OCTOBER 2009 – Volume VII, Number 10

 Complied and edited by Deb Miller Slipek, Ann Treacy, and Jane Leonard

 –Across the Field

–Funding

–Meetings/Trainings

–Opportunities

–Miscellaneous

Across the Field: Rural-Urban Partnering — a State of Mind, Hearts, and Action – We are All in This Together!  by Jane Leonard

We received word late last month that Minnesota Rural Partners, Inc. (MRP, Inc.) will host a national pilot project with USDA Rural Development Rural Business-Cooperative Service to document and leverage the power of rural-urban connections and resource sharing to improve wealth creation opportunities. The work builds on years of efforts that MRP, Inc. has organized in resource coordination and sharing, rural entrepreneurship development, and community informatics across Minnesota. 

The current project begins with engaging people and ideas to create a Minnesota Rural Urban Partnering framework (that framework being the people, places and organizations that care about and support rural – urban interdependence).

We will take those initial stories and do a more detailed online inventory and mapping of the partnering already occurring to show its strength, breadth and depth, and the economic, demographic and cultural factors at work, and spotlight opportunities for other helpful connections and partnering.

The initiative to intentionally support rural urban partnering would be an evolution from the original state rural development council function hosted by MRP starting in the mid 1990s. Our aim with more focused rural–urban coordination and resource sharing is to spur innovation and wealth creation in a host of development arenas. It would also build a solid foundation of urban allies for rural policy development and advocacy and vice-versa.

We need your help! We are collecting rural-urban partnering examples, stories, partners and interested people and organizations later this fall and winter through a series of online gatherings, culminating in a statewide face-to-face gathering, probably in June 2010. We’ll send out a schedule, invites and instructions on how to use the several methods of social media we’ll be using online in the early stages of the project. But if you have ideas right now that you are bursting to share – send them to me at jleonard@minnesotaruralpartners.org.

Parallel to the mapping track will be efforts to document and analyze the ways that Minnesotans currently coordinate education and workforce development pathways across rural-urban lines. And we’ll lift up for national viewing one of the more well-known ways rural and urban people connect in Minnesota, through local farm – local/regional food networks that help increase access to healthy food and balanced meals for children and adults alike, supporting healthful lifestyle choices.

The pilot project runs from this fall to April 2011.

In Minnesota in the early 21st century, as it is in many states across the nation, rural and urban lines continue to blur — spatially, culturally, and economically. Instead of continuing to treat these interdependent places, people, and economies as separate entities, we believe more can be gained – socially and economically – by intentionally building a rural-urban partnering framework that supports existing partnerships and spurs many more new connections, coordination, and collaboration for the benefit of all.

If you want to join and/or support this effort, please contact jleonard@minnesotaruralpartners.org or Jane at 651-303-5263.

FUNDING

–American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA): Communities Putting Prevention to Work.  Deadline:  10/30/09.  Grants are available for community-based prevention and wellness strategies that support specific, measurable health outcomes to reduce chronic disease rates.  For more information, go to: http://www07.grants.gov/search/search.do;jsessionid=9TphKzwSqSZSBdlLP9xQGJzplRnSGTR3Gmh4WNDQZzCnGW7b3T72!-1017983794?oppId=49571&mode=VIEW .

–For information on ARRA Funds, see http://www.recovery.gov/ and http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/arra/recovery-program.htm .

–Health Careers Promotion Grant – Applications will be available November 2 and due November 30. Contact Lorry Colaizy at lawrence.colaizy@state.mn.us or (651) 201-3851 for more information. http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/orhpc/funding/index.html#health

–Assisted Living Conversion Program For Eligible Multifamily Housing Projects.  HUD has made $20 million available in grants to eligible multifamily housing developments specified in the RFP, for conversion to assisted living facilities.  The deadline is November 5, 2009.   For more information, go to: http://www07.grants.gov/search/search.do;jsessionid=cM91KpXQnvcPlqN9Z1Qyppmp9K7fLYmJgQK5XQjL0fhN34q01Gcg!361947375?oppId=49301&mode=VIEW 

– Applications are now being accepted for the new Parks and Trails Legacy Grant Program administered by the Department of Natural Resources (DNR). These grants help local governments acquire, develop, restore and maintain parks and trails of regional or statewide significance. Funding comes from the Parks and Trails Fund, created by the Minnesota Legislature from the Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment. The overall program is called the Parks and Trails Legacy Grant Program which consists of the Regional Park Legacy, Regional Trail Legacy and Solar Energy Legacy Grant Programs. More information and applications for these grant programs is available at:   http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/grants/recreation/index.html . The application deadline is November 13, 2009.

–Regional Trauma Advisory Committee Planning/Implementation Grant applications are due November 30. Contact Tim Held at tim.held@state.mn.us or (651) 201-3868 for more information. http://www.health.state.mn.us/traumasystem/rtac/rtacfactsheet.html

–Minnesota Loan Forgiveness Programs for health professionals applications are due December 1. Contact Amy Vallery at amy.vallery@state.mn.us or (651) 201-3870 for more information. http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/orhpc/funding/loans/index.html

–Rural Veterinarian Loan Forgiveness Program .  Contact Amy Vallery at amy.vallery@state.mn.us or (651) 201-3870 for more information. http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/orhpc/funding/loans/vet.html

MEETINGS /TRAININGS

–Foreclosure Response Podcast Series by the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta.  Through interviews with experts on various facets of foreclosure—from neighborhood impacts, to loan modifications, to new response strategies—listeners will be engaged in understanding problems and advancing solutions. Each week, since September 24, 2009 and continuing for 10 weeks, a new interview will be released.   To listen to the interviews visit: http://www.frbatlanta.org/rss/ForeclosureResp.cfm.  

Podcast I:  Land Banking as a Foreclosure Mitigation Strategy with Frank Alexander, Professor of Law at Emory Law School.  The first interview in the series looks at land banking. The current economic and mortgage crisis has caused the number of foreclosures to swell, destabilizing neighborhoods by leaving them dotted with vacant and sometimes abandoned homes. Frank Alexander, Professor of Law at Emory Law School, discusses the issues and opportunities that land banking represents for stabilizing communities across the country.

Up next:  Visit the series Web site next week for the second podcast installment with Kristopher Gerardi, an economist in the Research Division at the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, who will be talking about loan modifications. 

–The Minnesota Council of Nonprofits Leadership Institute is an opportunity to grow your leadership skills and learn to create change. The Institute is designed by and for nonprofit leaders. The nine-month intensive experience will provide you the space and structure to step back and think about the issues facing nonprofits today. It will also enhance your skills to make you a better leader in your organization, the nonprofit sector and your community.   Want to know more? MCN will be offering free informational sessions around the state that will also highlight scholarship opportunities for the Leadership Institute. Please RSVP online by logging in and selecting “RSVP for Free Events, Briefings and Convenings”. http://www.mncn.org/leadershipinstitute/infosessions.htm 

Marshall, October 22, 11 a.m.-noon

Hutchinson, October 23, 2-3 p.m.

Rochester, October 27, 11 a.m.- noon

Brainerd, October 28, 11 a.m.- noon

St. Cloud, October 28, 3-4 p.m.

Duluth, November 11, 10:30-11:30 a.m.

Grand Rapids, November 11, 3-4 p.m.

St. Paul, November 13, 3:30-4:30 p.m.

Webinar, December 10, 3-4 p.m.

Webinar, January 13, 1-2 p.m.

For more information contact Bao Vang, Program Coordinator, Minnesota Council of Nonprofits
at 651-757-3087 or bao@mncn.org  

–SW/WC Volunteer Connections will be hosting on December 7th: “A Time to be Bold: Engaging Volunteers in a Shifting Environment” presented by Mary Quirk. If you have any questions or would like to R.S.V.P., please contact Deb Mortenson at (320) 235-0850, ext. 1114 or at debm@heartlandcaa.org.

 –Telling a Story with Social Media webinar will be Tuesday, November 3, 8-9:30AM with presenter Ann Treacy of Treacy Information Services.  Everyone has a story to tell, whether you’re recruiting people or businesses to your region, selling a product or preparing a presentation on future of broadband in rural areas. Social media tools such as YouTube and podcasts can help you establish your story, social networks such as Facebook or LinkedIn help you spread the word and ongoing blogs or Twitter can help maintain the story. We’ll talk about how to tell your story with social media.  For more information and to register, click here:  http://broadband.blandinfoundation.org/events/events-detail.php?intResourceID=991

– Twin Cities Media Alliance Fall Forum: Networking And The New Media Landscape: Reporting News, Building Community, Making Money http://tinyurl.com/yfxo3uv. This participatory forum offers journalists, bloggers and news consumers the opportunity to make connections and share best practices for news reporting, building audiences, and raising revenue. It will be held 9 a.m. to 3 p.m, Saturday November 7, Minneapolis Central Library. Check out the web site for Twitter hashtags and other ways to follow the conference from afar.

