Main Street Arkansas Update - February 11, 2008

DATES TO REMEMBER:
FEBRUARY 12 – DOWNTOWN LEGISLATIVE SUMMIT, NORTH LITTLE ROCK
FEBRUARY 12 – AHPP GRANT WRITING SEMINAR
FEBRUARY 29 – FARMERS MARKET CONFERENCE, JONESBORO
MARCH 9-11 – GOVERNOR’S CONFERENCE ON TOURISM, ROGERS
MARCH 15 – LETTER OF AGREEMENT, WORKPLAN, ETC DUE TO MSA
MARCH 30-APRIL 2 – NATIONAL MAIN STREETS CONFERENCE, PHILADELPHIA, PA

DESTINATION DOWNTOWN - OCTOBER 6-8, BAY ST. LOUIS, MS

Main Street Arkansas Calendar February 11 – 15, 2008
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MONDAY Greg, Greenwood, Siloam Springs
TUESDAY Mark, AHPP Grant Writing Seminar; Cary, Caroline, Susan – Downtown Summit; Greg – Rogers
WEDNESDAY Cary & Caroline – UALR Conference on Regionalism
THURSDAY Caroline, Susan, Mark & Nancy - El Dorado (site visits)
FRIDAY
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IN THIS ISSUE:
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ARKANSAS DELTAMADE PRESS
FUTURE OF RETAILING (BUXTON) WEBINAR
FARMERS MARKETS TODAY MAGAZINE
MAIN STREET TRENDS SURVEY
SHARE YOUR MAIN STREET SUCCESS PHOTOGRAPHS
5 GRANT OPPORTUNITIES – please note RBOG & RCDI opportunities
MICROENTERPRISE CONFERENCE SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITY
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Good RHDI Arkansas DeltaMade Press
http://www.baxterbulletin.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080206/OPINION01/802060331/1014/OPINION

Future of Retailing Webinar

There’s been much discussion about Buxton and their services on the Main Street listserv. The Blytheville/Gosnell Chamber of Commerce is currently working with Buxton.

Join Governing magazine and Buxton for a webinar on Wednesday, February 13th at 1:00 CST.

http://tinyurl.com/2o5lrc

How can we compete for retail development? And, indeed, how can we win? These are questions that are being asked by government officials as "Retail Vitality" emerges as a top priority for many communities. The challenge is to sort out possible strategies and select the ones that work best. Buxton has built on the knowledge and experience of working with over 350 nationwide communities to develop an understanding of retail development programs that compete and win. In this session we will share programs that are producing results and feature Marion, Indiana, an economic development success story.
During this webinar you will learn:

• Key Trends and Emerging Issues in the Retail Industry

• The Changing Role of the Community in Retail Development

• Understanding the Retailer's Site Selection Criteria

• Creating Differential Advantages: Removing Barriers to Entry

• Marketing: Executing for Success
Farmers’ Markets Today
Do you work with farmers, specialty food producers, craftspeople, or other Farmers' Market vendors? If so, let them know about Farmers' Markets Today - Free online at FMT
Announcing The 2008 National Main Street Trends Survey!
Every year, the National Trust Main Street Center solicits your input to identify revitalization trends and collect examples of local innovations through our annual Trends Survey.
Your participation is critical! By spending a few minutes taking this online survey, you will be contributing valuable information to help us track the success of the Main Street movement and gather national data about revitalization patterns, challenges, and successes. This information helps us set priorities for new research and resources to better assist you as well as to highlight your success stories in our presentations, publications, and other venues throughout the nation. Locally, you can use this tool to build support of your commercial district by sharing data with local media, government officials, and investors.
We will report our findings at the opening session of the National Main Street Conference in Philadelphia, Penn., on March 31, 2008, as well as issue a special report to national media this summer.
This year's survey consists of 24 questions and should take about 10 minutes to complete. To begin, please visit
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=dSlwdCz_2bvFyLYQnQsuEAPQ_3d_3d
Thank you for participating in the 2008 Main Street Trends Survey.
Showcase Your Program at the National Main Streets Conference
We are looking forward to seeing you at our upcoming National Main Streets Conference in Philadelphia at the end of March. If you have not already registered, please check out our conference website conference.mainstreet.org for the latest news.

During the Conference Opening Plenary, we will again showcase great images of activity in Main Street communities and would love to include your most recent photos. We will select the best quality images for the Opening Plenary slide show, as well as for upcoming issues of Main Street News, our website, and presentations.
This year we are primarily looking for photos that showcase our conference theme - Entrepreneurship and Diversity - in action:
DIVERSITY OF PEOPLE…
multicultural business owners, shoppers, visitors on the street… at events… volunteering… in their stores… and celebrating!

HOT NEW ENTREPRENEURS…
fresh new storefronts… interiors… Generation Y and Boomer new business owners… and the shoppers who love them!

To submit your photos, please use our online form - we cannot accept e-mailed photos. The submission deadline is February 29th.

