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Andres Letter, September 25, 2015

Publications, Tools, Learning, Funding

 

PUBLICATIONS:

 

Why Don't Foundations Build Capacity in Fundraising?

Foundations often encourage nonprofits -- especially grassroots organizations -- to develop non-foundation income streams as part of sustainability. So then why do so few of our grant makers invest in building the capacity of those groups to raise independent money? Aaron Dorfman of the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy takes on this mystery:

http://www.blueavocado.org/node/960#sthash.gjTS9GCH.dpuf

 

Investing in Strong Rural Communities

Suzanne Anarde, Vice-President of the Rural Local Initiatives Support Corporation, writes in the ABA Banking Journal about the right mix of resources, critical partnerships and creative thinking that can spur economic revival in financially battered rural areas.
http://rurallisc.createsend1.com/t/r-l-ftkhtkl-l-jr/

 

ABA Hosts Meeting to Address Rural Appraiser Shortage

To help address the pending shortage of rural property appraisers — and the implications for agricultural and commercial credit in rural communities — ABA’s Center for Agricultural and Rural Banking and ABA’s Commercial Real Estate Committee convened a meeting yesterday of key stakeholders from the banking industry, federal government, appraisal industry and others.
http://bankingjournal.aba.com/2015/09/aba-hosts-meeting-to-address-rural-appraiser-shortage/

 

TOOLS:

CDFI Fund Releases “Expanding CDFI Coverage in Underserved Areas” Webinar Schedule
The “Expanding CDFI Coverage in Underserved Areas” webinars are free and open to the general public, but advanced registration is required to access the presentation. Registration may be completed up until the start time listed for each individual session. Click here to register. To learn more about “Expanding CDFI Coverage in Underserved Areas” series and the other training series available under the Capacity Building Initiative, please visitwww.cdfifund.gov/cbi.

 

How Healthy is your Community, from the Robert Woods Johnson Foundation.  See a health snap shot of your county, trends and factors that affect health in your county. http://www.countyhealthrankings.org/

 

The National Association of Development Organizations (NADO) Research Foundation has launched a new online resource of tools to help rural regions and small towns, drawing on their four-year capacity-building role with the Sustainable Communities Learning Network. Access the resources here.

 

LEARNING:

 

Strengthening the SWOT: Identifying & Understanding Regional Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities & Threats (Recorded Webinar + Slides)
These free hour-long webinars showcase Economic Development Districts throughout the country that have taken innovative planning approaches to integrating economic resilience into their CEDS through aligning existing regional planning processes, robustly analyzing their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, and developing relevant and realistic metrics for measuring their progress. The second installment focused on strengthening the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, & Threats (SWOT) analysis. Training was provided on how to craft a more effective SWOT analysis and incorporate the findings into goal setting and performance metrics. Video and slides available Here
Be sure to check out the previous installment of this series “Planning more Efficiently & Effectively: Aligning the CEDS with Other Regional Plans

 

Rural Assistance Center (RAC) has developed a guide titled “Rural Hunger and Access to Healthy Food”. A nutritious diet is important for maintaining good health, but accessing fresh and affordable food can be a challenge for some rural residents. This RAC topic guide provides information on how to address food security issues in every rural community, including funding and assistance programs, model programs, strategies, and more. Access the guide here.

 

The Chris and Andres Letter, September 18, 2015

Note from the editors: As mentioned last week, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. are now managing and publishing this these e-mails. We’d like to thank Suzette for all the hard work she’s put into making them such a useful resource over the years. If any readers have any suggestions or feedback, we’d love to hear it! We know we’ve got big shoes to fill here.

 

PUBLICATIONS:

USDA and EPA Join with Private Sector, Charitable Organizations to Set Nation’s First Food Waste Reduction Goals. USDA blog, 09/16/15. Food waste contributes to $1500 per family in food waste annually and comprises the largest percent of solid municipal waste in the United States. In response to this, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and EPA Deputy Administrator Stan Meiburb called for a 50% reduction in food waste by 2030, which builds on previous federal, nonprofit, and private sector-led programs like the US Food Waste Challenge, food waste apps, and the new food waste education section on ChooseMyPlate.gov. 

 

Income and Poverty in the United States: 2014
Reports on income levels and the number of people in poverty for 2013 and 2014, along with the percent change from 2013 to 2014. Includes statistics for metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas (see Table 1 and Table 3). Based on data from the 2015 Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement, which had redesigned questions related to income. Tables D-1 and D-2 provides metro/nonmetro data for the traditional 2013 and redesigned 2013 income and poverty measures.
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Census Bureau
Date: 09/2015

National Advisory Committee on Rural Health & Human Services Meeting Minutes, Slade, Kentucky, May 27-29, 2015
Provides a summary of the National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services meeting. Discusses health disparities in the Appalachia region, social determinants of health including poverty, as well as federal programs and how they address these challenges.
Sponsoring organization: National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services
Date: 05/2015

