• Simple Item 5
  • Simple Item 4
  • Simple Item 6
  • Simple Item 3
  • Simple Item 1
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5

Innovation Matters Education Opportunities 07/15/2021

Events and Learning Opportunities

USDA Rural Development Events:

7/15: Rural Workforce Innovation Network (RWIN) Workshop: Resources for Employers and Employees in the Clean Energy Industry
Join USDA and members of RWIN to learn about resources to support rural employees and employers in the clean energy industry. USDA hosts monthly RWIN workshops. Visit www.rd.usda.gov/rwin to sign up for future workshops.

7/21: Rural Placemaking Innovation Challenge (RPIC) Office Hours
USDA staff will be available for Q&A about the application process.

7/28: OneRD Guarantee Lender Office Hours
USDA invites lenders to attend office hours to learn more about the OneRD Guarantee Loan Initiative.


Other Learning Opportunities:

7/16: Pathfinders: Climate-Smart Solutions from Rural America and Native Nations
Join Aspen Institute Community Strategies Group, the Housing Assistance Council, the Rural Community Assistance Partnership and Rural LISC to hear stories and glean practical tips from rural regions that are leading the way to this better future through climate-smart innovations. 

7/20: Talent Forward: Addressing the Workforce Shortage
Join US Chamber of Commerce Foundation to address worker shortage challenges from multiple vantage points — with a focus on solutions.

8/10-8/11: Create Thriving Communities Virtual Event
Affordable Housing Finance and Multifamily Executive takes a deep dive into the critical need for missing middle housing. Content will focus on all angles of finance, design, development, and management.

8/12: Telecom Program FY2022 Request for Services Best Practices Webinar
Join the RHC program team as we walkthrough the FCC Form 465 and discuss best practices for submitting your FY22 request for services

COVID-19 Recovery Resources

Biden-Harris Administration Extends Foreclosure Moratorium to Provide Relief to Homeowners
The U.S. Department of Agriculture extended through July 31, 2021, the moratorium on foreclosures from properties financed by USDA Single-Family Housing Direct and Guaranteed loans. These actions will bring relief to hundreds-of-thousands of residents in rural America who have housing loans through USDA.

Biden-Harris Administration Extends Moratorium of Residential Evictions in USDA Multifamily Housing Communities in Accordance with CDC Guidance

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention extended through July 31, 2021, the moratorium on evictions of the hundreds-of-thousands of Americans who live in multifamily housing communities supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The Emergency Connectivity Fund
Universal Service Administrative Company
The Federal Communications Commission is making funds available to help schools and libraries provide the tools and services their communities need for remote learning during the COVID-19 emergency period. Deadline: Aug. 13, 2021

Crisis Community Care Fund
Pride Foundation
The Pride Foundation is making grants available for groups and organizations meeting emerging needs of LGBTQ+ communities due to the impacts of COVID-19 in Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, and Washington. Rural, Black, Indigenous, and people of color are priority populations. Application Deadline: Year-round

Innovation Matters Education Opportunities 06/22/2021

Publications and Resources

USDA Resource Guide for Rural Workforce Development
USDA unveiled a resource guide to help rural community leaders start and expand employment opportunities and access resources to train, recruit and create a sustainable rural workforce.

USDA Publishes Federal Register Notice for Public Input on Racial Justice and Equity
USDA published a notice requesting public input on its efforts to advance racial justice and equity across the Department. It will be available for public input until July 15, 2021, via the Federal Register.

Top Tips for Helping Your Small Business Survive a Disaster or a Crisis
Natural disasters can be a nightmare for small businesses. SCORE outlines tips that can help you take step-by-step approach to survive and rebuild a business after any kind of calamity.

Atlas of Rural and Small-Town America
View the diversity of challenges and opportunities across America's counties. View indicators about people, jobs, income, veterans, and county types. The atlas has been updated to include annual unemployment/employment data for 2020; earlier estimates were revised. 

