NGOs

Summary: The Foundation for the Mid South has established the Hurricane Recovery and Restoration Fund to benefit those impacted by the disaster and the forthcoming recovery efforts. The Fund, which will grant in several different phases and categories, aims to aid nonprofit organizations working to rebuild the lives and communities of those affected by the disaster.

Program Name: Hurricane Recovery and Restoration Fund

Targets and Limitations:    Need does not begin and end at the Gulf Coast; communities throughout the Mid South are affected by the influx of hundreds of thousands of evacuees who fled to seek safety from the storm.

Website: http://www.fndmidsouth.org/Katrina_Recovery_Fund.htm

Description: Multiple communities throughout Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama that were affected by Hurricane Katrina. One such grant is called The Power of Hope Fund created by Entergy. In response to the widespread damages and devastation caused by Hurricane Rita, Entergy has expanded the scope of the Power of Hope Fund to provide assistance to victims of this storm. The fund, which Entergy launched with a corporate donation of $1 million, was initially created to help Entergy customers and employees recover from Hurricane Katrina. The fund differs from immediate relief efforts of other agencies in that it will focus primarily on helping victims transition from shelters and temporary housing back into the community.

Another prime example of the utilization of this fund is Ocean Springs, MS. The city of Ocean Springs, Mississippi was one of the many communities along the Gulf Coast that was heavily damaged by Hurricane Katrina. Due to the storm surge and high winds, thousands of homes were lost or severely damaged, most of which were not covered by flood insurance. The community also lost many jobs. Many of the things that make Ocean Springs so unique were damaged or destroyed - including beautiful beaches and parks, arts and culture, recreation facilities, and historic neighborhoods. However, Ocean Springs was spared the wholesale devastation of some of its sister cities. Schools, public safety facilities and the downtown-shopping district were left salvageable or mostly intact. The city has water, sewer, electricity, and basic services. Ocean Springs is ready to recover and is poised to be an anchor for the rest of the Coast as it rebuilds.

To that end, the Rebuild Ocean Springs Fund, an Advised Fund, was established with the Foundation for the Mid South. The fund has two primary purposes:

Humanitarian assistance to individuals:
A portion of the funds raised will be distributed to individuals to help rebuild their homes and lives. A committee of FMS employees and volunteers will review applications and make the grant awards.

Rebuilding public infrastructure and key institutions:
A portion of the funds raised will be utilized to help rebuild neighborhoods and town centers, recruit businesses, and invest in parks, green space, arts and culture, childcare, health and social services. In order for individuals to recover and thrive, there must be homes, businesses, services and amenities for them to depend upon.

Contact Information:
Foundation for the MidSouth
134 East Amite Street
Jackson, MS 39201
601-355-8167

Guidelines and Application:               http://www.fndmidsouth.org/Documents/OS_GrantGuidelines.pdf
http://www.fndmidsouth.org/Documents/FMS_GrantCoverSheet.pdf

W.K. Kellogg Foundation/Mid South Development Initiative

Summary: The Mid South Delta Initiative (MSDI) is a long-term economic, community and leadership development effort focused on 55 contiguous counties and parishes along the Mississippi River in Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi that can reshape the Delta’s future and generate policies that increase fairness, investment and opportunities in the region. Since 1997, the W. K. Kellogg Foundation has invested more than $65 million in the Mid South Delta Initiative (MSDI). Grants to nonprofit organizations expanded small businesses and the production and sale of affordable housing, and increased career and workforce opportunities and individual savings programs to strengthen the assets of youngsters and families with limited incomes.

Program Name: Mid South Development Initiative

Targets and Limitations: Eligible partners for MSDI grants must be based or have operations in the Delta region, any of the 55 contiguous counties and parishes in Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi:

Website: http://www.msdi.org/

Contact Information: Mid South Development Initiative
5888 Ridgewood Road, Suite A
Jackson, MS 39211
601-206-5332
info@msdi.org

Handmade in America

Summary: Based in the Blue Ridge Mountains, HandMade in America was founded in 1993 with a belief that economic revitalization wasn't necessarily tied to luring "modern" industry to the region but in making known the hidden heritage and craftspeople that are so vitally a part of rural communities. This program aims to help craftspeople develop their artistic talents into a viable business and way of life.