Health Summary Important for Coordinating Care with Non-VA Providers
Sep 15, 2015 -- This blog entry provides a progress report on the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs' electronic health record exchange program called the Veteran Initiated Electronic Care Coordination project. Reports progress in helping rural veterans coordinate care among multiple providers, both inside and outside the Veterans Affairs system.
Source: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

Senate Passes Bipartisan Legislation to Preserve Rural Access to Therapy Services
Sep 11, 2015 -- Announces the Senate's passage of a bill to extend the prohibition of enforcement of CMS's direct supervision policy for outpatient therapeutic services through December 31, 2015. The passage allows time to advance the Protecting Access to Rural Therapy Services (PARTS) legislation which allows for the general supervision of most outpatient therapeutic services to be done by a physician or non-physician provider, thus ensuring that rural hospitals can continue to provide these needed services to patients in their own communities.
Source: Office of Senator John Thune (SD)

CMS Releases First Ever Plan to Address Health Equity in Medicare
Sep 8, 2015 -- Announces the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Office of Minority Health’s plan to address health equity and eliminate health disparities for underserved beneficiaries. The plan outlines six priorities and targets Medicare populations that have disproportionately high levels of disease, low quality care, and difficulty accessing care, including those living in rural areas.
Source: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

Assessing Rural-Urban Nurse Practitioner Supply and Distribution in 12 States
A policy brief comparing the distribution of nurse practitioners (NPs) in rural and urban areas through the analysis of license records and the National Provider Identifier (NPI) data from 12 states.
Sponsoring organization: WWAMI Rural Health Research Center
Date: 08/2015

Running a Food Hub: A Business Operations Guide
The USDA report, Running a Food Hub: A Business Operations Guide, was just released and provides ample resources to the ins and outs of food hub operations. The second report in a 3-part series, this 'how to' guide provides in-depth guidance on starting and running a food hub enterprise, including classifications, operations, marketing, products and servicing, and risks. Check out the recently released report, or take a look at Volume 1: Lessons Learned From the Field.

Measuring the Impact of Public Markets and Farmers Markets on Local Economies.

During GoodGreens meetings we’ve often referenced studies that show the economic impact of farmers markets on local retailers and local economies.

Food Stamp Spending at Farmers Markets Increased 500% in Seven Years. Natural News, 09/07/2015.

The USDA has prioritized making farmers markets SNAP user-accessible. Since 2008, the number of SNAP-authorized markets has increased from 753 to more than 6400 and SNAP spending has increased by more than 500%. At farmers markets, local producers share growing techniques, build community with shoppers, and promote food self-reliance.

 

 

TOOLS:

Illinois Food and Agribusiness Guide by the Illinois Department of Agriculture lists any company or farm that either produces, processes, packages, or is headquartered in Illinois. This guide can help connect producers to restaurants and buyers.

LEARNING:

University of Wisconsin Center for Cooperatives (with examples from the Midwest) – probably the best website about co-ops in the English language (they used to get 100,000 hits a month).
http://www.uwcc.wisc.edu/whatisacoop/

The Federation of Southern Cooperatives has similar information, but with some nice examples from the South.
http://www.federationsoutherncoop.com/coopinfo/cooparchive.htm

The Cooperative Development Institute provides co-op development in the Northeast (excellent organization).  They have an informative section called “Ask Co-op Cathy” for in-depth issues. 
http://www.cdi.coop/resource-center/about-co-ops/

The California Center for Cooperative Development provides similar information, but with interesting examples of housing co-ops, student co-ops, and day care co-ops (a shout out to Scott).
http://www.cccd.coop/info

Northwest Cooperative Development Center is an excellent center and concentrates services on sectors that are of interest to CED (but their website isn’t as strong on the basics of what is a co-op).  Click on “sectors” for an overview of their focus areas.
http://nwcdc.coop/

The Census Bureau's poverty, income and health insurance release:

Income and Poverty in the United States:  2014: http://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2015/demo/p60-252.pdf

Health Insurance Coverage in the United States:  2014:  http://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2015/demo/p60-253.pdf 

Census Bureau's presentation slides with data points:  http://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/newsroom/press-kits/2015/20150916_ip_slides_plot_points.pdf 

Supplemental Poverty Measure:  2014: http://www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/publications/2015/demo/p60-254.pdf

Basics:  official poverty numbers flat - disappointing.  Supplemental poverty measure shows decrease overall, very big decrease and much lower poverty numbers for children - in part owing to anti-poverty effectiveness of programs that assist children.

