Broadband and Economic Opportunities webinar

Suzette's Letter, February 1, 2016

PUBLICATIONS

USDA Rural Development 2015 Progress Report
Highlights the investments USDA Rural Development has made to promote community and economic development including the support for healthcare facilities and the support for projects that impact the health and safety of rural Americans. Provides state-by-state statistics on the total amount of funding for each of the USDA-RD programs. Includes information on USDA-RD funding for Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Western Pacific.
Sponsoring organization: USDA Rural Development
Date: 01/2016

Investing in Educator Capacity: An Analysis of State 'Race to the Top' Spending
Race to the Top, a $4.35 billion federal grant competition launched in 2009 with the goal of sparking improvements in K-12 education, drove significant reform at the state level, a report from the Center for American Progress finds.

FCC Petition: Better Rural Broadband Means More Telehealth Services
Jan 26, 2016 -- Describes a coalition of telehealth and health IT organizations and its effort to petition the Federal Communications Commission to improve wireless and broadband access in rural areas to encourage further development of telehealth capabilities in these areas.
Source: mHealth Intelligence

EVENTS/LEARNING

Rural Gateway Peer-To-Peer Conference Call: U.S. Department of Justice Coordinated Tribal Assistance Solicitation Funding Opportunity: A Discussion of Best Practices - February 9, 2016 - 2 PM EST

The Office of Rural Housing and Economic Development (ORHED) invites you to take part in our next Peer-to-Peer conference call. Scheduled for February 9, 2016, this call will offer participants the opportunity to learn about available activities through the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).

Call-in instructions and additional materials will be emailed to participants on February 5, 2016. The 60 minute call will include presentations and a Q&A session.
Please RSVP by email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. no later than close of business on February 5, 2016. Please include your name and organization.
If you have any questions, please call 1-877-RURAL-26 (1-877-787-2526).

CDFA Launches NEW Brownfield Technical Assistance Program: Online Project Marketplace

The Council of Development Finance Agencies (CDFA) has recently launched a new and innovative platform for specialized project-based technical assistance. Online Project Marketplace is an opportunity for communities to receive individual assistance with brownfields redevelopment projects through an open, online round-table discussion with redevelopment experts. If chosen to participate in the Online Project Marketplace, your community will give a brief presentation during the online conference detailing the specifics of your brownfield site, and will be followed by an open discussion among community officials, technical assistance partners and experts to provide you with initial suggestions in moving forward with your redevelopment plans and identifying financing sources. CDFA notes that communities that have already assessed and/or cleaned-up the site in question, or at least have a clean-up plan in place, are in the best position to take advantage of this opportunity. To enroll in the Online Project Marketplace, complete the application provided HERE. CDFA staff will follow up with you at the contact information you provide below to confirm your submission.

Date: Friday February 2nd - 4th, 2016 | 12PM - 5PM

Targeted Community Reinvestment: HUD’s Section 108 Loan Guarantee Program as a Financing Tool - 2016 Update Webinar - February 10, 2016 - 2 PM EST

This webinar, to be held on February 10, 2016, will describe how the Section 108 Loan Guarantee Program (Section 108) can serve as an important financing tool in targeting reinvestment for economic development, public facilities and improvements, and housing rehabilitation. The loan guarantees can help recipients leverage limited public resources to catalyze investment in communities, especially those facing, among other challenges, persistent poverty and the need to increase community resilience following the impact of natural disasters.

Along with this information, the webinar will explain recent rule changes that permit HUD to charge borrowers a one-time fee upon loan approval. The webinar also will provide an overview of how Section 108 recipients should be using HUD’s Integrated Disbursement and Information System (IDIS) to track and disburse funds.

Blog | Mentoring: A Proven Tool For Building A More Dynamic and Diverse Workforce

Throughout my career, mentors changed my trajectory.  Through them I met successful people who were willing to listen to my ideas—and give their advice on how to turn them into great opportunities. 

Blog | 4 Steps to Changing Your Business Structure

There are many reasons to consider a business structure change. With a different business structure, would your business be more successful? 

Blog | 10 Benefits of Business Planning for all Businesses

It's a shame that so many people think business plans are just for startups, or to back up loan applications, or for getting investors. The truth is that business planning offers serious benefits for everybody in business.

Webinars | Affordable Care Act 101

 SBA and Small Business Majority will host free Affordable Care Act 101 webinars so small business owners can learn the basics of the Affordable Care Act and how they can enroll in health insurance marketplaces. The webinars begin at 2pm ET.

February 18: Register now

March 3: Register now

March 17: Register now

March 31: Register now

April 14: Register now

April 28: Register now

Marketing Tips for Small Businesses | 4 Steps to Changing Your Business Structure

Marketingis an integral part of starting and managing a business. Learn more with SBA resources and from our contributing small business experts.  

The Power of Emotional Marketing
What does emotional marketing mean, and how can your small business tap into it?

Rebrand Your Business, Step By Step
Is it time to rebrand your business? Different from simply freshening up your marketing materials, rebranding means changing the entire "personality" of your business. 

7 Ways to Improve Your Website Homepage

Your website is your virtual place of business.  Just like your regular place of business, you want it to be neat, clean, attractive, inviting and professional looking.

