiative Planning Grants.

Applications must propose a plan for the revitalization of a severely distressed public and/or HUDassisted multifamily housing project located in a distressed neighborhood into a viable, mixed-income community. Deadline to apply: 5/28/2013. The NOFA can be viewed here <http://rurallisc.createsend5.com/t/r-l-owlyn-jrdkjkiilu-e/>.

THE US DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION has funding available to eligible local educational agencies (LEAs) to address the unique needs of small, rural school districts. The program provides financial assistance to rural districts to assist them in meeting their state's definition of adequate yearly progress (AYP). Applicants do not compete but rather are entitled to funds if they meet basic eligibility requirements. Deadline: 5/31/2013. For more information and an application, click here <http://rurallisc.createsend5.com/t/r-l-owlyn-jrdkjkiilu-s/>.

GLADYS BROOKS FOUNDATION will consider major grant applications in the fields of libraries, education, hospitals and clinics. Deadline: 5/31/2013. For more information click here <http://rurallisc.createsend5.com/t/r-l-owlyn-jrdkjkiilu-g/>.

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HUD is offering grants to nonprofits and Fair Housing Organizations (FHOs) for the Fair Housing Initiatives Program (FHIP) to build capacity, conduct outreach, establish new fair housing enforcement organizations and/or provide fair lending enforcement in underserved areas. Deadline: 6/11/2013. For additional information and an application, click here <http://rurallisc.createsend5.com/t/r-l-owlyn-jrdkjkiilu-w/>.

The Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund is expanding the Capacity Building Initiative to critically needed community development financing. The new â&#x20AC;&#x153;Financing Community Health Centersâ&#x20AC;? series will focus on building the capacity of CDFIs to finance and support community health centers in underserved communities. Opportunity Finance Network has been selected as the training provider. Check the website here <http://rurallisc.createsend5.com/t/rl-owlyn-jrdkjkiilu-ij/> for more information on this initiative.

National Guild for Community Arts Education Seeks Applications for Arts Education Grants <http://e.foundationcenter.org/a/hBRVfTJB8ixfdB8xsYEAACSSkuP/rfp21> - Grants of up to $20,000 will be awarded to projects that enhance arts learning in K-12 public schools during the 2013-14 school year.... Deadline: May 16, 2013 Spencer Foundation Invites Proposals for Research on K-8 Classroom Instruction <http://e.foundationcenter.org/a/hBRVfTJB8ixfdB8xsYEAACSSkuP/rfp23> - Grants ranging from $50,000 to $300,000 will be awarded for research projects that investigate how K-8 teachers use student performance data for instructional decisions and how organizational and individual factors affect that use.... Deadline: June 11, 2013 (Preliminary proposals) Project Learning Tree Seeks Applications for Environmental Education Projects <http://e.foundationcenter.org/a/hBRVfTJB8ixfdB8xsYEAACSSkuP/rfp24> - Grants of up to $1,000 will be awarded in support of environmental projects that demonstrate service-learning, exemplify student voice, and involve at least one community partner.... Deadline: September 30, 2013 Science of Philanthropy Initiative Call for Entries for 2013 Fundraising Idea Contest <http://e.foundationcenter.org/a/hBRVfTJB8ixfdB8xsYEAACSSkuP/rfp16> - SPI will award first-, second-, and third-place prizes of $5,000, $1,500, and $500, respectively, for evidence-based ideas that further the science of philanthropy.... Deadline: June 14, 2013

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