Program Name: Handmade Institute

Targets and Limitations: Most communities that have benefited are in the 23 county area of western North Carolina. However part of the training institute is considered “portable”. That is, the training materials are easily distributed and there are traveling consultants on staff.

Description: Today, HandMade in America is a nationally recognized, multidimensional institution that has sparked initiatives and creative collaborations in education, small town revitalization and community development, economic development, environmentally sustainable strategies and enhanced opportunities for makers of the handmade object, heritage tourism, and incorporating crafts into building design and furnishing. The Handmade Institute doesn’t teach crafts-making, or make or sell objects, but instead serves as a support system for craftspeople and the craft industry. Communities can now tap the expertise of more than 100 professionals engaged in:

• Agricultural tourism
• Attraction development and management
• Craft development and marketing
• Creative economic development practices
• Cultural heritage tourism
• Retail marketing
• Small Town revitalization

Website: http://www.handmadeinamerica.org/

Contact Information: Handmade in America
125 South Lexington Avenue, Suite 101
Asheville, NC 28801
828-252-0121
Becky@beckyanderson-consulting.com

Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund

Summary: The Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund was set up to provide grants for medium to long-term recovery needs in the affected areas of Hurricane Katrina.

Program Name: Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund

Description: Primary objectives of the fund include financial self –sufficiency for communities, economic opportunity, and increased quality of life. The fund distributes grants to a variety of organizations including universities, small communities, state governments, and faith-based organizations.

Targets and Limitations: The Fund will not provide direct assistance to individuals or operate programs. Rather, it will work primarily through partnerships and collaborations with other organizations in the following categories:

- Intermediary grantmakers. Organizations with experience in grantmaking at the county/parish, state, and regional levels.

- Direct service entities. Institutions that operate directly (rather than as intermediary grantmakers) at the community, county/parish, state, or regional level (including national nonprofit agencies operating at those levels).

The Fund expects to conduct most of its grant making on its own initiative, by supporting projects selected in consultation with other grant makers and government entities in the Gulf region. But it will accept unsolicited applications that focus on meeting unmet or undermet needs in the integrated recovery and rebuilding process. Organizations must demonstrate that the needs addressed in the project cannot be met through other sources of financing and that there is a high level of coordination with other interdependent pieces of community development.

Website: http://bushclintonkatrinafund.org/

Communities Utilizing:

Alabama: BCKF awarded $3.2 million to the United Ways of Alabama to address the State’s needs for emergency preparedness, housing, small business and workforce development.

Louisiana: BCKF awarded $24.4 million to the Louisiana Disaster Recovery Foundation to support the State’s needs in the areas of housing and small business.

Mississippi: BCKF awarded $12.4 million to the Mississippi Hurricane Recovery Fund to support the State’s efforts to build Community Resource Centers, playgrounds and day care centers.

In addition to state grants, the BCKF has made grants to hundreds of interfaith organizations, small communities, and higher education institutions.

Contact Information:
Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund
1025 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 1000
Washington, DC 20036

Calvert Foundation / Calvert Giving Fund

Summary: The Calvert Foundation uses community investing to fund development opportunities instead of traditional philanthropy. Loans are made to individuals, small businesses, and non-profit organizations with the donations. Primary objectives include the following:

Affordable housing to improve living conditions for families through renovation, new construction and counseling for first-time homebuyers
Microcredit to provide small loans to entrepreneurs in impoverished areas, empowering them to work their way out of poverty. Sometimes these loans can be as small as $10-$20.
Small business funding to provide jobs and economic stimulation to communities across the US, the essential components for growth and poverty alleviation
Community facilities development to extend necessary services and educational resources to communities, creating daycare centers, schools, healthcare and more
Social innovations which expand beyond traditional approaches to poverty alleviation through fair trade cooperatives, independent media and social enterprise
Gulf Coast recovery investments to provide necessary funding to rebuild the Gulf Coast. These funds build homes, local businesses and schools
Environmental issues are inextricably linked to poverty. Calvert Foundation investments support sustainable solutions, such as organic coffee and mixed-used developments

Description: The Calvert Foundation lends money to nonprofit organizations, community development groups and social enterprises working to alleviate poverty in the US and abroad. In addition, Calvert sometimes works in related fields (such as fair trade coffee cooperatives and independent media organizations) that support communities.