–Blandin Foundation’s 2009 Broadband Conference will be November 18-9, 2009 in Duluth.  The theme of this year’s conference is: “Realizing Our Broadband Future: Getting from Here to There.” Location: Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites, Duluth MN (http://www.hiduluth.com/) Cost: $105. For more information and to register, click here.  http://broadband.blandinfoundation.org/events/events-detail.php?intResourceID=988

 –Save the Date for the Minnesota Rural Health Conference June 28-29, 2010.  Help to plan the conference: Contact Karen Welle at karen.welle@state.mn.us or (651) 201-3865. http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/orhpc/conf/index.html

OPPORTUNITIES

–The Initiative Foundation is currently looking for four communities to take part in their next Healthy Community Partnerships (HCP) program.  This program provides a community team with a combination of leadership training, grant funds, technical assistance and resource referral as they work to make their community a better place.  HCP is open to communities that have never participated or graduates whose core group went through the training at least five years ago.  To learn more about the program you can:

read the press release, http://www.ifound.org/docs/files/News_HCPRecruitment8.31.09.pdf

visit our website, http://www.ifound.org/community_health.php

download the fact sheet http://www.ifound.org/docs/files/HCP_FactSheet.pdf

Or contact Dan Frank, Program Manager for Community Development at 320-632-9255, dfrank@ifound.org

–Health Policy Fellow applications due November 13. http://www.rwjf.org/applications/solicited/cfp.jsp?ID=20904

–New Careers in Nursing scholarship applications due December 15. http://www.rwjf.org/applications/solicited/cfp.jsp?ID=20905

–Minority Nurse Scholarship Program applications due February 1.  http://www.minoritynurse.com/scholarships/apply-2010-minority-nurse-scholarship-program

 MISCELLANEOUS

–USDA Launches ‘Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food’ Initiative to Connect Consumers with Local Producers to Create New Economic Opportunities for Communities.  The initiative hopes to begin a national conversation to help develop local and regional food systems and spur economic opportunity. Americans are invited to join the discussion and share their ideas for ways to support local agriculture. USDA will engage in this conversation which can be viewed at USDA’s YouTube channel, www.youtube.com/usda . Producers and consumers can comment on the ‘Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food’ YouTube playlist, as well as submit videos or provide comments on this initiative by e-mailing KnowYourFarmer@usda.gov.

–The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) issued a waiver recently, revising their property flipping regulations for properties purchased with Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP) funds.  FHA is waiving, for one year, Section 203.37a(b)(2) of the FHA regulations, 24 CFR, with regard to sales of foreclosed or abandoned properties acquired and resold by for-profit and non-profit entities using NSP funding and performed under NSP agreements.  This section provided that a mortgage secured by a property would not be eligible for insurance by FHA if the contract of sale was executed by the prospective borrower within 90 days of the previous acquisition of the property by the seller.  For a copy of the waiver, go to: http://www.treia.com/clubportal/images/clubimages/999/PROPERTY%20FLIPPING%20WAIVER%20REQUEST.pdf  .

–Strength Matters is a new collaborative that brings together three national networks of nonprofit owners and developers in the affordable housing field — Housing Partnership Network (HPN), NeighborWorks America and Stewards of Affordable Housing for the Future (SAHF) — to advance the strength, productivity and profitability of their member organizations and to communicate the best practices of these owners and developers to the private, public, and philanthropic sectors. On the website: (http://www.strengthmatters.net ) there is a recording of an introductory Webinar that was hosted by Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC).  The PowerPoint presentation that accompanied the Webinar can be downloaded from the website, as well as other documents like CFO Best Practice papers.

–CFED released the 2009-2010 Assets & Opportunity Scorecard – CFED’s research on wealth, poverty and the financial security of American families – in September.  The Scorecard uses the latest data to assess the 50 states and the District of Columbia on 92 outcome and policy measures which describe how well residents are faring and what states can do to help residents build and protect assets.  For more information, go to: http://www.cfed.org/focus.m?parentid=31&siteid=2471&id=2471 .

–The September 2009 issue of Leadership Guide features an article on The Four Elements of a Sustainable Organization by Don Tebbe, Executive Vice President, TransitionGuides.  The article is an excerpt from a paper entitled “Building a Sustainable Organization”.  To read the paper, go to: http://www.transitionguides.com/newsltr/Featured%20Articles.htm and click on the link for September 2009. 

–A Compass for Understanding and Using American Community Survey (ACS) Data: What Users of Data for Rural Areas Need to Know is a guide for those who use rural social, economic, and housing data from the Census Bureau. ACS will provide updated data that will replace some of the information previously provided in the decennial Census. To get a copy, go to http://www.census.gov/acs/www/Downloads/ACSRuralAreaHandbook.pdf .

– Your Money Counts.com is a comprehensive online learning resource that helps people understand finances and make informed financial choices. This online guide to financial and credit education provides people with interactive calculators, information on current money issues, in-depth information on specific money topics, financial education booklets, and quizzes to test their financial knowledge.  Go to: http://www.yourmoneycounts.com/ymc/home?WT.svl=901 

 –Mayo Clinic offers perspective on health care reform in the New England Journal of Medicine. http://healthcarereform.nejm.org/?p=1890&query=home

–Healthy Communities-Healthy People: A series examining care in rural America.  Go to: http://files.cfra.org/pdf/Healthy-Communities-Healthy-People.pdf

–Shortage of Health Care Workforce Hits Rural America Hard in September Center for Rural Affairs newsletter.  Go to:  http://www.cfra.org/taxonomy/term/1533

–Suicide Prevention online, one-to-one “chat service” for veterans. The veterans tab is on the left-hand side of the site.  Go to: http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/ 

–Tobacco Control in Rural America.  This July 2009 publication highlights tobacco-related disparities facing rural areas and examines the unique challenges to tobacco control and prevention efforts in these areas.  It also includes examples of promising interventions implemented by some of our grantees to demonstrate how organizations are addressing the issue of tobacco use in rural communities.  Go to:  http://www.americanlegacy.org/PDF/Tobacco_Control_in_Rural_America.pdf

–Homegrown Responses to Economic Uncertainty in Rural America - Discusses how rural communities can approach economic development by looking inward to community strengths and existing resources.  Go to:  http://ruralsociology.org/StaticContent/Publications/Ruralrealities/pubs/RuralRealities3-2.pdf

–Local Community Action Agency Directory  - A directory of local community action agencies (CAAs) developed by VirtualCAP.org that provides contact information by either state or agency name.   Go to:  http://www.virtualcap.org/caalisting.cfm

If you have items for inclusion in the next Rural Round-Up, please send them to jleonard@minnesotaruralpartners.org.

Here’s the news on the latest Freeman Forum…

FREEMAN LECTURE – GREAT CONVERSATIONS

Featuring U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, J. Brian Atwood, Dean, Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs, Allen Levine, Dean, College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences

Feeding the World: At Home and Abroad
Monday, October 5 | 7:30 p.m.
Ted Mann Concert Hall

As the head of the United States Department of Agriculture, Secretary Vilsack oversees a $134 billion portfolio that includes leadership on food, agriculture, natural resources, and rural development.

Join us for a wide-ranging conversation about food aid and international development, obesity and nutrition, food security, farm and foreign trade policy, and a host of other topics related to the USDA’s mission.

Admission is free, but tickets are required. (Limit of four per person.)

Please bring a non-perishable food item to help those in need.

This event is part of The Ultimate Homecoming.

SEPTEMBER  2009 – Volume VII, Number 9

Compiled by Deb Miller Slipek, Ann Treacy, and Jane Leonard

–ACROSS THE FIELD

–FUNDING

–MEETINGS/TRAING

–OPPORTUNITIES

–MISCELLANEOUS

ACROSS THE FIELD – Thank You Communities! Thank You Minnesota State Fair!

By Jane Leonard

We don’t say thank you enough. We don’t share good ideas often enough. We did both at the “Great Minnesota Get-Together” – the 2009 Minnesota State Fair — which hosted and sponsored the 25th Anniversary Community Pride Showcase on September 6.

Over 20 Minnesota communities, large and small, from across the state, took home top honors and over $15,000 in cash awards courtesy of the Minnesota State Fair.  (For photos and list of winners and project descriptions, see http://www.reinventingminnesota.org/mn_pride.html).

The contest was co-sponsored by the Minnesota State Fair, MinnPost.com, the Blandin Foundation, and Minnesota Rural Partners, Inc., who worked together to organize the summer-long competition and the State Fair event as part of the Reinventing Minnesota initiative, to lift up innovations across the state that help Minnesota thrive.

“Connecting, creating, thriving” is the tagline of Reinventing Minnesota. It’s a way to think and act, to turn the current economic challenges into opportunities that encourage people to connect and share good ideas and resources to move us into a thriving future for all. It builds on Minnesota’s history of inventiveness, innovation and compassion to recognize the goodwill and good actions that communities, neighborhoods and organizations across our state are doing right now to help one another.

The purpose for the Community Pride contest first and foremost was to find a way to share the great ideas Minnesotans have for improving their communities in the midst of a challenging economic environment. So much good is happening in Minnesota’s communities that if shared, can help others across our state and country. The citizens and the projects honored at the State Fair embody the spirit of the Reinventing Minnesota initiative and the Community Pride competition.

That’s why the State Fair was the perfect venue to showcase the Minnesota Community Pride communities. Where else do all Minnesotans gather to see what improvements have been made since last year? The State Fair mission is to “educate and involve guests by providing a world-class showcase that is innovative, entertaining and fun.”

Many of the stories written about the State Fair revolve around what’s “new on a stick,” but the Fair roots go deeper than that, to 150 years of lifting up “Minnesota’s finest agriculture, art and industry” to “present an unparalleled forum for knowledge and ideas” that now includes community improvement knowledge and ideas.

Thank you, Minnesota State Fair, for showcasing Minnesota Community Pride at the Great Minnesota Get-Together. We love you – we really do.