Giving Unchained: Philanthropy and the Blockchain
Blockchain, a secure transactional data technology, could offer new opportunities for businesses and charities, including greater transparency, lower costs, snd increased donor trust, a report from the Charities Aid Foundation argues.

Obama Administration to Partner with 27 Communities to Boost Neighborhood Revitalization Through Local Food Enterprises
Jan 25, 2016 -- The White House Rural Council and six federal agencies announce selected communities to participate in Local Foods, Local Places, a federal initiative aimed to increase health and economic wellness in rural and urban communities by improving access to healthy, local food.
Source: United States Department of Agriculture

What Works: Partnerships Serve Rural Populations
Jan 25, 2016 -- Describes three awardees of the Centene Foundation's Improving Health in Rural Counties/Parishes program and how they sought to address behavioral health and nutritional needs of rural people in 3 different states across the country. Highlights the importance of collaboration and partnerships in serving rural communities.
Source: Behavioral Healthcare

Rural Hospital Crisis Crosses Borders
Jan 24, 2016 -- Describes the spread of financial pressure on rural healthcare facilities across multiple states, specifically drawing on examples of rural service closures in Georgia and South Carolina.
Source: Georgia Health News

Strengthening the Small Hospital Supply Chain: Big Opportunities, Big Savings
Jan 22, 2016 -- Discusses the importance of focusing on efficiently managing the supply chain for rural hospitals. Highlights potential savings that can be realized despite the challenges that rural hospitals face.
Source: Hospitals & Health Networks

Healthy Food and Small Stores
In October 2015, Wallace Center attended a meeting of 40 public health leaders and national experts in food retail, agriculture, distribution and marketing to tackle challenges and best practices for distributing healthy food to small stores across the United States. This meeting, co-hosted by The Food Trust and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, produced a full report on closing the distribution gap.

Growing Farm to School: Partnering with Farm Credit
Farm Credit is partnering with National Farm to School Networkto support their efforts to increase local food purchases and bring agriculture education to schools. Read through this FAQon who Farm Credit is and why your organization should consider a partnership with Farm Credit.

Removing Barriers and Creating Opportunities: Making the Case to Help Young Men of Color Succeed

A toolkit from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation finds that effective strategies to secure support for promising programs aimed at helping young men of color must address implicit bias, the racial gap in perceptions of structural bias, and an empathy gap that causes young men of color to be seen as "other"

Third Round Promise Zones Competition - Deadlines, Webcasts, and Resources

The Obama Administration invites a new round of eligible applicants to apply for a Promise Zone designation. Urban, rural, and tribal communities nationwide are invited to put forward plans to address multiple community revitalization challenges in a collaborative way. Any community meeting the eligibility criteria can apply for a designation. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will designate 7 Promise Zones across urban, rural, and tribal communities in the Spring of 2016. A non-binding Application Request Form is due by February 19, 2016 EST. All Application submissions must be received by 5:00 PM EST on Tuesday, February 23, 2016 via MAX Survey.

Resources for Applicants:

The Federal Register Notice
 Third Round Urban Application Guide
 Promise Zone Fact Sheet
 PDF of Urban Application in MAX Survey
 Third Round Application Request Form
 Promise Zone Mapping Tool
 Draft Overview of Promise Zone's Communications, Reporting & Data Sharing Framework

Why Investing in Youth Improves Economic Development

Here are just three examples of how investing in young people can positively impact your economic development outcomes:

• Youth are a spark of entrepreneurial energy that communities need to get up on their feet and forge ahead, renewing optimism and energy among adult leaders as well.
• Many young people have technology skills that can help local businesses compete more effectively in our increasingly networked economy. They may also start new businesses that use technology as a backbone for bringing new wealth and jobs to your community. Read about a high school senior who is helping to fill his community high school's technology needs as well as building his town a new website.
• Each alum a community attracts home has a potential impact of bringing three or more as these young adults get married and have children. Newcomers can have similar impacts, especially if they are invited to become involved in your community.

Youth engagement done properly will help you focus your economic development priorities for long-term impact and growth. A key first step is an assessment of youth perspectives about their community and their motivations to stay or return in the future. Here's an example of such an assessment.

Per-capita participation in USDA’s School Breakfast Program grew from 2009 to 2014 in almost all States

Per-capita participation in USDA’s School Breakfast Program (SBP) has increased from 3.6 participants per 100 U.S. residents in 2009 to 4.2 participants per 100 residents in 2014, and most States’ per-capita SBP participation levels rose. For most States, changes in population and in enrollment in schools that serve USDA school meals were less important than changes in the share of students who take school breakfast. For example, West Virginia’s increase from 5.1 to 7.1 SBP participants per 100 residents reflected small increases in the State’s population and school enrollments, and a large jump in the number of students taking school breakfast—increasing from 31 to 44 percent of students. In only four States did per-capita SBP participation levels decline, and these declines were 0.2 percentage point or less. School Breakfast Program participation across the whole United States has increased steadily from 11.1 million students in 2009 to 13.6 million in 2014 due to a variety of factors, including more schools offering the program, more schools offering free breakfast for all students, and increasing use of formats such as breakfast in the classroom, which reduces arrival-time barriers for many children. This map is from ERS’s Food Environment Atlas.

