New funding opportunities and resources for the S.C. Lowcountry Promise Zone
NEWS
Promise Zone to hold March 23 broadband workshop
The S.C. Promise Zone will offer a Broadband Workshop March 23 to focus on improving broadband services and opportunities in our six-county region.
WHEN: 8:30 a.m. until 5 p.m., March 23, 2016- WHERE: The Edisto Room, South Carolina Business Center, 54 Irving Street, Barnwell, SC 29812
- RSVP: scpromisezone@southerncarolina.org
Multiple federal agencies, charged with improving broadband services in rural areas, will present information on federal resources, funding, technical assistance, best practices and more. A wide variety of broadband projects will be covered including infrastructure, telemedicine and distance learning.
This workshop will include representatives and presentations from the US Department of Agriculture Rural Development, the Federal Communication Commission, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, the Federal Trade Commission and others.
In addition to the group sessions, one-on-one sessions with the Federal Technical Assistance staff will be available for you to discuss specific projects.
Promise Zone website offers new resources
If you haven’t visited the S.C. Promise Zone website lately, there are a few new things for you to check out:
Strategic plan: We recently unveiled a Strategic Action Plan that was built after input from more than 1,000 people at town hall meetings, strategy sessions and more. This is a document that can help grant applicants because they can refer to specific sections of the plan to illustrate how a project fits in with the overall Promise Zone strategy.
Video: A new video highlights the overall goals of the Promise Zone and its long-term strategy.
Workgroups: In the “Partner” menu option at the top of the page, you will find dropdown menus for the eight workgroups identified in the Strategic Action Plan. In the months ahead, we’ll keep minutes of workgroup meetings in this section of the site for easy reference for anyone interested in what has happened.
NEW FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
USDA: Strategic Economic and Community Development
Strategic Economic and Community Development (SECD) is a new provision from the 2014 Farm Bill that prioritizes projects which support the implementation of multi-jurisdictional plans whose long-term community and economic growth strategies reflect stakeholder collaboration and the unique strengths of rural communities. SECD sets aside up to 10 percent of program funds in Rural Development’s Community Facilities, Water and Environmental Programs, Business & Industry Guaranteed Loans, and Rural Business Development Grants for these purposes.
EPA: Environmental Education Grants
Application Deadline: April 8, 2016
The application period for the 2016 Environmental Education (EE) Grants Program is open. Approximately $2.7 million of funding is available to support locally-focused EE projects that design, demonstrate, and/or disseminate EE practices, methods, or techniques. Through the EE Local Grants Request for Proposals (also known as a solicitation notice), EPA is looking to support locally-focused EE projects that increase public awareness and knowledge about environmental issues. Projects should promote environmental stewardship and help develop informed, knowledgeable and responsible citizens in the community(ies) in which the project is located. Find background on the EE Grants Program and resources for applicants here
JUSTICE: Second Chance Act grant announcement involving technology-based career training
Deadline: April 12, 2016
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Justice Programs (OJP), Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) is seeking applicants for funding under the Second Chance Act to provide mentoring grants to nonprofit organizations and Indian tribes. This program furthers the Department’s mission by providing services and programs to help facilitate the successful reintegration of formerly incarcerated individuals as they return to their communities.
This solicitation is aimed at promoting more effective and successful reentry for formerly incarcerated individuals through the utilization of comprehensive, evidence-based wrap-around reentry plans that address the identified needs of the individuals and are supported by trained mentors. These needs are often related to housing, employment, substance abuse, and mental health.
JUSTICE: Second Chance Act grant announcement involving mentoring
Deadline: April 12, 2016
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Justice Programs (OJP), Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) is seeking applicants for funding under the Second Chance Act to provide mentoring grants to nonprofit organizations and Indian tribes. This program furthers the Department’s mission by providing services and programs to help facilitate the successful reintegration of formerly incarcerated individuals as they return to their communities.
This solicitation is aimed at promoting more effective and successful reentry for formerly incarcerated individuals through the utilization of comprehensive, evidence-based wrap-around reentry plans that address the identified needs of the individuals and are supported by trained mentors. These needs are often related to housing, employment, substance abuse, and mental health.
