Main Street Arkansas Update - March 5, 2012

Main Street Arkansas Calendar – March 5 – 9, 2012
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MONDAY Cary – Governor’s Conference on Tourism
TUESDAY Cary – Governor’s Conference on Tourism
WEDNESDAY Nancy – SoMa (merchant visit)
THURSDAY Susan & Mark – Ozark (merchant visits)
FRIDAY Cary – West Memphis (strategic planning session); Susan – Searcy (merchant visits)
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IN THIS ISSUE:
Longtime Downtown Siloam Champion Profiled
A Tasty Revitalization Option
$60 in New Markets in AR
4 Grant Opportunities
New Rivers, Trails & Conservation Assistance
Business USA
Grant Opportunity

Longtime Main Street Siloam Springs Champion Profiled:
http://advocate.jbu.edu/?q=node%2F115

A Tasty Revitalization Option
http://blogs.planning.org/conference/2012/02/27/a-tasty-option-for-neighborhood-revitalization/

$60 Million in New Markets Tax Credits Awarded to AR Group
http://www.heartlandrf.com/?p=174

Choice Neighborhoods Implementation Grant ProgramThe U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is making $110 million available for its Choice Neighborhoods Implementation Grant Program in 2012. Choice Neighborhoods Grants help to transform neighborhoods by revitalizing severely distressed public and/or assisted housing and linking housing improvements with appropriate services, schools, public assets, transportation, and access to jobs. HUD plans to award 4-5 grants with a $30 million maximum award.The deadline for applications is April 10, 2012.

Grants Promote Education, Health, and Community ProgramsRGK Foundation The RGK Foundation endeavors to be a catalyst for progressive change in humanitarian concerns by providing support to nonprofit organizations throughout the United States. The Foundation’s grantmaking focus is on innovative programs in the following three categories: The Education category priorities include programs that focus on K-12 education (particularly mathematics, science, and reading); teacher development; literacy; and higher education. In the category of Medicine/Health, the Foundation's interests include programs that promote the health and well-being of children and programs that increase access to health services. The Community category targets a broad range of human services, community improvement, abuse prevention, and youth development programs. Interested applicants may submit an online letter of inquiry via the Foundation’s website throughout the year; invited proposals are reviewed quarterly. Visit the Foundation’s website for details on the grant categories and the application process.

Innovative Solutions to Social Challenges in Local Communities Funded Corporation for National and Community ServiceThe Social Innovation Fund provides support to existing grantmaking institutions to direct resources to promising community-based nonprofit organizations to validate and grow outcomes-focused approaches to challenges facing local communities in the following priority issue areas: Youth Development – preparing America’s youth for success in school, active citizenship, productive work, and healthy and safe lives; Economic Opportunity – increasing economic opportunities for economically disadvantaged individuals; and Healthy Futures – promoting healthy lifestyles and reducing the risk factors that can lead to illness. The application deadline is March 27, 2012.

Grant Opportunity
The TK Foundation Fund, a donor-advised fund of the Orange County Community Foundation, envisions a world where all youth have access to opportunities that lead to employment that allows them freedom, equity, security and human dignity. The TK Foundation Fund is interested in supporting youth development programs that are meeting the needs of motivated disadvantaged youth ages 15-21 through innovative and effective programs that help prepare the program’s young beneficiaries for employment and careers that will allow them to become self-sufficient in adulthood.

Grant requests may range from $50,000 to $500,000. Multiyear grant requests that fall within a grant period of up to three years will be considered.

Please note that this program is seeking proposals for programs throughout the U.S.

New Rivers, Trails & Conservation Assistance Program Contact
Would you please spread the word within your network about the Rivers, Trails and on Conservation Assistance program? I am going to start working with communities throughout the state as they work to develop trails (both land and water) and greenways.I'd like to visit with communities that want to develop trails in and around their towns and hope that with your statewide connections, you may be able to get the word out. If any of your contacts would like to go to the RTCA website http://www.nps.gov/ncrc/programs/rtca/Karen AndersonNational Park Service - Rivers, Trails and Conservation Assistance601 Riverfront Dr.Omaha, NE 68102402-661-1542 http://www.nps.gov/ncrc/programs/rtca/


Business USA
Recently President Obama announced the launch of BusinessUSA, a virtual one-stop-shop that makes it easier for America's businesses to access the services and information they need to help them grow, hire, and export.Get help starting, growing, and financing a business, or learn more about expanding your market and becoming more globally competitive through exporting.


