Monday, January 9, 2012

Main Street Arkansas Update - January 9, 2012










Main Street Arkansas Calendar – January 9 - 13, 2012

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MONDAY AHPP Staff Planning

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY all staff – Municipal League

THURSDAY all staff – Mosaic Templars

FRIDAY

SATURDAY Cary, Greg, Sam, Susan, Mark – Russellville Board Retreat & Training

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IN THIS ISSUE:

It’s the Staff’s Job to Make Committees Effective

Take Back the Alleys

Blytheville Hosts MSA Seminar

Grant Opportunities

How to Become a Non-Profit Rockstar

Festival & Event Conference in MS

5 Grant Opportunities

It’s the Staff’s Job to Make Committees Effective

http://www.nonprofitquarterly.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=18666:committees----love-them-or-hate-them&catid=145:unraveling-development&Itemid=1006

Take Back the Alleys

http://www.lbpost.com/life/brian/12954

Blytheville Hosts MSA Seminar

http://www.couriernews.net/story/1801881.html?response=no

How to Become a Nonprofit Rockstar

Trista Harris will discuss her book, "How to Become a Nonprofit Rockstar: 50 Ways to Accelerate Your Career," in which she and co-author Rosetta Thurman provide a do-it-yourself map of how to navigate the nonprofit sector. Harris is executive director of Headwaters Foundation for Justice, a Minneapolis-based community foundation with a mission to act as a catalyst for social, racial, economic and environmental justice. This lecture is sponsored by the Clinton School, the Young Nonprofit Professionals Network of Little Rock and the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.

When: Wednesday, January 11, 2011

6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. – Lecture, *Book signing to follow.

Where: Clinton School of Public Service, Sturgis Hall

*Reserve your seats by emailing publicprograms at clintonschool.uasys.edu, or calling 501-683-5239.

“BACK STAGE PASS” FESTIVAL AND EVENT CONFERENCE

WHEN: JANUARY 24-25, 2012
WHERE: HOLLYWOOD CASINO, BAY ST. LOUIS
WHY: VIEW THE
AGENDA

EARLY BIRD RATE EXPIRES JAN. 15, 2012!

Want to register for the conference? Email your contact information to Denise Halbach. $75 registration fee (in state) until Jan. 15, 2012. Click here for more information on the conference or to pay online. Questions about registration? Call 601-944-0113.

Reserve your hotel room at the Hollywood Casino in Bay St. Louis for special group rate of $79 until Jan. 15th. Call (866) 7-LUCKY-1. Please let them know you are with the Back Stage Pass conference group.

The 2012 Back Stage Pass Festival & Event Coordinators' Conference is presented by the Mississippi Main Street Association, the Mississippi Arts Commission and the Mississippi Development Authority Division of Tourism.


Back Stage Pass is a symposium that focuses on planning for festivals and special events through the sharing of ideas and like experiences with fundraisers and event planners throughout the Southeast. The Festival and Event conference is a new collaboration among the Mississippi Main Street Association, Mississippi Arts Commission and the Mississippi Development Authority. For the first time, the three statewide organizations will be partnering to present one high quality festival and event coordinators’ program. Please join us at the Hollywood Resort, in Bay Saint Louis, Mississippi, on January 24-25, 2012 for fun, camaraderie and learning, as we explore ways to develop and enhance events that build community character and contribute to the creative economy and community members’ quality of life.

Click here to download Exhibitor information and application. Please email or fax the Exhibitor application to Jeannie Waller, 601.353.3469 (f). All applications must be received by Jan. 15th.

Grants for Arts Projects

Application guidelines for the next round of Grants for Arts Projects are now available on the NEA's website. To view the guidelines, go to www.arts.gov/grants/apply, select the field or discipline most relevant to your project, and choose Grants for Arts Projects from the list of funding opportunities.

Organizations may apply under the following categories:

  • Art Works: To support the creation of art that meets the highest standards of excellence, public engagement with diverse and excellent art, lifelong learning in the arts, and the strengthening of communities through the arts. Within these areas, innovative projects are strongly encouraged. Grants generally range from $10,000 to $100,000. (Two application deadlines: March 8 and August 9, 2012)
  • Challenge America Fast-Track: To support projects that extend the reach of the arts to underserved populations. Grants are for $10,000. (Application deadline: May 24, 2012)

Thanks to the National Main Street Center for pointing this one out

Urban Sustainability Directors Network/Local Sustainability Matching Fund

· In partnership with the Urban Sustainability Directors Network, the Funders' Network is pleased to announce the formation of the Local Sustainability Matching Fund. The Fund has been created with leadership support from four Network members: the Kendeda Fund, the New York Community Trust, the Summit Foundation, and the Surdna Foundation.