FUNDING

– The CHS Foundation is committed to investing in the future of rural America, agriculture, and cooperative business through education and leadership development. The Foundation supports national efforts related to its mission as well as programs within the CHS trade territory for regional, multi-state, or statewide projects. The Foundation’s funding focuses on the following program areas: Cooperative Education, Rural Youth and Leadership Development, Farm and Agricultural Safety, Returning Value to Rural Communities, and University Partnerships. All applications are accepted on an ongoing basis, with the exception of Cooperative Education applications, which are due September 30, annually. Visit the Foundation’s website for a description of each grant category and online application instruction at: http://www.chsfoundation.org/  

–There is an October 1 grant deadline for communities, schools, and organizations for the following arts grants.  Please note that the funds for these organizational programs are only for eligible applicants in Region 7E. 

 Art In Our Schools Grants- Schools may apply for up to $1,000 for special art projects sponsored by the School District.  The grant funds can support artist residencies, arts related field trips, or any arts focused special project.  Each school district is allowed up to two Art In Our School grants per school year. 
 
Small Grants – Grants of up to $500 are currently available for smaller arts projects for organizations.   Types of projects funded in the past under the Small Grant programs have been a visual art, theatrical, musical, dance, spoken word and literary art.  There is a required 1 to 1 dollar match for these grants. 
 
To immediately access the grant applications go to: http://www.ecrdc.org/ECAC_apps_2010.htm or contact Mary Minnick-Daniels, Director East Central Regional Arts Council at: mary.minnick-daniels@ecrdc.org or 320-679-4065 ext. 30.

– The Laura Jane Musser Fund’s Rural Initiative Program encourages collaborative efforts among citizens in rural communities that will help to strengthen their towns and regions. This program supports projects in rural regions of Colorado, Hawaii, Minnesota, New York, and Wyoming that target a number of civic areas including economic development, business preservation, arts and humanities, public space improvements, and education. The applicant community must have a population of 10,000 or fewer and must be able to demonstrate the rural characteristics of its location. Planning grants of up to $5,000 and implementation grants of up to $25,000 are provided. The application deadline is October 15, 2009. Visit the Laura Jane Musser Fund’s website for application guidelines and forms at:  http://www.musserfund.org/rural.php

–Building Healthy Communities Fund.  Next Deadline:  December 15, 2009.  Grants from the Home Depot Foundation are awarded up to $2500 for community improvement projects that include construction or refurbishment of affordable or transitional housing, building, rebuilding, painting, refurbishing, increasing energy efficiency or sustainability, landscaping, planting of native trees, community facility improvements, and the development and/or improvement of green spaces. Grants must support work completed by community volunteers in the United States.  For more information, go to http://tinyurl.com/mug82r

–Community Relief Fund.  Kresge Foundation is offering 24- to 36-month, interest-free program-related investment fund offering bridge loans to high-performance non-profit organizations so that they may be better able to meet the ever-increasing demand for their services.  For more information, go to http://www.kresge.org/index.php/what/community_relief_fund/

–Grants.gov offered a series of Webinars on accessing grants available through the Recovery Act (ARRA).  You can hear recordings of the events on their website at: http://www.grants.gov/applicants/recovery_webinar.jsp.   

For information on ARRA Funds, go to: http://www.recovery.gov/.  

 –The Target Field Trip Grants program provides funds for K-12 field trips in order to give students throughout the country the opportunity to explore more of the world outside the classroom. For the 2009-2010 school year, 5,000 grants of up to $800 each will be awarded to educators, teachers, principals, paraprofessionals, and classified staff who are employed by accredited K-12 public, private, or charter schools. Types of eligible field trips include art, science, and cultural museum visits; community service and civic projects; and career enrichment opportunities. Funds may be used to cover trip-related costs such as transportation, ticket fees, resource materials, and supplies. Online applications will be available from August 5 through November 3, 2009. Visit the Target website to learn more about the program at: http://sites.target.com/site/en/company/page.jsp?contentId=WCMP04-031880

–Instrument Donations for Music Programs Nationwide – The mission of the Fender Music Foundation, formerly the Guitar Center Music Foundation, is to support nonprofit music programs across America that offer instruction so that more people can experience the joys of making music. The Foundation accepts grant applications from music academies, schools, local music programs, and national music programs throughout the country that teach people of any age who would not otherwise have the opportunity to make music. Almost all of the grants provided are comprised of traditional instruments and the equipment necessary to play them. Online applications may be submitted at any time and are reviewed three times per year. Visit the Foundation’s website to access program guidelines and the online grant application form at: http://www.fendermusicfoundation.org/ 

MEETINGS /TRAININGS

–“Resilient Leaders – Resilient Organizations” will be held Tuesday, September 22, 2009 from 8:30AM – 4:00PM at the Initiative Foundation in Little Falls.  Resilient Leaders – Resilient Organizations http://www.ifound.org/docs/files/HOP_Resliient%20Leaders_Aug09.pdf is a convening of nonprofit leaders who seek ways of increasing their organization’s health and resiliency during an extended economic downturn.  The day will include lively activity and networking and will conclude with a preview of capacity building resources available.  The goal is for you to leave ready to take action based on an increased understanding of how you can use capacity building resources to improve the health and resilience of your organization and partnerships.  Who can attend?  All area nonprofit organizations are welcome.  Each organization is encouraged to have staff and board leadership represented (up to 3 people total).

If you are unable to attend on September 22nd in Little Falls, this convening will also be held on September 21st in Redwood Falls,  (Note: at the workshop registration link you’ll see reference to follow-up capacity-building grants through the Resilient Organizations Fund – this particular funding is available only to current Blue Cross Blue Shield grantees.  Other capacity-building assistance is available directly through the Initiative Foundation – http://www.ifound.org/effective_healthy.php).  No cost for attendance, but space is limited.  Pre-registration is required ASAP at: http://www.resilientnonprofits.org/announcing-the-convenings/.  For more information, email BCBSFoundationConvenings@mapfornonprofits.org.

–14th Annual Minnesota Development Conference – Opportunity in Crisis: Reality, Reinvent, Revitalize will be held October 1-2 at the Sheraton Bloomington Hotel.  For further information go to:  http://www.deed.state.mn.us/events/DevConf.htm

–Federal Issues Briefing comes to Bemidji on Tuesday, October 6, 8:30 – 11 a.m. at the Beltrami Electric Community Meeting Room, 4111 Technology Drive NW, Bemidji.  >From health care reform to climate change, from economic stimulus to tax and budget policy, Congress has a full agenda this year. The decisions made by our Minnesota Congressional delegation and their colleagues on Capitol Hill will affect all Americans for years to come. Join us for a Federal Issues Briefing: A look at what’s happening in Congress & how it will affect our clients and our communities, where we will take a closer look at what the 111th Congress is doing on these and other issues. Fee: Free, but advance registration is required.  Register online now - by logging in (password assistance available) and selecting “RSVP for Free Events, Briefings and Convenings.” https://online.mncn.org/mcnssa/ssaauthmain.login_page

–Cultural Heritage Tourism Workshops in Your Region. The workshops are an opportunity to learn together with others in your region to develop new ways of promoting the great arts and cultural activities in each community. Dates and locations are: Two Harbors – October 1, 2009; Saint Paul – October 5, 2009; New Ulm – October 14, 2009 and Paynesville – November 9, 2009.  To register and get more details on session topics and speakers go to: http://industry.exploreminnesota.com/side1/events-conferences/cultural-heritage-tourism-workshops/

–Register now for the nation’s largest convening of nonprofits and foundations - right here in Minnesota. At the Minnesota Council of No http://tinyurl.com/nvzp9d nonprofits/Minnesota Council on Foundations Joint Annual Conference, you’ll be able to rub shoulders with national leaders, award winning nonprofits and experts from across the field.  Transforming Our Work: From Challenging Times to Hopeful Futures will be November 5 & 6, 2009 at the Saint Paul RiverCentre.  To learn more and to register, visit the Transforming Our Work website or Register Online at:  http://tinyurl.com/mja6ty

OPPORTUNITIES

–The Center for Urban and Regional Affairs (CURA) is inviting proposals for the spring 2010 semester for three of it’s Community Based research programs: Neighborhood Planning for Community Revitalization (NPCR), Community Assistantship Program (CAP) and Communiversity (CMV).

 CURA Community Based Research Programs provide applied research assistance to community-based groups located outside of the Twin Cities area, neighborhood groups within the metro area, and other nonprofit agencies and groups. This research is administered by three separate programs: the Community Assistantship Program, which works with groups in greater Minnesota; Neighborhood Planning for Community Revitalization, which works with neighborhood organizations in Minneapolis, St. Paul, and first-ring suburbs; and Communiversity, which works with nonprofit organizations, particularly those serving communities of color. These community research projects typically place students in part-time research assistantships for one semester or over the summer. Students are selected by and report to the community organization. Organizations define and direct their research projects.

 The goals of these programs are to:

 1) Enhance the capacity of community-based groups in Minnesota to meet their goals by giving them an opportunity to accomplish relevant applied research;

2) Provide students and faculty with useful community-based applied research and learning opportunities.