Your photos help make our Opening Session come alive, and we look forward to seeing your most recent progress. Thanks for the help, and we will see you in Philadelphia this March!

Applications Invited for MetLife Foundation Community-Police Partnership Awards

Deadline: February 29, 2008 (Preliminary Applications)

Through the MetLife Foundation Community-Police Partnership Awards, the MetLife Foundation ( http://www.metlife.org/ ) and the Local Initiatives Support Corporation ( http://www.lisc.org/ ) seek to identify and honor partnerships that exhibit tangible accomplishments in their efforts to advance the process, outcome, and/or evaluation of potent police-community collaborations.

There are two award categories:

1) Neighborhood Revitalization Awards: Six monetary awards ranging from $10,000 to $25,000 each will recognize exemplary collaboration between community groups and police that yields crime reduction as well as economic development outcomes.

2) Special Strategy Awards: Five monetary awards of $15,000 each will recognize exemplary collaboration between community groups and police that yield significant public safety outcomes in one or more of the following areas: Applied Technology; Aesthetics and Greenspace Improvement; Diversity Inclusion & Integration; Drug Market Disruption; Gang Prevention & Youth Safety; Seniors & Safety; and School Safety.

Eligible applicants are community organizations, community development corporations, police/sheriff's departments, community partnerships, weed & seed programs, and collaboratives comprising more than one of these elements. Public agencies (including police departments and public schools) must apply in conjunction with at least one nonprofit 501(c) (3) organization that was a leading partner in the collaboration and will serve as a fiscal agent for award funds. Applicants must be U.S.-based.

Visit the LISC Web site for complete program information.

Foundation Grants for Preservation in Libraries, Archives, and Museums

[PDF: 20MB/ 118 p.] is a collaborative project of the Library of Congress and the Foundation Center. The publication lists 1,725 grants of $5,000 or more awarded by 474 foundations from 2003 through 2007. It covers grants to public, academic, research, school, and special libraries, and to archives and museums for activities related to conservation and preservation.
http://www.loc.gov/preserv/foundtn-grants.html
Broadband in Rural Areas Grant
http://www07.grants.gov/search/search.do?mode=VIEW&oppId=40539

The Community-Oriented Connectivity Broadband Grant Program is designed to provide financial assistance to furnish broadband service in rural, economically-challenged communities where such service does not currently exist. Grant funds may be utilized to deploy broadband transmission service to critical community facilities, rural residents, and rural businesses and to construct, acquire, or expand, equip, and operate a community center that provides free access to broadband services to community residents for at least two years. Grants will be awarded, on a competitive basis, to entities serving communities of up to 20,000 inhabitants to ensure rural consumers enjoy the same quality and range of telecommunications service as are available in urban and suburban communities

I’ve read about a number of Main Street programs taking advantage of RCDI funding. This may be something you want to seriously consider

Rural Community Development Initiative (RCDI) Grant
http://www07.grants.gov/search/search.do?mode=VIEW&oppId=40608
http://www07.grants.gov/search/search.do?mode=VIEW&oppId=40607

This Notice announces the availability of $6,255,900 of competitive grant funds for the RCDI program through the Rural Housing Service (RHS), an agency within the USDA Rural Development mission area herein referred to as the Agency. Applicants must provide matching funds in an amount at least equal to the Federal grant. These grants will be made to qualified intermediary organizations that will provide financial and technical assistance to recipients to develop their capacity and ability to undertake projects related to housing, community facilities, or community and economic development.

This is another grant that Main Street programs in rural areas (which are often defined loosely by the Federal Government) have had much success with. I highly encourage our rural programs to contact their Rural Development office to see if this might be appropriate for your organization.
Rural Business Opportunity Grant (RBOG)
http://www07.grants.gov/search/search.do?mode=VIEW&oppId=40617
The Rural Development State Offices administer the RBOG program on behalf of USDA Rural Development at the State level. The primary objective of the program is to improve the economic conditions of rural areas. Assistance provided to rural areas under this program may include technical assistance for business development and economic development planning. To ensure that a broad range of communities have the opportunity to benefit from the program, no grant will exceed $50,000, unless it is a multi-State project where funds may not exceed $150,000.

Creating Leadership Opportunities for Women in Microenterprise Development
The Maria Padilla-Orasel Scholarship provides women new to the microenterprise development field an opportunity to attend AEO’s 2008 National Summit on EntrepreneurshipTM, May 20 -23 in Anaheim, California. Women who have been working in the field for less than two years are encouraged to apply for a chance to network with experienced microenterprise development practitioners and others closely aligned with our efforts, and participate in the national conversation about entrepreneurship.
Maria Padilla-Orasel, a former AEO director, was a dedicated and passionate individual, committed to increasing leadership opportunities in the field among minority women. In 2001, in an effort to advance the ideals she worked so hard to promote, AEO honored her memory by establishing the Maria Padilla-Orasel Scholarship (MPO) Fund.
For more information and details on how to apply, please visit www.microenterpriseworks.org/MPO
DEADLINE TO APPLY – FEBRUARY 15, 2008