· The purpose of the Local Sustainability Matching Fund is twofold: to catalyze partnerships between local government sustainability directors and local, place-based foundations, including community foundations, and to advance important community-based sustainability initiatives. The Fund will provide partnership investments between $25,000 and $75,000, with a 1:1 match required by one or more local foundation. The Network anticipates that the Fund will support up to ten partnership projects in the first year in two rounds in the spring and fall of 2012.

· The application deadline for the first round is March 5th, and you may download the Request for Proposals here. Applications must be submitted in MS Word and use the application Cover Sheet. The Network will host a conference call to provide more information on the fund and review the selection criteria. The call will be held on January 24th, at 2:00 p.m. Eastern, and you may register for the call by clicking here.

· A selection committee comprised of foundation representatives and urban sustainability directors will make selection decisions on behalf of the matching fund, and awards will be announced on May 5, 2012. For more information on the Local Sustainability Matching Fund, please contact Ann Wallace at ann@fundersnetwork.org or 617-524-9239.

National Endowment for the Arts

NEA Challenge America Fast-Track, FY2013 Grant

http://www07.grants.gov/search/search.do?&mode=VIEW&oppId=136713

The Challenge America Fast-Track category offers support primarily to small and mid-sized organizations for projects that extend the reach of the arts to underserved populations -- those whose opportunities to experience the arts are limited by geography, ethnicity, economics, or disability. Age alone (e.g., youth, seniors) does not qualify a group as underserved; at least one of the underserved characteristics noted above also must be present. Grants are available for professional arts programming and for projects that emphasize the potential of the arts in community development. This category encourages and supports the following two outcomes: •Engagement: Engaging the public with diverse and excellent art. •Livability: The strengthening of communities through the arts. You will be asked to select the outcome that is most relevant to your project (you also will be able to select a secondary outcome). When making selections, you should identify the outcome(s) that reflect the results expected to be achieved by your project. If you receive a grant, you also will be asked to provide evidence of those results.

ACF Giving Tree Grant

20 of Arkansas Community Foundation’s 27 affiliate offices will be participating in this year’s spring giving tree grant cycle. Since you all serve a broad constituency we, as always, thought we’d enlist your support to help us get the word out about this opportunity. Please feel free to forward this announcement to all those in your networks that meet the eligibility and could benefit from this program. More information on this program can be found by following this link ARCF Giving Tree Grants.

AmeriCorps Grants Available

AmeriCorps programs address disaster services, education, environmental stewardship, healthy futures, economic opportunity, veterans and military families, and capacity building as defined by a local sponsoring organization. AmeriCorps programs recruit and place members in direct service to their community to fulfill these initiatives. Applications will be accepted for grants in the 2012-2013 Arkansas state AmeriCorps formula funding cycle. Successful applicants will be expected to establish programs and begin recruiting members to serve in programs beginning September 1 or October 1, 2012 for up to a one year period.

State Formula Grants

· Provide funds for AmeriCorps member living allowances (full-time $12,100 per year), post service education awards of $5,550 and program operational costs.

· The program must provide at least 24% cash and/or in-kind non-federal match.

· The program must be able to manage the intricacies of a federal grant from the Corporation for National and Community Service and the compliance and reporting requirements it entails and be a 501c (3) or be associated with a local government, state agency or educational institution.

· A minimum of eight (8) full-time AmeriCorps member slots constitutes a program to be considered for this application. Programs may serve as intermediary organizations, distributing fewer members to collaborating organizations to compose a program.

· Program staff must be able to devote time to recruitment, training and management of AmeriCorps members, including time keeping, records maintenance, supervision of service sites and member training and development.

· Program staff should include strong fiscal oversight.

· Program staff are required to attend quarterly meetings and monthly conference calls, complete quarterly financial and program progress reports, participate in statewide service days and cooperate in site visits from the Arkansas Service Commission. Program Staff will be trained by the Commission in program management.

This application is for program funds only. Persons interested in serving as AmeriCorps members should contact the Commission office. The Commission encourages persons with disabilities to serve as AmeriCorps members. Concept paper for new applicants is due January 26, 2012. A free Grant Writing workshop will be held February 24, 2012. Applications must be entered in eGrants system to be accepted. Original full application with budget and 16 copies are due no later than 12 p.m. (noon) Friday, April 6, 2012. Application instructions, NOFO, concept paper template and workshop registrations are available on the Arkansas Department of Human Services web site:

http://hs.ar.gov/Pages/procurement.aspx

Contact Beverly Moody at 501-682-7540 or TDD 501-682-1605 or

Beverly.moody at arkansas.gov for further information.

DHS/DCSNS/ASC

P. O. Box 1437, Slot S-230 or 700 South Main St., Slot S-230

Little Rock, AR 72203 Little Rock, AR 72201