Caroline has decided to stay home & be a full-time mom. We wish her well.
I sent out information on Small Business Saturday to our executive directors & Downtown Network contacts last week, but for everyone else, please take a moment to check out http://smallbusinesssaturday.com/ Take part November 27 & please give strong consideration to your organization participating in this event.
Mark – out all week
Main Street Arkansas Calendar November 15-19, 2010
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MONDAY Susan – Texarkana
TUESDAY Cary – West Memphis (Your Town follow-up)
WEDNESDAY Greg – out
THURSDAY Greg – out
FRIDAY Cary – Volunteerism Commission; Greg – out
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IN THIS ISSUE:
Start-Ups Drawn to the Pulse of Downtown
Winrock to Expand PRIME Program
AHPP Offers Free Grant Writing Workshop
SBA Seeks Nominations for Small Business Awards
Arts Council Seeks Living Treasures Nominations
Grant Opportunity
Start-Ups Are Drawn to the Pulse of Downtown
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702303362404575580551045171876.html
Winrock to Expand PRIME Program (Program for Investment in Microentrepreneurs)
http://www.arkansasbusiness.com/printable.aspx?aid=124268
AHPP OFFERS FREE GRANT-WRITING WORKSHOP JANUARY 11
The Arkansas Historic Preservation Program will hold a grant-writing workshop from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Tuesday, January 11, 2011, at the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center at 501 W. 9th St. in Little Rock for people interested in applying for the agency’s County Courthouse Restoration or Historic Preservation Restoration grant programs, AHPP Director Frances McSwain announced today.
Admission is free, but reservations must be made by Tuesday, January 4, by calling Joia Burton at (501) 324-9883 or sending e-mail to joia at arkansasheritage.org.
The AHPP’s grant programs to be covered in the workshop are:
• County Courthouse Restoration Subgrants, which are financed through Real Estate Transfer Tax funds distributed by the Arkansas Natural and Cultural Resources Council for rehabilitation of historic county courthouses across Arkansas
• Historic Preservation Restoration Grants, which distribute funds raised through the Real Estate Transfer Tax to rehabilitate buildings that are listed on the Arkansas or National Registers of Historic Places and owned by local governments or not-for-profit organizations
Potential applicants are encouraged to submit a Letter of Intent. Applicants submitting Letters of Intent by January 4 can receive technical assistance from the AHPP for the 2011 grant cycle and ensure that their grant requests focus on activities that will help safeguard the long-term survival of their historic properties. A letter of intent can be downloaded or submitted electronically by visiting www.arkansaspreservation.com/preservation-services/grant-programs/.
SBA SEEKS NOMINATIONS FOR SMALL BUSINESS AWARDS
The Arkansas District Office of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) is seeking nominations for the 2011 National Small Business Week Awards to be presented to winners in Arkansas next April. This local recognition leads up to the National Small Business Week event to be held during the week of May 15, 2011, in Washington, D.C.
Each year, SBA recognizes successful business owners and community leaders that champion the cause of small businesses. The 2011 awards will include Arkansas Small Business Person of the Year, Exporter of the Year, Family-Owned Business of the Year and Young Entrepreneur of the Year. SBA will also present Champion Awards to individuals or organizations dedicated to supporting small businesses. Champion Awards include Financial Services, Minority Small Business, Home-Based Business, Veteran Small Business and Women in Business.
SBA invites any individual or organization dedicated to the support of the U.S. small business community to submit nominations. Contact Carol Silverstrom at (501) 324-7379, extension 227, with any questions. A copy of the nomination guidelines can be found at http://www.nationalsmallbusinessweek.com/_files/live/2011NomGuidelines.pdf.
Arts Council Seeks Living Treasure Nominations
The Arkansas Arts Council is seeking nominations for the 2011 Arkansas Living Treasure. Deadline for nominations is Friday, Dec. 3, 2010. Nomination forms are available on www.arkansasarts.org or by calling (501) 324-9766.
The Arkansas Living Treasure designation is presented annually to recognize an Arkansan who is outstanding in the creation of a traditional craft and has significantly contributed to the preservation of the art form. Nominations of artists who work in traditional craft forms such as pottery, weaving, broom making, leatherworking, metalsmithing and wood carving are encouraged.
An independent panel of professionals in the field of traditional crafts will select the recipient based on the following criteria: quality of work, community outreach and total contribution to the field of traditional crafts. The recipient will be honored in May 2011 during Arkansas Heritage Month.
For more information, contact Robin Muse McClea, artist services program manager, at robinm at arkansasheritage.org or call (501) 324-9348.
Support for Foot Trail Development
American Hiking Society: National Trails Fund
The National Trails Fund, sponsored by American Hiking Society (AHS), provides funding to grassroots nonprofit organizations throughout the country working toward establishing, protecting, and maintaining foot trails in America. The Fund’s grants help give local groups the resources they need to secure access, volunteers, tools, and materials to protect America's public trails. The following types of grants will be considered for the 2011 program: projects that have hikers as the primary constituency; projects that secure trail lands, including acquisition of trails and trail corridors and the costs associated with acquiring conservation easements; projects that will result in substantial ease of access, improved hiker safety, or avoidance of environmental damage; and projects that promote the trails constituency. Applying organizations must be AHS Alliance Members. The application deadline is December 15, 2010. Visit the American Hiking Society website for application guidelines as well as information on becoming an AHS Member.
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