A core component of programs supported under this solicitation is the utilization of trained mentors who are assigned to program participants. The assigned mentors then support the individuals’ preparations for release and help to link them to programs and services in the community that address their identified needs. In addition, mentors provide emotional support and encouragement to individuals returning from incarceration, hold them accountable throughout the treatment process and play active roles in promoting positive behavioral changes.
HHS: Community Economic Development Healthy Food Financing Initiative Projects
Deadline: April 27, 2016
The Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Office of Community Services (OCS) will award up to $9.5 million in Community Economic Development (CED) discretionary grant funds to Community Development Corporations (CDCs) for community-based efforts to improve the economic and physical health of people in areas designated as food deserts. OCS seeks to fund projects that implement strategies to increase healthy food access, foster self-sufficiency for low-income families, and create sustained employment opportunities in low-income communities. To do this, the CED-HFFI program will provide technical and financial assistance for healthy food ventures designed to: (1) improve access to, and purchase and consumption of healthy, affordable foods; and (2) address the economic needs of individuals and families with low-income through the creation of employment and business opportunities in low-income communities.
- View the CED- HFFI Funding Opportunity Announcement | More information is available on the HHS website.
HHS: Community Economic Development Projects
Deadline: April 27, 2016
Fiscal Year (FY) 2016, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Community and Economic Development (CED) program, administered by the Office of Community Services (OCS) in the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), will provide up to $17.7 million in grants ($800,000 maximum per project) to Community Development Corporations (CDCs) for projects designed to address the economic needs of individuals and families with low-income through the creation of employment and business opportunities. For more information, please refer to pages 51 of the Funding Opportunity Announcement.
View the CED Funding Opportunity Announcement. | More information is available on the HHS website.
OTHER FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
IRS: Applications accepted for Part-Year Low Income Taxpayer Clinic Grants in Identified Underserved Areas
Deadline: April 1, 2016.
The Internal Revenue Service is accepting applications for a part-year Low Income Taxpayer Clinic (LITC) matching grant from qualified organizations, in certain identified geographic areas, to provide representation to low income taxpayers and education about taxpayer rights and responsibilities to individuals who speak English as a second language.
View the IRS Press Release. | View the Low Income Taxpayer Clinic Grant Announcement.
HUD: Funding available for Comprehensive Housing Counseling Grant Program
Deadline: April 4, 2016.
HUD has announced the availability of $40 million to directly support housing counseling services that help low- and moderate-income families improve their housing conditions. Grant winners can use the money to help homebuyers evaluate if they are ready to buy a house, understand their financing and down payment options and navigate what can be an extremely confusing and difficult process. Grantees also help families find affordable rental housing and offer financial literacy training to help struggling families repair credit problems.
Review the application guidelines and apply.
Sparkplug Foundation: Music, education, community organizing
Deadlines: April 15, 2016; April 22, 2016; May 13, 2016
The Sparkplug Foundation provides grants to start-up nonprofit organizations or new projects of established nonprofits that are addressing the fields of music, education, and community organizing. In the Music category, the Foundation supports emerging professional musicians or music-development programs. In the Education and Teaching category, the Foundation funds projects that deal with “the whole student” and with learning as a community activity. In the Grassroots Organizing category, the Foundation encourages activist strategies for addressing institutional injustices and for building a reasoned, just society. The current focus is on ground-level community organizing at the intersection of utilities/energy infrastructure, housing/community resources, and racial justice. Deadlines: online questionnaires must be completed by April 15, 2016; letters of intent are due April 22,2016; and the deadline for final applications is May 13, 2016.
Retirement Research Foundation: Aging Americans
Deadline: May 2, 2016.
The Retirement Research Foundation is accepting applications for projects that improve lives of aging Americans.
View funding guidelines and get an application.
Deadline: July 6, 2016.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is making more than $62 million in grant funding available to support specialty crop producers through the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program (SCBGP). SCBGP grants are allocated to U.S. states and territories for projects that help support specialty crop growers, including locally grown fruits and vegetables, through research and other programs to increase demand. Those interested in applying should do so directly through their state departments of agriculture, which administer a competitive grant process. A listing of the SCBGP’s state contacts, and how to apply with state application due dates, can be found at www.ams.usda.gov/services/grants/scbgp. State departments of agriculture must submit their applications to AMS by July 6, 2016.