NTIA Creates First Interactive Map to Help Public See the Digital Divide Across the Country NTIA map links poverty usage and broadband access by compiling data sets to show where high-poverty communities are located with relation to internet usage patterns and access to computers and related equipment

Event Opportunities

OneRD Guarantee Loan Initiative Quarterly Lender Feedback Forum  
June 23 | Virtual Forum
USDA Rural Development invites lenders to join the second session of a quarterly feedback forum who are interested in applying to, or have applied to, programs under the OneRD Guarantee Loan Initiative.

BroadbandUSA Webinar Series: NTIA Broadband Grant Programs
National Telecommunications & Information Administration (NTIA) offers various workshops to discuss the three new broadband grant programs: 

Broadband Infrastructure Deployment Grants Program

Tribal Broadband Connectivity Grants Program

Connecting Minority Communities Pilot Program

CDFA Rural Development Finance Webinar: Best Practices for Rural Development Finance Agencies
Aug. 31 | Webinar
Discover best practices of development finance agencies to help you identify the right partner for your projects.

Cooperating to Enhance Native American Food Economies
Aug. 2- 5 | Virtual

This webinar series will explore the role of cooperatives in developing agriculture infrastructure and food systems in Indian Country.

Innovation Matters Education Opportunities 06/08/2021

Publications and Resources

A Proclamation on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Pride Month, 2021
President Biden proclaims June 2021 as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Pride Month.

Housing Assistance Council (HAC)
HAC has flexible loan capital available to support preservation of USDA Section 515 properties, HUD-subsidized properties, and naturally occurring affordable housing in rural places.

Community Capacity Building, Shaping the Future of Hometowns
This paper published by e2 Entrepreneurial Ecosystems, within their Rural Community Prosperity Development Framework, offers capacity building assistance to communities to lead in successful economic development.

Recovery Housing Program (RHP) Quick Guides
HUD provides rules and requirements for implementing the RHP program, examples of nationally recognized models for implementing recovery housing, best practices for forming partnerships across sectors, and guidance for accessing peer-to-peer support.

A New Path Forward: Place-Based Solutions for a Stronger Workforce Ecosystem.
Accelerator for America, with funding from the Kauffman Foundation, released a guide to help develop a workforce that meets the current needs of businesses and aims to alleviate chronic unemployment. The guide includes three pathways and four best practices to develop a dynamic “workforce ecosystem.”

Mobilizing Health Care Workforce via Telehealth 
ProviderBridge.org was created by the Federation of State Medical Boards through the CARES Act and the FORHP-supported Licensure Portability Program. The site provides up-to-date information on emergency regulation and licensing by state as well as a provider portal to connect volunteer health care professionals to state agencies and health care entities. 

Event Opportunities

Rural Workforce Innovation Network Workshop: Resources to Support Employees and Employers in the Rural Health Care Industry
June 10 | Virtual Workshop
Interested parties must register by Tuesday, June 8. Registrants will receive a calendar invitation with the Microsoft Teams link 24 hours ahead of the meeting start time.
In this workshop, representatives from USDA Rural Development and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will participate in a panel discussion to share resources to support rural employees and employers in the health care industry.

Annual Native American Economic Development Conference
June 14 - 15 | Conference
Through a variety of panels and interactive discussions, attendees will engage with top experts focusing on economic diversification.

Native CDFI 6th Annual Capital Access Virtual Convening
June 21 - 24 | Virtual Convening
Join a breakout session on June 23 to learn about the RD programs that Native CDFIs most often utilize. USDA will then present information on the process of unregulated lenders becoming an approved lender for the 502 Guaranteed Loan Homeownership Program and the OneRD Guaranteed Loan Initiative.

OneRD Guarantee Loan Initiative Quarterly Lender Feedback Forum  
June 23 | Virtual Forum
USDA Rural Development invites lenders to join the second session of a quarterly feedback forum who are interested in applying to, or have applied to, programs under the OneRD Guarantee Loan Initiative.