Full recording of CHN webinar: http://chn.peachnewmedia.com/streaming/interface-v7.php?topic=117260&band=1&stream=1&id=&semid=46565&provider=106&custid=&static=1 

CHN Webinar slides:  http://chn.peachnewmedia.com/store/streaming/seminar-launch.php?key=8zAjCtMLul8oewvEeVHnozOPumWr5FNHwKeHuDZJtJQ%3D#

 

Suzette's Letter, September 11, 2015

Special Notes:

  1. I have come across an excellent email blast similar to my own, but more focused on local foods, called Good Greens, you saw some of the material last week.  The email is quite large, so I picked the very best funding announcements, however there was other excellent material as well. Alan Shannon at USDA Food Nutrition Service (FNS) manages that list - This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., and he welcomes anyone to sign-up, please send him an email if you would like to receive it.  It comes out every 7-10 days and he also sends out a separate email on USDA grants as well.
  1. I will be going on detail to another agency outside of USDA, and so this will be my last week putting these emails together, at least for 6 months.  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. (Chris) will be taking over managing the list and providing content.  I know they will appreciate any feedback you can provide on content or format, whether good or bad.  Your input and feedback over the years has certainly guided my eye in finding the very best items to share.  It has been a pleasure to put this together to serve your needs.  Be well, and keep moving forward.

PUBLICATIONS

A Mismatch Between Need and Affluence, Chronicle of Philanthropy| READ STORY

It's a common combination across the country: Residents of areas with high standards of living, low poverty, and low crime give less to charity than those in less well-off areas. That's one finding from new data, compiled by The Chronicle of Philanthropy, combining giving behavior with quality-of-life measurements for 2,670 counties across the United States. It's based on data from The Chronicle's How America Gives study, which shows the share of income Americans in different parts of the country have donated.

Nonmetro job growth accelerates in 2015, but is unevenly distributed

The number of rural (nonmetro) jobs rose by 239,000 (1.2 percent) between the second quarters of 2014 and 2015, more than double the rate of growth over the prior year. Rural job growth still lags behind the rate of growth in metro areas, which saw the number of jobs rise by 1.8 percent over this period. Moreover, while the number of jobs in urban areas now exceeds the peak levels recorded prior to the Great Recession in 2007, rural employment is still well below its pre-recession peak. Rural job growth was unevenly distributed; some 1311 rural counties saw no change or an increase in jobs (ranging up to 69 percent growth), but 665 experienced job declines, with the largest decline being 19 percent. Rural counties in several oil and gas-producing states, such as Texas, Kansas, and North Dakota, which had generally experienced job growth between 2013 and 2014, experienced declines in 2014-15. The vast majority (88 percent) of rural counties in the block of Southern States stretching from Arkansas to Georgia experienced job growth, whereas, in 2013-14, 71 percent of these rural counties had employment losses. This map updates one found in the ERS report, Rural America At a Glance, 2014 Edition.

TOOLS

U.S. Census Bureau Releases County-to-County Commuting Flows

EPA Releases New Self-Assessment Tool for Rural Communities and Small Towns
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Sustainable Communities has recently released the Smart Growth Self-Assessment for Rural Communities, a compilation of strategies, organized by 11 common “goal areas,” that towns and small cities can use to evaluate their existing policies to create healthy, environmentally resilient, and economically robust places.  This self-assessment helps communities identify gaps in their policies, plans, codes, and zoning regulations by asking a series of “Yes” or “No” questions.  This self-assessment tool is broad and interdisciplinary.  Each section focuses on a specific set of issues and will likely require input from multiple parts of the local government, as well as from community residents and other stakeholders.  Click here for more information and to download the tool.   

LEARNING

FHWA to Hold Webinar on State of Logistics Report
On September 16 from 1:00 – 2:30 p.m. ET, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration will hold the webinar “2015 Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals State of Logistics Report” as part of its monthly Talking Freight professional development series.  The State of Logistics Report is one of the most important reports in the goods movement and freight logistics industry, providing an overview of current goods movement and freight logistics trends, and freight volumes and economic health of the various freight transportation mode industries.  Understanding the “lay of the land” in the goods movement and freight logistics industry can help both public and private sector transportation organizations better understand current and possible future freight transportation planning needs.  It can also provide insights into the business aspects of freight transportation, information typically not available to or examined by many public sector freight transportation professionals.  When examined in concert with transportation infrastructure needs, it can help government sector transportation officials gain better understanding of the impact infrastructure investment, or lack thereof, can have on supply chain operations and ultimately business sustainability.  Clickhere to register for the webinar

Advancing Economic Success – Community Foundations Building Family, Community and Regional Prosperity provided an opportunity for community foundation leaders to more deeply explore and share how they are addressing critical community issues and working to advance regional development in ways that build wealth for all. At the event, participants learned about the organizing framework of Community Development Philanthropy and heard stories from community foundations that are helping families get ahead and those that are helping local and regional economies get ahead. 

Click here to view presentations and videos from the workshop, and be sure to follow @AspenCSG and @e2ruralcenter for more stories and ideas related to community development philanthropy!

Project Lead the Way

  
            
                  
       

Kentucky PLTW State Conference is         Approaching Quickly.
        With the help of our network of         supporters across the state we have been able to develop over         30 breakout sessions for this year's conference. They cover a diverse         range of topics such as:

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              - How to Counsel for Careers 
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              - 3D Printing and Scanning for the Future
              - Tours of Industry 
       

Check out the link below for         more information. 

       
     
                           
     
                                 
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