Home Depot: Community Impact Facility Grants
Deadline: Dec. 31, 2016.
Community Impact Grants Program provides support to nonprofit organizations and public service agencies in the U.S. that are using volunteers to improve the physical health of their communities. Proposals for the following community improvement activities will be considered: repairs, refurbishments, and modifications to low-income or transitional veteran’s housing or community facilities (schools, community centers, senior centers, etc.); weatherizing or increasing energy efficiency of low-income or transitional veteran’s housing or community facilities; engaging veterans as volunteers to help other veterans in their community through service projects focusing on the renovation, repair, and improvement of homes and other properties serving veterans; and planting trees or community gardens or landscaping community facilities that serve veterans. Requests will be accepted through December 31, 2016.
Visit the Foundation’s website to submit an online application.
- MORE GRANTS: Click here to find recently-announced grant openings
COMING EVENTS
Community Builders Webinar Series begins with “Cities Building Community Wealth”
March 16, 2016, 2:00-3:00 PM EST
Sarah McKinley, Manager of Community Development Programs with the Democracy Collaborative, will present an emerging new way of doing community economic development. The work is place-based, fed by the power of anchor institutions, and built on locally rooted and broadly held ownership. Across the country, economic development professionals and mayors are working in partnership with foundations, anchor institutions, unions, community organizations, progressive business networks, workers, and community residents to implement strategies that build wealth and prosperity for everyone.
TREASURY: Webinars on expanding Community Development Financial Institutes coverage in underserved areas
Three webinars: March 22, 2016, to April 5, 2016
The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Community Development Financial Institutions Fund (CDFI Fund) has released the schedule of the next set of free webinars through the Capacity Building Initiative’s “Expanding CDFI Coverage in Underserved Areas” series. The free webinars are designed to maximize CDFI industry participation in this important training. The webinars will expand upon training topics developed for in-person training sessions held during the summer of 2015, as well as new topical content on expansion developed by CDFI experts. The webinars are:
- Customer Acquisition (Tuesday, March 22, 2016, 2 p.m. EDT
- Fundraising Strategies for your CDFI (Tuesday, April 5, 2016, 2 p.m. EDT
- Future webinar opportunities will be posted as they are confirmed to the “Expanding CDFI Coverage in Underserved Areas” webpage. Webinars will be recorded and made available on the CDFI Fund’s Resource Bank later in 2016.
U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Innovation and Improvement: Webinar on trends and best practices in Adult Literacy Programs
Monday, March 21, 2016 1:00 – 2:00 pm (ET)
This webinar will provide an overview of the landscape of adult education, what we know about the population and the challenges they face, and strategies that are making a difference. will provide an overview of the landscape of the adult literacy field, such as shifts in policy and strategies for delivery, and an overview of place-based strategies for addressing adult literacy.
U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Innovation and Improvement: Webinar on educating for Work: Building Employability Skills for Adult Learners
Monday, March 28, 2016 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. (EST);
“Educating for Work: Building Employability Skills for Adult Learners” will provide an overview of 21st century skills and strategies for effectively building employability skills for adult learners. For many Americans, adult education programs are the gateway to advanced learning and employment. A part of the ever- expanding role of adult education programs is to build employability “soft skills” for adult learners to help ensure their success in the workforce.
SBA: Webinars | Affordable Care Act 101
The U.S. Small Business Administration and Small Business Majority will host free Affordable Care Act 101 webinars so small business owners can learn the basics of the Affordable Care Act and how they can enroll in health insurance marketplaces. The webinars begin at 2pm ET.