Applications should come directly from community organizations. The deadline for project proposals is October 30^th, 2009. Approved projects will run from January 14^th, 2010 to May 30^th, 2010. Please follow the link below to find out more or to apply on-line.  http://www.cura.umn.edu/Programs/ApplicationProcess.php  or contact Jeff Corn, CURA Community Program Coordinator, (612) 625-0744

 MISCELLANEOUS

–RURAL AMERICA AT A GLANCE, 2009 Edition – Update of an annual series, the 2009 edition of Rural America At A Glance deals with effects of the major recession on rural America. Initially, effects of the recession were mitigated in nonmetro areas by high commodity prices throughout much of 2008, but as the recession deepened, prices fell. Both nonmetro and metro areas experienced rising unemployment as manufacturing and other major employment sectors contracted, and they were similarly affected by the mortgage foreclosure crisis. However, even before the current recession, nonmetro poverty rates had risen in the growth years after the 2001 recession, against the usual trend during a time of economic expansion; the nonmetro poverty rate has exceeded the national poverty rate since 2001. The nonmetro population continued to grow in 2007 and 2008, but at less than half the rate of the metro population. Nonmetro growth is largely due to a rise in births, offsetting a decline in net migration from metro to nonmetro areas. Go to: http://www.ers.usda.gov/Publications/EIB59/

–Broadband Internet’s Value for Rural America - As broadband—or high-speed—Internet use has spread, Internet applications requiring high transmission speeds have become an integral part of the “Information Economy,” raising concerns about those who lack broadband access. This report analyzes (1) rural broadband use by consumers, the community-at-large, and businesses; (2) rural broadband availability; and (3) broadband’s social and economic effects on rural areas. It also summarizes results from an ERS-sponsored workshop on rural broadband use, and other ERS-commissioned studies. In general, rural communities have less broadband Internet use than metro communities, with differing degrees of broadband availability across rural communities. Rural communities that had greater broadband Internet access had greater economic growth, which conforms to supplemental research on the benefits that rural businesses, consumers, and communities ascribe to broadband Internet use. Go to: http://www.ers.usda.gov/Publications/ERR78/

–Rural Digital Economy – This Briefing Room offers a synthesis of ERS research about the rural digital economy, including the provision of telephone and Internet services, where these services are used, and their role in economic development. This Briefing Room also explores rural Internet access, the characteristics of Internet users and their means of access, and government communication and information policy. Go to: http://www.ers.usda.gov/Briefing/Telecom/

–Baby Boom Migration and Its Impact on Rural America – Members of the baby boom cohort, now 45-63 years old, are approaching a period in their lives when moves to rural and small-town destinations increase. An analysis of age-specific, net migration during the 1990s reveals extensive shifts in migration patterns as Americans move through different life-cycle stages. Assuming similar age patterns of migration, this report identifies the types of nonmetropolitan counties that are likely to experience the greatest surge in baby boom migration during 2000-20 and projects the likely impact on the size and distribution of retirement-age populations in destination counties. The analysis finds a significant increase in the propensity to migrate to nonmetro counties as people reach their fifties and sixties and projects a shift in migration among boomers toward more isolated settings, especially those with high natural and urban amenities and lower housing costs. If baby boomers follow past migration patterns, the nonmetro population age 55-75 will increase by 30 percent between now and 2020. Go to: http://wwwers.usda.gov/Publications/ERR79/

–Full Throttle U.S. Ethanol Expansion Faces Challenges – Constraints to future growth of the ethanol industry will present challenges to meeting the ambitious mandates for expanded biofuel use set forth in the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. Challenges exist on both the supply and demand sides of the market. Go to: http://www.ers.usda.gov/AmberWaves/September09/Features/EthanolExpansion.htm

–Broadband Internet Service Helping Create a Rural Digital Economy – Broadband—high speed Internet—is less commonly used in rural than urban settings due to higher provision costs and more limited availability in rural areas. Rural counties with broadband Internet service in 2000 had greater subsequent employment and income growth than similar rural counties without service. Rural citizens, businesses, and communities credit broadband Internet use with providing social and economic benefits. Go to: http://www.ers.usda.gov/AmberWaves/September09/Features/Broadband.htm

–Taking the Pulse of Rural Health Care - Rural households have higher rates of mortality, disability, and chronic disease than urban households, after taking into account the different age distributions of the two populations. Rural households have less access than urban households to affordable, nearby, high-quality health care. Adoption of new health information technologies, promoted by a $19 billion allocation in the 2009 economic stimulus package, holds promise for improving coordination among geographically dispersed health care providers. Go to: http://www.ers.usda.gov/AmberWaves/September09/Features/RuralHealth.htm

–Baby Boom Migration Tilts toward Rural America – The size and direction of migration patterns vary considerably by age, and baby boomers are migrating to rural destinations. If baby boomers follow migration patterns similar to their predecessors, the rural population age 55-75 will increase by 30 percent between 2010 and 2020. Local economic development strategies aimed at attracting more jobs will likely have little effect on the migration decisions of baby boomers searching for a better quality of life. Go to: http://www.ers.usda.gov/AmberWaves/September09/Features/BabyBoom.htm

–AMBER WAVES Amber Waves presents the broad scope of ERS’s research and analysis. The magazine covers the economics of agriculture, food and nutrition, the food industry, trade, rural America, and farm-related environmental topics. Available on the internet and in print, Amber Waves is issued in print four times a year (March, June, September, and December). The internet edition, or “eZine,” includes links to web- only resources, such as podcasts and additional articles. Go to: http://www.ers.usda.gov/AmberWaves/September09/

–Health Status and Health Care Access of Farm and Rural Populations - Rural residents have higher rates of age-adjusted mortality, disability, and chronic disease than their urban counterparts, though mortality and disability rates vary more by region than by metro status. Contributing negatively to the health status of rural residents are their lower socioeconomic status, higher incidence of both smoking and obesity, and lower levels of physical activity. Contributing negatively to the health status of farmers are the high risks from workplace hazards, which also affect other members of farm families who live on the premises and often share in the work; contributing positively are farmers’ higher socioeconomic status, lower incidence of smoking, and more active lifestyle. Both farm and rural populations experience lower access to health care along the dimensions of affordability, proximity, and quality, compared with their nonfarm and urban counterparts. Go to: http://www.ers.usda.gov/Publications/EIB57/

-- "Coming Home to Rural America: Demographic Shifts in the Tenth District" is now on the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City’s website.  This article examines whether rural areas should focus more on the recent trend of middle-aged families coming home to rural America.  Go to: http://www.KansasCityFed.org/Publicat/Econrev/ermain.htm?ealert=ER0831

–USDA Launches New Website for Obama Administration’s Rural Tour
http://www.raconline.org/news/news_details.php?news_id=11930 The U.S. Department of Agriculture launched a new website designed to enhance discussions and facilitate innovation for issues facing rural America as part of the Obama Administration’s Rural Tour. Go to: www.RuralTour.gov

--The recent recession has wounded the livestock industry. In the latest issue of the Main Street Economist, economists explore the industry's recent performance and prospects for a rebound.  Go to:  http://www.kansascityfed.org/pubaffrs/pressrel/prmain.htm?ealert=PR0911
 

Vote for the Minnesota Community Pride winners; Celebrate all Minnesota communities, September 6 at the 2009 Minnesota State Fair

Minnesota Community Pride? You decide!  Vote for the finalists in the 25th Anniversary Minnesota Community Pride competition via the online ballot at MinnPost.com between August 19 to 26, with winners announced at the 2009 Minnesota State Fair. The contest is co-sponsored by the Minnesota State Fair, MinnPost, The Blandin Foundation, and Minnesota Rural Partners, Inc.

“The Community Pride contest attracted community entries from across Minnesota, representing cities and neighborhoods, large and small, all generously sharing their stories of connecting, creating, and thriving through the current economic challenges,” said Jane Leonard, president of Minnesota Rural Partners, Inc, one of the competition organizers. Online voting offers a chance for all Minnesotans to help determine top entries in several community improvement categories. 

“Connecting, creating, thriving” is the tagline of Reinventing Minnesota, the initiative behind the contest. “It’s a way to think and act, to turn the current economic challenges into opportunities that encourage people to connect and share good ideas and resources to move us into a thriving future for all,” said Leonard. “It builds on Minnesota’s history of inventiveness, innovation and compassion to recognize the goodwill and good actions that communities, neighborhoods and organizations across our state are doing right now to help one another.”

The Community Pride competition lifts up and publicly recognizes the energy and ingenuity of Minnesota’s communities in both overall community and economic development achievement, and innovations in specific disciplines, such as education, broadband deployment and application, health care, entrepreneurship support, arts & culture, community design, housing and natural resources/environment.

Finalist communities were determined by a panel of judges reviewing the entries received earlier this summer. Winners will be selected by the public vote online via MinnPost.com. All communities will be recognized and winners announced at the Minnesota Community Pride Showcase, September 6, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the State Fair’s Carousel Park stage and exhibit tent. 

To help celebrate this first-time event at the Fair, singer-songwriter Charlie McGuire will share his special brand of grassroots music. Minnpost will be conducting Minnesota Trivia contests and public affairs interviews with Minnesota newsmakers to highlight both our affection for and ideas and concerns across the state. Community participants will showcase their projects in the exhibit tent.

The Minnesota State Fair is providing cash awards, recognition plaques, and ribbons to winners and participants. The awards ceremony begins at 12:30 p.m. on the Carousel Park stage.

“The State Fair has always been a place and time for Minnesotans to gather together to showcase, recognize and share creative ideas and innovations. It’s the perfect venue to spotlight communities that are helping our state be the best we can be,” explained Leonard.

You can learn more about the finalist projects and vote for your favorites at http://www.reinventingminnesota.org/mn_pride.html. Check out this and other State Fair events at www.mnstatefair.org. And join us at the Great Minnesota Get-Together on September 6!

Finalists for Minnesota Community Pride online voting:
 
▪            Baudette (Lake of the Woods County)
▪            Caledonia (Houston County)
▪            Detroit Lakes (Becker County)
▪            East Grand Forks (Polk County)
▪            Glencoe (McLeod County)
▪            Hoffman (Grant County)
▪            Lake City (Wabasha and Goodhue Counties)
▪            Lanesboro ( Fillmore County)
▪            Madelia (Watonwan County)
▪            Mankato (Blue Earth County)
▪            Maynard (Chippewa County)
▪            Minneapolis’ Neighborhood Revitalization Program (Hennepin County)
▪            Sebeka (Wadena County)
▪            St. Louis Park (Hennepin County)
▪            Staples (Todd County)
▪            Willmar Design Center (Kandiyohi County)

ACROSS THE FIELD – Health Care Reform: Get the facts straight & think it thru. What do we need to do to be the best country in the world? By Jane Leonard.