Blueprint 2016

Philanthropy and the Social Economy: Blueprint 2016 explores how changes in the nature of employment, made possible by new technologies, will lead to a shift in the role and approach of civil society organizations. This annual forecast by scholar Lucy Bernholz is published by GrantCraft, a service of Foundation Center. Blueprint's signature features include predictions of global events in the coming year and a "Buzzword Watch." Download the report ›

http://blogs.usda.gov/2016/01/29/earned-income-tax-credit-can-help-rural-families/">Earned Income Tax Credit Can Help Rural Families

Thanks to the hard work of Rural Americans, along with record investments in infrastructure under the Recovery Act and the 2014 Farm Bill, over the last seven years America was able to pull itself out of one of the deepest economic recessions since the Great Depression.  While we’ve seen wages rise and unemployment fall in rural areas over the last several years, workers in rural America still receive less hours and earn less pay than those in urban areas. Fortunately, for those who need help making ends meet, the Earned Income Tax Credit can help.

HUD Updates the Entitlement and State CDBG IDIS Manuals for Grant Based Accounting

HUD has updated the Entitlement and State Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Integrated Disbursement and Information System (IDIS) Manuals to incorporate grant based accounting changes. Edits include:

• Activity Funding and Drawdowns - the addition of instructions to specify the year of the CDBG grant from which funds are to be committed for grant years 2015 and later
• Program Income - instructions for associating program income with the grant
• Repayments - new instructions for repayment of grant funds to a local account

These training manuals explain how to set up, fund, draw funds, and report accomplishments and performance measures for CDBG activities in IDIS.

View the IDIS for CDBG Entitlement Communities Training Manual.

View the IDIS for State CDBG Manual Training Manual.

Reduce Violence. Free Green Dot Training for the PZ

Suzette's Letter, January 22, 2016

PUBLICATIONS

Treasury, NCUA Partner to Increase Opportunities for Low-Income Credit Unions

The National Credit Union Administration and the U.S. Treasury Department’s Community Development Financial Institutions Fund today signed an agreement that will streamline the application process for low-income credit unions to become certified as Community Development Financial Institutions. Credit unions that obtain CDFI certification can access training and competitive award programs provided by the CDFI Fund, and these resources can aid these institutions’ capacity to provide underserved communities with access to safe and affordable financial services. 

Here’s How the White House Plans to Address Rural America’s Struggle with Heroin
Jan 15, 2016 -- Announces President Obama's plans to launch a new interagency effort, led by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, to address heroin and opioid abuse in rural areas, among other pressing issues.
Source: The Washington Post

MSU Study Finds Nurse Practitioners More Likely than Medical Doctors to Work in Rural Areas
Jan 14, 2016 -- Describes recent research that found nurse practitioners are more likely than physicians to provide care in rural settings. Presents the findings to better help address disparities in healthcare access between urban and rural areas.
Source: Montana State University

Mortality and Life Expectancy in Rural America: Connecting the Health and Human Service Safety Nets to Improve Health Outcomes Over the Life Course
A policy brief describing the driving forces of rural health disparities in Appalachian Kentucky offering recommendations with national relevancy to address these challenges. Discusses rural and urban differences in life expectancy and mortality rates, and other significant factors including behavioral health, substance abuse, population health, trauma care, and transportation.
Sponsoring organization: National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services
Date: 10/2015

EVENTS

USDA Announces Webinar Schedule for the Distance Learning & Telemedicine Grant Program

On January 27^th, February 2^nd, and February 18^th (1 – 3 pm EST) the Rural Utilities Service (RUS) will host webinars focused on the Distance Learning and Telemedicine (DLT) Grant Program. These webinars will inform participants about the major eligibility and regulatory requirements of the program and will provide detailed guidance on how to submit a successful grant application.  There will also be time for participants to ask the speakers specific questions about putting together an application. To preregister, please contact Deborah Anderson or Gayle Buckner at (202) 720-0800 or email: 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.

Webinar Rescheduled: Q&A Session: HOME Consortia and the eCon Planning Suite

Due to the impending snow storm on the east coast, the HOME Consortia and the eCon Planning Suite Q&A Webinar scheduled for Friday, January 22, 2016 at 1:00 PM EST is Cancelled.

The webinar is rescheduled for Thursday, February 4, 2016 at 2:00 PM EST. All persons registered for the January 22, 2016 webinar do not need to register again. The registration period will also be extended until February 4, 2016 for any new registrants. You can Register Now.

Webinar: Are Some Rural Areas of the US Seeing a Drop in Life Expectancy and Increased Mortality?
Jan 14, 2016 -- On January 28, 2016 the National Advisory Committee on Rural Health & Human Services (NACRHHS) will hold a discussion via webcast, open to the public, on their most recent policy brief, Mortality and Life Expectancy in Rural America: Connecting the Health and Human Service Safety Nets to Improve Health Outcomes over the Life Course.
Source: National Advisory Committee on Rural Health & Human Services