April 14 Register
April 28 Register
USDA: Webinars for Local Food Systems Grant Applicants, $26 Million Now Available in Grant Funding
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) is making over $26 million in grant funding available to strengthen local and regional food systems through the Farmers Market and Local Food Promotion Program, and hosting a series of webinars to help farmers markets, producers groups, and other potential applicants with the grant process. Administered by AMS, the Farmers Market and Local Food Promotion Program provides a combined total of over $26 million in competitive grants, divided equally between the Farmers Market Promotion Program (FMPP) and the Local Food Promotion Program (LFPP). FMPP grants support direct producer-to-consumer marketing projects such as farmers markets, community-supported agriculture programs, roadside stands, and agritourism. LFPP funding supports projects that develop, improve, and expand local and regional food business intermediary supply chain activities, including processing, distribution, aggregation, and storage of locally- or regionally-produced food products.
NEW RESOURCES
Third Round Promise Zones Competition Update
HUD intends to designate five urban communities and USDA intends to designate one rural and one tribal community in the final round of the Promise Zone competition. For the Third Round Promise Zones competition, there were 82 applications submitted: 64 urban applicants, 11 rural applicants, and 7 tribal applicants. View the list of applicants. Join the mailing list to receive announcements and to follow the progress of the first and second round Promise Zones.
- More information is available on the Promise Zones website.
States, Feds See High-Speed Data Infrastructure Key to Economic Growth
The White House has announced the ConnectAll Initiative, an effort to reform federal communications programs to focus on bringing more Americans online. The focus of this effort will be on lower-income families who often lack access to affordable service and the devices to make use of them. Under the proposed plan, low-income families could be eligible for a monthly broadband subsidy. Getting more people online is vital to the future of the American economy and to shared prosperity, according to the report released by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in tandem with the White House announcement. Seeing the potential economic benefits, a number of states, including New York and Alabama, have recently made their own investments in Internet accessibility. Read more…
CDFA and USDA Launch Community Facilities Infrastructure Toolkit
The Council of Development Finance Agencies (CDFA) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) have announced the release of the Community Facilities Infrastructure Toolkit (CFIT), a guide which was developed in collaboration over the past year. The CFIT contains best practices for planning, designing, developing and financing rural community facilities that can be used by nonprofits and public entities. In order to further analyze the Toolkit, CDFA, in partnership with the USDA, is offering a complimentary education webinar to examine how conventional bank loans, bond financing, or state and federal grant and lending programs can be applied broadly across organizations regardless of project type or finance resources.
Over the last month, several universities have announced new initiatives that look to spur investments in startups to support economic growth and prosperity within their region or state. Four universities in North Carolina have announced the creation of the Triangle Venture Alliance to unify and coordinate the efforts across several angel capital groups including sourcing deals across participating alumni angel groups. In Indiana, Purdue University has combined all its efforts into a single entity making it easier for Purdue-affiliated startups to navigate the early stage investment process. Oregon State University and Rogue Venture Partners announced that it will raise up to $20 million (including $4 million from the university) to make equity-based investments to startups across the state. Read more…
Gateses’ Annual Letter Calls for Improved Energy Access, Gender Equity
In their latest annual letter (28 pages, PDF or HTML), Bill and Melinda Gates argue that persistent poverty is as much about the absence of resources as it is about lack of money. The Gateses’ eighth annual letter is addressed, for the first time, to high school students, who, as the couple writes, will be the ones “solving these problems.” One of the problems highlighted by the Gateses is access, or lack thereof, to energy, which, as Bill Gates notes in his half of the letter, affects 1.3 billion people — 18 percent of the world’s population. “Without access to energy,” he adds, “the poor are stuck in the dark, denied all of these benefits and opportunities that come with power.” Using a mathematical equation, he then highlights the need for an “energy miracle” — the development and transition to efficient green technologies that will boost energy production while reducing carbon emissions. Indeed, Gates argues, access to affordable sources of clean energy will transform the lives of millions of the poorest families, enabling them to study, run businesses, and power local clinics and hospitals….
The Center for Housing Policy at the National Housing Conference released “Housing Landscape 2016”.
The report reveals that more low- and moderate-income working households are renting as opposed to owning their homes, with the share of households who rent increasing from 50.8 percent to 52.6 percent from 2011 to 2014. Download the report.
- FIND PAST RESOURCE INFORMATION: Click here
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