These organizations provide the means for your community investment capital to impact disadvantaged people in underserved communities. Over the past 11 years, Calvert Foundation's portfolio has recycled more than $443 million to create 216,685 jobs, help build 9,619 affordable homes, and finance 12,724 nonprofits and social innovations.

Targets and Limitations: Loan candidates should meet the following criteria:

Three years of operating experience. Calvert does not typically lend to start-up organizations.
A solid base of net assets or net worth. As general recourse lenders, Calvert looks to an organization’s net assets or equity base as a possible source of repayment. Loan candidates should have sufficient equity available to cover their desired loan several times over.
Evidence of good operating performance. Loan candidates should demonstrate a minimum level of self-sufficiency by posting positive net income for the past two fiscal years.
Audited financial statements. Loan candidates should be able to provide audited financial statements with notes for the past three years of operation.
Debt capital. Loan candidates should have a track record of raising and repaying debt capital.

Websites:
http://www.calvertfoundation.org/    and
http://www.calvertgiving.org/
Link to lending information

Contact Information:
Calvert Foundation
7315 Wisconsin Avenue
Suite 1100W
Bethesda, MD 20814
Phone: 800.248.0337
foundation@calvertfoundation.org

Operation Hope

Summary: Operation Hope provides assistance through a program called Hope Coalition America to provide assistance to communities both before and after a disaster. Services include preparedness seminars and kits, budget counseling, assistance with obtaining destroyed financial documents, financial counseling, and assistance with insurance claims.

Program Name: HOPE Coalition America

Description: HOPE Coalition America is the national emergency preparedness and assistance division of Operation HOPE, Inc., America’s leading provider of economic empowerment tools and services. The coalition is a collaboration of senior executives and professionals from the banking and financial services, insurance, and other industries. Additional industries include higher education, social service, and community services agencies, which provide financial and economic guidance and assistance to individuals and small businesses affected by emergencies and disasters.

Two of HOPE’s principal products are: the Emergency Financial First Aid Kit (EFFAK), a document which allows individuals to create detailed listings of their important personal contact, financial and legal information; and the companion document, the Personal Disaster Preparedness Guide (PDPG) which guides them through required survival and recovery information and the steps they should take prior to an emergency.

HOPE Coalition America works to strengthen disaster relief from government organizations like FEMA by assisting individuals with the short, medium and long-term economic and financial challenges they face following disasters and emergencies.

HOPE Coalition America free services include:

Pre-disaster Preparedness Seminars, featuring the EFFAK and PDPG documents
Emergency Budget Counseling
Emergency Credit Management
Assistance with Deferring Mortgage Payments
Assistance with Working with Your Creditors
Referrals to Government and Private Agencies
Assistance with Obtaining Copies of Destroyed Financial Documents
Insurance Claims Assistance

Websites:
http://www.operationhope.org/smdev/

Link to Emergency Financial First Aid Kit (EFFAK) and Personal Disaster Preparedness Guide (PDPG)

Contact Information:
HOPE Coalition America
707 Wilshire Boulevard, 30th Floor
Los Angeles, California 90017
888-388-HOPE (4673)

Fred D. Smith                                     Alix Stayton
Managing Director                         Assistant Director
fred.smith@operationhope.org        alix.stayton@operationhope.org

American Red Cross

Summary: The American Red Cross is not a government agency. It is, however, chartered by Congress, with the mandate to maintain a national and international system of disaster relief and to provide emergency communications between members of the Armed Forces and their families. Although the Red Cross functions independently of the government, it does work closely with local, state and federal government agencies such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in times of major crisis, and have specific duties assigned in the National Response Plan which is activated during federally declared disasters.

Program Name: American Red Cross Community Disaster Education (CDE)

Description: Each year, the American Red Cross responds immediately to more than 70,000 disasters, including house or apartment fires (the majority of disaster responses), hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, tornadoes, hazardous materials spills, transportation accidents, explosions, and other natural and man-made disasters. All Red Cross assistance is given free of charge, made possible by the generous contribution of people's time, money, and skills.