Call for Applicants: Heartwood Mini-Grants Spring 2012Application Deadline: April 1stMini-Grant Recipients Announced: May 1stAward range: Up to $1,000 per projectAbout Heartwood Mini-Grant Program: The purpose of the mini-grant program is to provide funding for activists who need it. The Mini-Grant program seeks to provide funding for creative efforts and ideas fomented by Heartwood members and member-groups. Efforts and ideas could range from Heartwood's roots as a forest protection organization to current efforts to stop mountain-top removal and biomass projects to sustainable living projects to new ideas we have not considered at this time. Ideas and efforts that are quantifiable (e.g. actions taken, phone calls made, letters written and sent, websites on-line, films made, meetings held) and work to sustain and expand environmental activists in the Heartwood region will be considered.Grant Guidelines: Grants will be awarded to selected projects that aim to do one or all of the following:• Educate the Heartwood Region about an environmental threat or opportunity.• Take action within the Heartwood Region to protect, restore, and/or create environmental integrity.Issues may include, but are not limited to:• Sustainable communities (this is a broad topic from food issues to air to water to infinity and beyond)• Forest protection (this could be on-the-ground work in the forest, building a campaign, mapping, etc)• Energy consumption (such as it pertains to healthy forests and communities, such as biomass incineration, mountain top removal coal mining, and natural gas hydrofracking)All projects should contain one or all of the following elements:• Public outreach• Education• Organizing• MediaHow to ApplyEmail the completed application below to info@heartwood.org by April 1st, 2012. You will receive an email confirming your application and will be notified of the award by May 1st. Please do not hesitate to contact info@heartwood.org if you have questions or would like feedback on your proposal.Project ReviewUpon completion of your project, you will be required to complete a brief project report. The Report will include copies of any multimedia, photographs, video, web links, examples of news coverage, etc. Recipients of the Mini-Grants will also agree to allow Heartwood use of the materials for its own advocacy and educational purposes. A report form will be provided with instructions.Heartwood Mini-Grant Application FormNOTE: Please answer the following questions on a separate document.1. Name of organization:2. Title of project:3. Amount requested:4. Complete contact information for organization:5. Who is the primary contact for this project? Please include complete contact information:6. If an organization, is this an incorporated 501(c)3?7. What is the annual budget of your organization?8. Names of other groups involved in this project, if any:9. Project Description (no more than 4 sentences):10. Goal(s) of project: For example, "Mail 3,000 letters to Congressman X about MTR".11. What is your plan to achieve this goal? Include your strategy, activities, and message.12. What is the time line for this project? Include a weekly time line with specific action items by each week, if appropriate.EXAMPLE:JUNEWeek 1
- Planning Meeting
Week 2
- Print flyers
- Start radio and newspaper ads
Week 3
- Have concert
- Clean up concert site
Week 4
- Follow up
13. What are your benchmarks for measuring success?EXAMPLE
- Recruited 5 new volunteer organizers
- Placed 20 free radio spots
- Placed announcement and coverage in 3 local newspapers
- Turned out 2000 people at concert
- Created new short film on the Indiana bat, its habitat and threats to be distributed to schools
14. How would this project benefit the Heartwood Region? (The Heartwood Region includes--but is not necessarily limited to--the Central Hardwoods and Appalachian Region, including Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri, Michigan, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, Arkansas, West Virginia, Virginia, Tennessee and North Carolina.)15. Briefly explain how your project achieves the following: Educates the public; Educates decision makers; Creates a tool or opportunities for other activists in the region.16. What is the total budget for the project? What are the other funding sources?17. Please provide the budget breakdown for the project.EXAMPLEBudget for Materials
- Layout/Design
- Printing
- Postage
Budget for Staff TimeBudget for Public OutreachEvent Costs
- Postcard Production and Mailing
- Printing
- Mailing Service
- Postage
* Heartwood "core states" include Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Kentucky, and Missouri. Over time, Heartwood has branched out to serve areas of need throughout an 18-state region, with emphasis on Michigan, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, Arkansas, West Virginia, Virginia, and Tennessee