A mild anxiety has been creeping into our lives lately. It’s frustration over the health care reform efforts, which in the heat and humidity of August have melted into embarrassing displays of rude, unproductive behavior at town meetings for the entire world to see.

Most people agree something has to change. The current system is broken, inequitable and not up to the job of keeping America ready for 21^st century challenges and opportunities.

Health care reform is such a big change that it becomes open ground for every doomsayer and fear-monger.  I am still waiting for one of those fear-mongers to tell me what their solution is. It’s easy and headline-grabbing to bash the ideas of their opponents. It is much harder to think through the proposals and make educated and helpful efforts towards improvements.

But that is what we must do – gets the facts and think it through. If we do not act to improve our current system, we will continue to see declines in the health and well-being of our society. We will continue to weaken the ability of our citizens, businesses, communities, states, and country to compete economically, educationally, and socially with the rest of the world.

Just imagine if obtaining affordable health care was not a worry anymore for anyone in this country. Just imagine the cost savings because people would get the preventative care they need. Just imagine the entrepreneurial and creative energy (and wealth creation) that would be unleashed because “losing my health insurance” wasn’t a risk factor for starting a new business or endeavor.

Get informed and think it thru. Here’s an interactive side-by-side comparison of major health care reform proposals, on the Kaiser Family Foundation site. It includes proposals that have been formally introduced as legislation as well as those that have been offered as principles or in White Paper form. And here’s a quick primer from the New York Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/10/health/policy/10facts.html?em

25^th Anniversary Minnesota Community Pride Competition Showcase at the Minnesota State Fair September 6

Join your fellow Minnesotans at the Minnesota Community Pride Competition Showcase, Sunday, September 6, at the Minnesota State Fair, Carousel Park stage and exhibit tent, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Over 30 communities and neighborhoods from across the state are competing for cash awards from the Minnesota State Fair.

At the showcase, all communities that entered the competition earlier this summer will be recognized for their community improvement projects, including comprehensive community and economic development, health care, arts & culture, entrepreneurship, natural resources and the environment, green energy, housing, and broadband initiatives.

The program includes several Minnesota Trivia contests, public affairs interviews by MinnPost.com journalists with Minnesota newsmakers, Charlie Maguire’s musical entertainment, and the finale at 12:30 p.m — the Awards Ceremony. The event is co-sponsored by the Minnesota State Fair, MinnPost.com, Minnesota Rural Partners, Inc., and the Blandin Foundation.

FUNDING

 –Small Cities Development Program (SCDP) – Funds for the Program are provided to MN  DEED from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), for the benefit of eligible non-entitlement local units of government (cities, counties, townships) through a competitive application process for a variety of community development needs. The SCDP Fact Sheet provides a detailed description of the program and how it can help your community.  Completed Pre/Short Form Applications are due Thursday, September 3, 2009.  For more information go to:  http://www.deed.state.mn.us/SCDP/ 

– Minnesota Tourism Grants – Organizational Partnership Grant, Innovative Marketing Grant and Scenic Byway Grant guidelines for 2010 grants are now available. These three programs are offered to assist communities in attracting travelers to Minnesota.  Information on the programs and guidelines for each type of grant are posted on the Industry Web Site at: http://industry.exploreminnesota.com/grants.

If you are a Minnesota non-profit tourism or scenic byway organization and want further information about guidelines contact your Regional Manager:

–Central – Carol Altepeter 888-629-6466 or David Bergman 888-563-7777
–Metro – Gayle Junnila 800-757-1852
–Northwest – Carol Altepeter 888-629-6466 or David Bergman 888-563-7777
–Northeast – Tim Campbell 888-876-6784
–Southern – Dave Vogel 888-975-6766
OR call Explore Minnesota Tourism at 800-657-3637; 651-757-1848

–Applications for Rural Hospital Planning and Transition Grants are due September 14. Applications and information are online or contact Doug Benson at doug.benson@state.mn.us of (651) 201-3842

–Water/Wastewater Funding Programs  (Applications accepted throughout year)
USDA Rural Development provides a number of community facility and water/wastewater funding programs for eligible applicants including public bodies, non-profits, and Indian Tribes in rural Minnesota. If you have a project in mind, we encourage you to file an application at your local USDA Rural Development office to begin the application process.

Rural Development accepts applications for these programs at any time and is asking all rural communities, non-profits and Indian tribes with potential projects to get in touch with their local Rural Development office for more information.  For further information on these funding programs, please visit the Minnesota Rural Development web site at www.rurdev.usda.gov/mn.  Once you are at the web site, click on the community programs banner for information on water/wastewater or community facilities programs.  You can also learn about opportunities for housing and business programs at this site. 

– The Laura Jane Musser Fund’s Rural Initiative Program encourages collaborative efforts among citizens in rural communities that will help to strengthen their towns and regions. This program supports projects in rural regions of Colorado, Hawaii, Minnesota, New York, and Wyoming that target a number of civic areas including economic development, business preservation, arts and humanities, public space improvements, and education. The applicant community must have a population of 10,000 or fewer and must be able to demonstrate the rural characteristics of its location. Planning grants of up to $5,000 and implementation grants of up to $25,000 are provided. http://www.musserfund.org/rural.php  Deadline: October 15, 2009

– Funding opportunities available at the Women’s Foundation.  If you are a nonprofit group, program or project that serves women and/or girls in Minnesota, here are funds available for grants with upcoming deadlines:

–Social Change Fund (http://www.wfmn.org/grantmaking/2009SCFRFP.shtml) – October 1, 2009
–girlsBEST (http://www.wfmn.org/grantmaking/2009_girlsBEST_RFP.shtml) – October 15, 2009

MEETINGS /TRAININGS

–The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) is continuing its summer road-trip – the theme of the tour is “Advancing Economic Prosperity: Partnering to Shape Our Future.”  Three-hour-long sessions include Commissioner Dan McElroy’s overview of the economy, what happened in this year’s legislative session, and how federal stimulus dollars will be spent in Minnesota.  Breakout sessions focus on some of the tools that DEED offers for business and community development and how the agency is preparing for the future in terms of job growth, economic development and workforce innovations.  There is time for questions and answers, and a resource fair featuring representatives from state and federal agencies.  Local officials, economic and workforce development leaders, educators, business leaders, legislators and the media are encouraged to attend. Registration begins 30 minutes before each event.

People who plan to attend a session are asked to send an e-mail to Mary Schneider at mary.schneider@state.mn.us . They should include their name, organization and the location of the session that they plan to attend.

Details about the road show are also available at www.PositivelyMinnesota.com .  The remaining sessions are: 

Duluth, Thursday, Aug. 13, 1:30 to 4:30 p.m.
University of Minnesota-Duluth
Griggs Center
1049 University Drive

St. Cloud, Monday, Aug. 17, 1 to 4 p.m.
St. Cloud Public Library
1300 W. St. Germain St.

Fergus Falls, Thursday, Aug. 20, 1:30 to 4:30 p.m.
Minnesota State Community and Technical College
Legacy Hall
1414 College Way

Brainerd, Thursday, Aug. 27, 1 to 4 p.m.
Central Lakes College
501 W. College Drive

–Cultural Heritage Tourism Workshops – regional workshops on how to develop partnerships around cultural heritage tourism. Get some good ideas and network with others in your community and region.  Staff and volunteers from community arts organizations, art studios/galleries, history museums, heritage festivals, lodging businesses, visitor’s bureaus, chambers of commerce and other tourism marketing organizations should attend. Go to www.ontend.com to learn more.  There will also be Regional Panels on the “Success Stories” of partnerships between arts/culture/heritage and tourism organizations that are bringing larger audiences and increased business to their community.

Thief River Falls: Thursday Aug 13 at Best Western Hotel from 10:00am – 4:30pm
Two Harbors: Thursday Oct 1 at Grand Superior Lodge from 9:00am – 3:30pm
New Ulm: Wednesday Oct 14 at Turner Hall from 9:00am – 3:30pm
Paynesville: Monday, Nov 9 at Bug-Bee Hive Resort from 9:00am – 3:30pm

Registration is $45 if paid one week prior to the workshop; $59 thereafter; Registration includes lunch, break and workshop materials.  Register at: http://industry.exploreminnesota.com/culture/  -or- print registration form and fax to: 651/296-7095.

– Agritourism Workshops – Would you like to learn what it would take to develop and run an agritourism business? What is the best way to market your agritourism enterprise? What liability, zoning, and management issues do you need to know about? How can others get involved in developing and building agritourism efforts in your community?  These questions and more will be explored during two Agritourism Workshops in August. Come and learn from a panel of successful agritourism business owners as they discuss the ins and outs of agritourism.  For more information about the workshops, please contact Christy James at christy@rtcinfo.org or by phone at 612-963-0467.