BroadbandUSA Webinar Series: NTIA Broadband Grant Programs
National Telecommunications & Information Administration (NTIA) offers various workshops to discuss the three new broadband grant programs: The Broadband Infrastructure Program, The Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program, and The Connecting Minority Communities Program.

Broadband Infrastructure Deployment Grants Program

Tribal Broadband Connectivity Grants Program

Connecting Minority Communities Pilot Program

CDFA Rural Development Finance Webinar: Best Practices for Rural Development Finance Agencies
Aug. 31 | Webinar
Discover best practices of development finance agencies to help you identify the right partner for your projects.

Innovation Matters Education Opportunities 05/23/2021

Publications and Resources

Combating Racism Advances Health Equity
In this article, HHS Office of Minority Health's Public Health Advisor Juliet Bui writes about how the Asian American and Pacific Islander community has experienced racism during the public health crisis. Not only are actions motivated by intolerance inherently wrong, but there is also evidence that suggests that they can affect the health and mental health of individuals and communities.

A Proclamation on Asian American and Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander Heritage Month President Biden reminds us, “The American story as we know it would be impossible without the strength, contributions, and legacies of Asian American, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders who have helped build and unite this country in each successive generation."

The Megaphone of Main Street: Unsung Entrepreneurs
This installment of SCORE’s publication focuses on unsung entrepreneurs as critical representatives of the current U.S. small business landscape.

4 Reasons to Value U.S. National Forests
The Pew Charitable Trusts offers key reasons to protect and value our National Forests to support the environment, heritage and the economy.

ERS: The COVID-19 Pandemic and Rural America
USDA offers information on how the pandemic is affecting rural America, including the spread of cases and trends in employment/unemployment among the U.S. metro and nonmetro populations and by ERS' county economic types.

Event Opportunities

Joint USDA & DOI Listening Session: Tribal Bison
June 1 | Virtual Listening Session
Join the United States Department of Agriculture and the Department of Interior for the first of a three-part series of listening sessions on Tribal Bison, co-sponsored by the Intertribal Buffalo Council.

Outdoor Recreation Roundtable’s Annual Conference
June 1-2 | Virtual Conference
The Outdoor Recreation Roundtable hosts a virtual venue where stakeholders from federal agencies, businesses and non-profits come together to discuss the future of outdoor recreation.

Rural Workforce Innovation Network Workshop: Rural Health Industry
June 10 | Virtual Workshop

Representatives from USDA Rural Development and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will participate in a panel discussion to share resources to support rural employees and employers in the health care industry. Interested parties must register by Tuesday, June 8. Registrants will receive a calendar invitation with the Microsoft Teams link 24 hours ahead of the meeting's start time.

OneRD Guarantee Lender Feedback Forum
June 23 | Virtual Forum
Join USDA Rural Development for a feedback forum for lenders who have applied or are interested in applying to programs under the OneRD Guarantee Loan Initiative. The forum will provide lenders the opportunity to share ideas on how USDA can improve the application process and servicing options under the initiative.

BroadbandUSDA Webinar Series: NTIA Broadband Grant Programs
National Telecommunications & Information Administration (NTIA) offers various workshops to discuss the three new broadband grant programs: The Broadband Infrastructure Program, The Tribal Broadband Connectivity Program, and The Connecting Minority Communities Program. Broadband Infrastructure Deployment Grants Program

Tribal Broadband Connectivity Grants Program

Connecting Minority Communities Pilot Program

COVID-19 Recovery Resources

Quick Links to COVID-19 Recovery Resources

To access programs that can be used to provide immediate and long-term assistance to rural communities affected by the COVID-19 outbreak, download the COVID-19 Federal Rural Resource Guide.

Visit www.coronavirus.gov for the latest news from the CDC on Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Visit www.rd.usda.gov/coronavirus for the latest news from Rural Development on how we are helping our partners, customers, and stakeholders impacted by COVID-19.

  

promisetag

Our FB Feed