Tuesday, August 18, 11:00 AM – 3:00 pm
The Depot 
100 Aldrich Avenue SW
Wadena, MN

Thursday, August 20, 3:30 – 6:00 PM
Old Milan School Building
404 North 4th Street
Milan, MN

–MCN and the Nonprofits Assistance Fund are offering a new training – Planning for and Managing Uncertainty: Practical Financial Management Tools and Strategies.  In this two-hour training being held in two more locations across the state, you will work with a budget scenario template and a cash flow projection template. As an additional bonus, you are invited to bring your own financials and stay afterwards with any questions you might have.  You can learn more about this event (and many others) at MCN’s Web site: http://www.mncn.org/event_management.htm#FinMgt

Duluth – Wednesday, August 19, 1 – 3 p.m.
This event is co-sponsored with Lake Superior Initiative
Ordean Building, Room B/C
424 West Superior Street, Duluth, 55802
Fees: $25 for MCN Members/$35 for Nonmembers

North Mankato – Thursday, August 20, 1 – 3 p.m.
South Central Service Cooperative Conference Center
2075 Lookout Drive, North Mankato, 56003
Fees: $25 for MCN Members/$35 for Nonmembers

–”People Protecting Manoomin, Manoomin Protecting People” A Symposium Bridging

Worldviews. August 25-27, 2009 at the Shooting Star Casino Event Center, Mahnomen, MN. Traditional Anishinaabe lifestyles and cultural identity are intimately bound to the manoomin spiritually, physically and economically. Discussion will include ways in which Anishinaabe communities are protecting and sustaining the natural wild rice beds in their lands. In recent years the natural wild rice crops in various Anishinaabe communities have been negatively affected by weather, low water tables, and other natural phenomena. The dialogue could provide a venue to exchange knowledge and promote protective measures.  It is also a way to begin a process of consensus to bridge opposing worldviews. Registration is free for tribal community members. Non-Native registration is $110. To register online please go to: http://www.regonline.com/manoomin.

– Free Employer Workshop – Anatomy of an EEO Investigation: De-Mystifying the EEOC Charge and Investigative Process.  A rare opportunity to hear directly from an agency insider, Maria E. Flores, Program Manager for the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.  The workshop will be Tuesday August 25th  from 9 to 11 a.m. at the Duluth Workforce Center (Government Services Bldg.) in Conference Room A. 320 W 2nd St. Ste 205,  Duluth, MN.  Please RSVP @ 218-529-622.

Session information includes:

* how charges are filed      
* the types of charges EEOC receives        
* requests for information and documentation
* onsite investigations    
* types of decisions issued    
* determining damages/ remedy   
* benefits of settlement and mediation  
* practical tips on preparing your responses 

–14th Annual Minnesota Development Conference – Opportunity in Crisis: Reality, Reinvent, Revitalize will be held October 1-2 at the Sheraton Bloomington Hotel.  For further information go to:  http://www.deed.state.mn.us/events/DevConf.htm

–SAVE THE DATE – 6th Annual Native Financial Institution Convening – October 27-30, 2009, Charlotte, NC.  Don’t miss this year’s Native Convening at the 2009 OFN Conference, including the Native Gathering pre-conference, Native training track, the presentation of the Native Awards and much more!  Learn, share and celebrate with your peers in Native community development finance and opportunity creation. For more information on the conference and to register go to:  http://www.opportunityfinance.net/knowledge/conference_resource_center/09/default.aspx?id=4120

–Register now for the nation’s largest convening of nonprofits and foundations - right here in Minnesota. At the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits/Minnesota Council on Foundations Joint Annual Conference, you’ll be able to rub shoulders with national leaders, award winning nonprofits and experts from across the field.  Transforming Our Work: From Challenging Times to Hopeful Futures will be November 5 & 6, 2009 at the Saint Paul RiverCentre.  To learn more and to register, visit the Transforming Our Work website or Register Online at:  http://www.transformingourwork.org/?utm_source=MCNemail3&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=AC

OPPORTUNITIES

–The EDA (Economic Development Administration)Center’s new “Request for Assistance” for projects beginning in 2010 is now online at www.umcedacenter.org.  This Request for Assistance (RFA) is designed to solicit requests from community, county and regional economic development agencies seeking direct technical assistance to support their economic development activities.

The EDA Center does not specifically define the types of assistance that economic development agencies may need. Accordingly, the EDA Center will accept and review all requests for assistance from eligible applicants. However, there are some core competencies of the University that may help guide such requests. These include: market research; technology studies; workforce development studies & support; economic impact analysis; student-supported projects and internships; product development assistance; strategic planning services; statistical studies; technology deployment planning; and support of entrepreneurial program development. Due to the constraints of EDA funding, project time lines should be 1-year or less.

Please remember that eligible applicants must be municipal, county, tribal or regional economic development agencies.  Please contact Jack Geller at University of Minnesota, Crookston for more information. Phone: (218) 281-8248. Email: geller@umn.edu.  The deadline is August 31, 2009.

–National Arts Strategies (NAS) chose Springboard and the Twin Cities as one of their pilot sites for this new Future Leadership program.  Each participant in the Future Leadership event will receive a fellowship covering the full tuition of $500 for the leadership session (that means it’s free!) Acceptance into the program will connect participants to a national network of Future Leadership Fellows, and they will have access to management expertise and advice from National Arts Strategies and the NAS network for a year.  NAS describes their target audience:

    * Mid-career professionals, with 5-15 years of experience in the field interested in advancing to the next level of leadership, in part, by acquiring additional skills
    * Professionals who have just come into a leadership role in a smaller organization and are interested in pursuing additional formalized training
    * Professionals working their way up through larger institutions interested in understanding the politics and paths of advancement and in expanding their professional networks/mentors

For more information go to: http://www.springboardforthearts.org/AboutUs/NAS.asp and/or http://www.artstrategies.org/ and/or http://futureleadership.wordpress.com/

–In coordination with the Office of Higher Education, ORHPC will be administering a new one-time loan repayment program for large animal veterinarians who agree to practice in a designated rural underserved area and work full time in a practice that is 50 percent involved with the care of food animals. Program guidance and applications are expected to be available in the fall. For information, contact Deb Jahnke at debra.jahnke@state.mn.us or (651) 201-3845.

MISCELLANEOUS

–An interactive side-by-side comparison of major health care reform proposals is on the Kaiser Family Foundation site. It includes proposals that have been formally introduced as legislation as well as those that have been offered as principles or in White Paper form.

–The new Health Workforce Data and Information Clearinghouse site is online. ORHPC, Health Education Industry Partnership, Minnesota Hospital Association and Rural Health Resource Center assembled the health career education, employment and financial resources; general demographics; and health care professional data.

–Veterans who applied for enrollment in the Veterans Administration (VA) health care system on or after January 1, 2009, and were denied enrollment are being reconsidered. The VA is contacting nearly half a million veterans with no service-connected disability and with incomes above a certain threshold who may now be eligible for medical care. Provider information on TriCare, a component of the Military Health System for members of the military, their dependents and retirees, is on the ORHPC Resources Web site.

–The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development has several small business publications available at their websites.  Many of these can be downloaded or viewed electronically, and some can also be ordered on book or CD at no cost to you.  Topics pertain to state laws and regulations for starting a business, franchising, employer’s guides, industry reports, and much more.  Go to:  http://www.deed.state.mn.us/publications/

–A steep recession and financial meltdown have led to tight credit markets in rural America. In the latest issue of the Main Street Economist, economist Brian Briggeman explores how credit conditions are evolving for rural business owners, shedding light on current credit markets and providing rural business owners information they can use to identify when credit markets turn. You can find the full article at: http://www.kansascityfed.org/home/subwebnav.cfm?level=3&theID=9825&SubWeb=12

–The U.S. government’s Web site www.mymoney.gov is dedicated to teaching all Americans about financial education. The site provides financial education resources and on-line financial tools and calculators. The site includes the new Money Math: Lessons for Life curriculum designed to teach mathematical concepts using personal finance scenarios. View the curriculum now.

–MyMoneyManagement.net is a unique industry-wide effort to provide consumers with comprehensive financial education resources to help guide their personal finance decision-making. The Web site provides information and encouragement to consumers in financial distress to contact their lenders or a U.S. Department of Justice-certified credit counselor.

–The Financial Services Roundtable’s Housing Policy Council is collaborating with NeighborWorks America, the Homeownership Preservation Foundation, and other lenders to support the 888-995-HOPE hotline and its foreclosure prevention counseling.

– Attention on Rural America   This RUPRI article tells how this summer, top Obama Administration officials, including Cabinet Secretaries, will fan out across the nation to hold a series of discussions on how communities, states, and the federal government can work together to strengthen rural America. Go to:  http://www.rupri.org/leftsidemore.php?selectedid=24

–HUD GIS Tool for Communities – A free downloadable GIS tool with tutorial for communities that allows users to explore HUD project data as well as design and print custom maps.  Go to: http://hudhre.info/index.cfm?do=viewGIStoolIntro

–Rural Active Living Assessment (RALA) Tools offers the ability to assess the physical environment features and amenities, town characteristics, community programs, and policies that could potentially influence levels of physical activity among residents in rural communities.  Go to: http://www.activelivingresearch.org/node/11947

Send us your items for the next Rural Round-Up Newsletter, scheduled to go to press on September 8.  You can email items to jleonard@minnesotaruralpartners.org.

Over 30 communities are in the running for several category awards in the 25th anniversary Minnesota Community Pride competition.

Winners will be announced on September 6, 2009, at the Minnesota State Fair, Carousel Park stage, during the Community Pride showcase program from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Come and share your community pride and see the great efforts of communities in Minnesota striving to connect, create and thrive right through our economic challenges.

Thanks go to the Minnesota State Fair for sponsoring this awesome event, with cash prizes and awards plaques, and MinnPost.com, which is hosting Minnesota Trivia contests and interviews with Minnesota newsmakers during the MN Community Pride Showcase program.

Singer songwriter Charlie Maguire will be on hand to serenade the crowd and communities with his memorable Minnesota songs.

Summer Vacation Edition – Volume VII, No. 7
Deb is on college tours with the kids; Ann is in Dublin, Ireland; Jane is waiting for the next vacation day!

Share Your Community Pride at the 2009 MN State Fair!
Just over one week remains to enter your community or community project in the 25th Anniversary Minnesota Community Pride competition. All participants will be showcased and the winners will be announced at the 2009 Minnesota State Fair on September 6, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Carousel Park stage near the Grandstand. The contest is sponsored by the Minnesota State Fair, MinnPost.com, the Blandin Foundation and MRP, Inc.

Contest details are available at www.ReinventingMinnesota.org. Entry deadline is July 17; cash awards will go to the top winners in each category. You can also email jleonard@minnesotaruralpartners.org or call 651-303-5263 if you have questions.

To help celebrate this first-time event at the State Fair, singer-songwriter Charlie Maguire will share his special brand of grassroots music, and Minnesota Trivia contests and community pride discussions will highlight both our affection for and concerns across the state.

“The State Fair has always been a place and time for Minnesotans to showcase, recognize and share creative ideas and innovations. It’s the perfect venue to spotlight communities that are helping our state be the best we can be,” said lifelong State Fair fan Jane Leonard, one of the contest organizers. “It’s one of the few places left where we all come together as Minnesotans.”

The competition lifts up and publicly recognizes the energy and ingenuity of Minnesota’s communities in both overall community and economic development achievement, and innovations in specific disciplines, such as education, broadband deployment and application, health care, entrepreneurship support, arts & culture, and public finance and more.

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Starting this week: “Recession in Minnesota,” a special MinnPost.com series by Sharon Schmickle which focuses on the impact of the current economic downtown in six different regions of the state. Special thanks to the Blandin Foundation and Otto Bremer Foundation for their support of the coverage of Greater Minnesota.

The series begins with three stories, and will continue with occasional pieces later in the year. Here’s the link to today’s story. http://tinyurl.com/mpnc2d 

To get a great weekly summary of Greater MN news, sign up for the free weekly email, which is sent out on Tuesday afternoons to 2,400+ subscribers.

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Workshops this month on the 2010 round of the Small Cities Development Program (SCDP) grants through Minnesota’s Department of Employment & Economic Development (DEED) office. The program’s primary objective is to “develop viable communities by providing decent affordable housing and a suitable living environment by expanding economic opportunities, principally for persons of low-and-moderate income”. Applications for the grant are due by Thursday, September 3.

These are the dates and locations that are confirmed for the Training Sessions:
Location: Date:
Mankato
Country Inn & Suites
1900 Premier Drive
Mankato, MN 56001
507.388.8555
Maps/Directions

Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Session: 9 a.m. – noon
Bemidji
Holiday Inn Express
2422 Ridgeway Ave NW
Bemidji, MN 56601
218.751.2487
Maps/Directions

Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Session: 9 a.m. – noon
Alexandria
Holiday Inn
5637 Highway 29 South
Alexandria, MN 56308
320.763.6577
Maps/Directions

Thursday, July 23, 2009
Session: 9 a.m. – noon
All Workshops are free and open to the public.
If you have any questions, please contact Gloria Stiehl at 651-259-7462 or gloria.stiehl@state.mn.us.

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The Women’s Foundation of Minnesota has issued a statewide Request for Proposals to apply for multi-year grants through its Social Change Fund. Through the Fund, the Women’s Foundation awards multi-year grants to nonprofits working to increase equality for women and girls in Minnesota by changing attitudes and behaviors, or shifting institutions and policies. Grants are awarded for up to three years of funding, renewable each year based on evidence of satisfactory progress toward goals and outcomes. Information about the grant, the application process, required forms, and link to apply online are available at the Foundation’s website. The grant application deadline is October 1, 2009.

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MacRostie Art Center and OutFront Minnesota invite entries for an art exhibition to heighten awareness and education about issues affecting gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) Minnesotans. The exhibition will be used to encourage thoughtful discussion about ways in which we can make our state safe, fair and just for GLBT people.

Artists are encouraged to submit work addressing their vision of GLBT equality or illustrating discrimination GLBT people face in Minnesota. Submitted works may include drawings, paintings, sculpture, ceramics, textiles, photographs, or mixed media. MacRostie Art Center must receive all entry materials by August 3rd, 2009 (www.macrostieartcenter.org).

The exhibit will open in October 2009 at the MacRostie Art Center and travel to additional art galleries in Greater Minnesota. Several pieces in the show will also be exhibited at the Minnesota State Capitol during the winter in 2010.

If you have questions about the exhibition or the entry process, please contact: Paula Brandel, paula@macrostieartcenter.org, 218/326-2697

We’ll have a full Round-Up published in August. Send any announcements, notes, comments, etc., by August 7 to get into the August 11 Round-Up.

Jane Leonard
President
Minnesota Rural Partners
1533 Grantham St.
St. Paul, MN 55108
USA
phone (651) -303-5263
jleonard@minnesotaruralpartners.org
www.minnesotaruralpartners.org

Enter your community or community project in the 25th anniversary Minnesota Community Pride contest, brought to you by the Minnesota State Fair, MinnPost.com, and MRP, Inc.

All communities will be recognized at the State Fair on September 6; winners will be announced and cash awards given to the top projects in each category.

Enter at www.ReinventingMinnesota.org. Entry deadline is July 17.

Thought folks might be intersted…

Join us in Sioux Falls, South Dakota on August 10-11, 2009 for the Midwest Rural Assembly!

At the Midwest Rural Assembly you will:

§ Share resources and strategies for rural economic and community development opportunities.

§ Hear from and talk with local to national policymakers about your rural policy priorities.

§ Meet other rural leaders and welcome new voices.

§ Begin building a regional network to advance policies and initiatives that can help revitalize rural communities.

For more information about the Midwest Rural Assembly, including registration and speakers, visit www.midwestruralassembly.org or
email midwestruralassembly@iatp.org.

JUNE 2009 – Volume VII, Number 6
Compiled and edited by Deb Miller Slipek, Ann Treacy, and Jane Leonard

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: 25th Anniversary Minnesota Community Pride Competition opens today; entry deadline July 17!

Please help us recruit communities and community projects to enter the contest.
All participants honored and winners announced at the 2009 Minnesota State Fair.

Enter now at http://www.reinventingminnesota.org

ACROSS THE FIELD – Cancellation of Symposium on Small Towns is a big loss to our shared knowledge and spirit.
When I got the news last week that the 7th annual Center for Small Towns Symposium had been cancelled due to low registration numbers, it nearly felt like a death in the family. It was supposed to run June 2 & 3. Minnesota needed the Symposium this year. We needed to gather with our fellow Minnesotans on our western prairie, in Morris, to share the good ideas and build bonds to keep us through the tough days ahead.

This was something out of the planners’ control. The Symposium is one of the least expensive conferences, and one of the best in content, in Minnesota, but potential attendees voted with their pocketbooks to shut it down, to their own detriment.

Now is exactly the wrong time to stop meeting together. Now is the time we need to share ideas and experience, to bolster our know-how and collective spirits. I know someone will write me and say, we need to cut back our budgets; we need to reprioritize what little funds we have to keep basic survival intact.

And I would agree with you – we have to make sure people are getting the health care they need, the education they need, the food they need.

And, do to that now and for the long-term, we have to go the extra mile in the hard times. We must never forget that our ingenuity is what carries us through. And the best way to grow ingenuity is to gather a bunch of really good minds and hearts together to share the ways they are not only coping with this downturn, but starting to thrive again.

The theme of this year’s cancelled event was: “Communities 2050: Building a Livable, Renewable and Responsible Future!” How do they do it that energy project? How do they build a support system for small business development? How do they sustain leadership? Will it work in my community? Those questions were waiting to be answered in Morris. I miss it already.

(Be sure to make use of the Center for Small Town’s on-going resources. Find out more about them at http://www.centerforsmalltowns.org )

MEETINGS /TRAININGS

–The Foreclosure Prevention Workshop is being held on Thursday, June 4th, 2pm-8pm, at the RiverCentre in St. Paul. The parking fee for attendees will be at the reduced rate of $3.00. This workshop is for homeowners that are in jeopardy of losing their home. Homeowners will meet face-to-face with their lenders/servicers to discuss options for modifying their mortgage loan and remaining in their home. In the event their specific lender/servicer is not participating in the workshop, foreclosure prevention counselors and others will be available to assist the homeowner in identifying their options. In addition, there will also be a number of other resources (legal assistance, etc) that attendees might be interested in utilizing. A list of lenders, servicers, and additional resources that will be available during the workshop can be found on the Minnesota Homeownership Center’s website at http://www.hocmn.org/hopenow.cfm

–Access advocates from most of the fifty states will gather in Minneapolis to discuss the challenge of “protecting the public’s right to oversee its government.” The 2009 Summit of the National Freedom of Information Coalition is being hosted locally by the Minnesota Coalition on Government Information, June 5-6 at the Marriott City Center. For more information go to: http://www.mncogi.org/

–The 2009 Minnesota Critical Access Hospital and Rural Health Conference: Rethinking Rural Health Care: A Community Effort is June 15-16 in Duluth. The brochure and online registration is at: www.health.state.mn.us/divs/orhpc/conf/2009/index.html or contact Sally Trnka at (218) 727-9390 ext 233 or strnka@ruralcenter.org.

–Broadband Task Force & Broadband Policy Seminars. This summer the Minnesota Ultra High-Speed Broadband Task Force http://www.ultra-high-speed-mn.org will be on the road:
June 19 – Grand Rapids
July 17 – Mankato
August 21 – Fergus Falls
Blandin Foundation and regional partners including ARDC, Region 9 Development Commission, and Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation, are promoting informed public participation in the Task Force meetings by hosting free seminars prior to each Task Force visit. Each seminar will include regional panelists actively engaged in broadband deployment and use, and time for participants to organize their regional voice for the task force meeting the following day. http://broadband.blandinfoundation.org/events/events-detail.php?intResourceID=870

–Grantseeking for Beginners Seminar will be held June 19th in Willmar. Learn the basics of effective grantseeking from the premier source of Minnesota grantmaking information and knowledge! The Minnesota Council on Foundations’ popular Grantseeking for Beginners seminar provides essential information for grantseekers interested in learning the basics of grantwriting.

At MCF’s seminars, you’ll learn from the experts and leaders in Minnesota’s grantmaking field. The Minnesota Council on Foundations is a well-known and highly regarded source of information and knowledge on the grantmaking field and the grantseeking process and has been offering grantseeking seminars for more than 15 years.

The Grantseeking for Beginners seminar will help you:
• Be more effective in researching potential sources for grant support
• Gain an understanding of good proposal development process, and pinpoint key elements and information to include in your grant proposals
• See the proposal review and decision-making process from a grantmaker’s point of view during a grantmaker panel discussion
This seminar will address foundation and corporate giving only. It will not cover government funding sources. Register by fax or mail at: http://www.mcf.org/MCF/grant/seminar_reg.htm
or for more information contact the Minnesota Council on Foundations at (612)338-1989 or by E-mail: info@mcf.org  

–Free July teachers institute on ecological school sites at Eagle Bluff. Apply now for this free five-day summer institute for teachers and community partners at Eagle Bluff Environmental Learning Center in Lanesboro, Minnesota, July 27-31. Learn about the cultural and natural history of ecosystems through hands-on field activities and create meaningful experiences for students through the process of ecological site restoration.

The course – Outdoor Labs: Ecological Restoration of School Sites – is offered through the University of Minnesota in conjunction with the UM SE Regional Sustainable Development Partnership, Eagle Bluff Environmental Learning Center, LaCrescent Community Education, LaCrescent Middle School and UW-Madison Arboretum’s Earth Partnership for Schools Program.

To apply to the institute, visit www.eagle-bluff.org/educator-workshops.html.

–Save the Date – Cultural Heritage Tourism Workshops. Research shows that cultural heritage travelers make up a significant number of the travelers to Minnesota, and historically, this segment of the travel market has been on the rise. We also know that throughout Minnesota, there is a great deal to offer these travelers. Workshops are being planned this fall to bring together the many types of organizations that make up “Cultural Heritage Tourism” and help capitalize on this growing market. Included in the workshops will be presentations of partnership success stories already working in other communities.
Thief River Falls – Thursday, August 13, 2009, 10 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. (the Heartland meeting will begin the day)
North Shore – Thursday, October 1, 2009, 9 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Metro – Monday, October 5, 2009, 9 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
New Ulm – Wednesday, October 14, 2009, 9 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Central – Monday, November 9, 2009, 9 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Watch for more details at http://industry.exploreminnesota.com.

–Announcing the 2009 MCN/MCF Joint Annual Conference. Transforming Our Work: From Challenging Times to Hopeful Futures will be November 5 & 6, 2009 at the Saint Paul RiverCentre. To learn more and to register, visit the Transforming Our Work website at: http://www.transformingourwork.org/

OPPORTUNITIES

–Minnpost.com has created a weekly news summary newsletter for Greater Minnesota news. Sign up and stay informed at http://www.minnpost.com/mn/

–The Center for Urban and Regional Affairs (CURA) is inviting proposals for the fall 2009 semester for three of it’s Community Based research programs: Neighborhood Planning for Community Revitalization (NPCR), Community Assistantship Program (CAP) and Communiversity (CMV). Students are paid by the programs for the assistantships, making them a good potential source of funding for your students.

CURA Community Based Research Programs provide applied research assistance to community-based groups located outside of the Twin Cities area, neighborhood groups within the metro area, and other nonprofit agencies and groups. This research is administered by three separate programs: the Community Assistantship Program, which works with groups in greater Minnesota; Neighborhood Planning for Community Revitalization, which works with neighborhood organizations in Minneapolis, St. Paul, and first-ring suburbs; and Communiversity, which works with nonprofit organizations, particularly those serving communities of color. These community research projects typically place students in part-time research assistantships for one semester or over the summer. Students are selected by and report to the community organization. Organizations define and direct their research projects.

The goals of these programs are to:

1) enhance the capacity of community-based groups in Minnesota to meet their goals by giving them an opportunity to accomplish relevant applied research;

2) provide students and faculty with useful community-based applied research and learning opportunities.

Applications should come directly from community organizations. The deadline for project proposals is June 30th, 2009. Approved projects will run from August 31st, 2009 to January 13th, 2010. Please follow the link below to find out more or to apply on-line or contact Jeff Corn, CURA Community Program Coordinator at (612) 625-0744.
http://www.cura.umn.edu/Programs/ApplicationProcess.php

FUNDING

–Applications are due June 22 for Office of Rural Health Policy Public Access Defibrillation Demonstration Projects. http://tinyurl.com/mzvxen  

–June 29 is the deadline for the Maternal Child Health Bureau- Epilepsy and Telehealth http://tinyurl.com/lhmbs9  project to demonstrate how existing telehealth programs and networks and sites can improve access to health care for children and youth with epilepsy, and their families, living in rural areas.

–Applications are due July 7 for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Local Funding Partnerships http://www.lifp.org/ to address community health needs through matching grants for innovative projects.

–The National Health Service Corps (NHSC) has received additional resources through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 and will be offering more loan repayment opportunities for health care providers. If your site is located in a Health Professional Shortage Area, you may be eligible to apply for recruitment assistance from the NHSC. Physicians specializing in family medicine, general internal medicine, general pediatrics, obstetrics/gynecology, and primary care nurse practitioners and physician assistants, dentists and dental hygienists, and mental or behavioral health providers are eligible to apply for NHSC loan repayment. Information on clinic and provider eligibility is online at NHSC or contact Deb Jahnke at debra.jahnke@state.mn.us or (651) 201-3845. Participating clinics and providers must be located in Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSAs). HPSAs are federal designations to identify areas of greatest need, so that limited resources can be prioritized and directed to the people in those areas. The Office of Rural Health and Primary Care analyzes areas throughout Minnesota to determine shortage areas of primary care, dental or mental health providers. HPSA information is online http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/orhpc/shortage/index.html or contact Lee Schutz at leona.schutz@state.mn.us  or (651) 201-3860.

MISCELLANEOUS

–Recession has weighed heavily on the demand for agricultural products, leading to sharply lower agricultural commodity prices. In the latest Main Street Economist, Vice President and Omaha Branch Executive Jason Henderson explores when demand may bounce back for U.S. agricultural products, and if the bounce will be strong enough to spark another farm boom. You can find the full article on the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City’s Web site at: http://www.kansascityfed.org/RegionalAffairs/MainStreet/MainStMain.htm?ealert=MSE0511

–AMBER WAVES, June 2009 – Amber Waves presents the broad scope of ERS’s research and analysis. The magazine covers the economics of agriculture, food and nutrition, the food industry, trade, rural America, and farm-related environmental topics. Available on the internet and in print, Amber Waves is issued in print five times a year (February, April, June, September and November). The internet edition, or “eZine,” includes links to web –only resources, such as podcasts and additional articles. See: http://www.ers.usda.gov/AmberWaves/June09/

–Beginning Farmers and Ranchers – USDA defines beginning farmers and ranchers as those who have operated a farm or ranch for 10 years or less either as a sole operator or with others who have operated a farm or ranch for 10 years or less. Beginning farmers tend to be younger than established farmers and to operate smaller farms or ranches, some of which may provide no annual production. Beginning farmers often face obstacles getting started, including high startup costs and limited availability of land. USDA—through the Farm Service Agency and the Natural Resources Conservation Service—provides loans and conservation assistance to beginning farmers and ranchers. This report draws on data from annual surveys and the Census of Agriculture to provide policymakers with a better understanding of beginning farmers and ranchers, including how they contribute to U.S. agricultural production. See: http://www.ers.usda.gov/Publications/EIB53

–Food Policy: Check the List of Ingredients – Policies designed to improve the diet quality and health of Americans are likely to have only marginal effects on consumers’ food choices. However, policies targeted directly at consumers such as nutrition information and education programs, along with labeling regulations, can spur the reformulation of products with healthier ingredients by stimulating competition among food manufacturers to offer products that appeal to health-conscious consumers. Manufacturers’ responsiveness to food policy provides policymakers with a lever to affect diet quality for large numbers of consumers. Effective use of this lever can help stimulate a chain reaction leading to healthy food reformulations and a more nutritious food supply. See: http://www.ers.usda.gov/AmberWaves/June09/Features/FoodPolicy.htm

–MCF 2009 Giving Forecast by Minnesota Grantmakers. As part of MCF’s effort to provide nonprofits and the broader public with current information, they have launched a 2009 Giving Forecast by Minnesota Grantmakers http://www.mcf.org/MCF/resource/economy/forecast.htm web page. The page includes updates on giving guidelines, changes in funding focuses, and special initiatives.

–”Recession and Recovery across the Nation: Lessons from History” this article finds that the timing and depth of regional recessions typically vary widely, with several Fed districts regularly outperforming others. See:
http://www.kansascityfed.org/publicat/econrev/ermain.htm?ealert=ER0526