Red Cross disaster relief focuses on meeting people's immediate emergency disaster-caused needs. When a disaster threatens or strikes, the Red Cross provides shelter, food, and health and mental health services to address basic human needs. In addition to these services, the Red Cross disaster relief assistance is given to individuals and families affected by disaster to enable them to resume their normal daily activities. The Red Cross feeds disaster victims and emergency workers, handles inquiries from concerned family members outside the disaster area, provides blood and blood products, and helps those affected by disaster to access other available resources.

While best known for their emergency response efforts to basic necessities such as food and shelter, the Red Cross also provides community planning to help communities proactively plan for disasters. They develop and distribute a variety of materials designed to educate the public through the highly acclaimed Community Disaster Education (CDE) program. Volunteers and employees, working through over 1,000 chapters, provide far-reaching electronic, printed and video materials as well as Public Service Announcements (PSAs) and community presentations that inform the public about how to stay safe and protect their home. Examples include:

The Santa Barbara County Chapter, through its local partners, produced a year-long series of creative television PSAs that focuses on a different hazard (e.g., wildfire, earthquake) or topic (e.g., disaster supplies kits, special needs populations) each month. The campaign provides coordinated public information, outreach, and education to encourage residents and businesses to take steps, before disaster strikes, to reduce their exposure to disasters.

The Sierra-Nevada Chapter, working closely with their community partners, developed a children's music CD. A local area songwriter/composer contributed music and lyrics relating to disaster preparedness. Several of the tracks were in heavy rotation on a local radio station. Also, the text of the Red Cross Disaster Supplies Kit brochure was printed on the inside panel of each CD.

Websites:
http://www.redcross.org/    and http://www.redcross.org/services/disaster/0,1082,0_2_,00.html

Contact Information:
Disaster Services & Emergency Assistance
To find a shelter, obtain emergency food, water and other disaster relief, contact your local Red Cross chapter.
Local Red Cross Chapter
1-800-REDCROSS (1-800-733-2767)

CHS Foundation

Summary: The CHS Foundation is committed to investing in the future of rural America, agriculture and cooperative business through education and leadership development.

Description: The CHS Foundation is the major giving entity of CHS, an energy, grains and foods company with a stewardship focus of building vibrant communities. The CHS Foundation is managed through the CHS Marketing Communications division in Inver Grove Heights. The CHS Foundation focuses on five program areas:

University Partnerships – Through scholarships and grants, this program area is designed to encourage academic, professional and leadership development among today’s college students pursuing careers in the agricultural industry
Rural Youth Leadership Development - Provides support to a wide range of youth leadership development programs through established organizations, such as FFA, 4-H, Ag in the Classroom and Junior Achievement, in rural communities. Support is targeted to programs emphasizing leadership development through education
Cooperative Education - Annual project support typically involves more than 60 programs offered by 20-plus organizations
Returning Value to Rural Communities - primarily targeted at building leadership capacity in rural America through adult education and leadership initiatives. However, the CHS Foundation is open to innovative and collaborative approaches to address emerging issues and opportunities in rural communities. The CHS Foundation may accept and fund proposals to support these projects
Farm and Agriculture Safety - grants are provided to support education programs that help keep farm families, children and agribusiness professionals safe.

With more than $30 million in assets, the CHS Foundation distributes $1.7 million annually through grants, scholarships, and educational support.

Targets and Limitations:    The CHS Foundation supports national efforts related to its mission. Funding is also available for programs within the CHS trade territory for regional, multi-state or state-wide projects. Giving outside national efforts typically reaches the following states: Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming. Depending on circumstances, other geography may be considered.

Websites:
http://www.chsfoundation.org/

Application for grants

Contact Information:
CHS Foundation
5500 Cenex Drive
Inver Grove Heights, MN 55077
800-814-0506
info@chsfoundation.org

The Ford Foundation

Summary: The Ford Foundation provides grants and loans to improve lives, build knowledge, and strengthen organizations and networks.Most of the foundation's grants are made within three main program areas: Asset Building and Community Development; Peace and Social Justice; and Knowledge, Creativity and Freedom. Asset Building and Community Development have been used by many rural communities to improve their overall economic condition.

Program Name: Asset Building and Community Development

Description: The Ford Foundation believes that promoting a more prosperous and inclusive society requires innovative solutions that broaden the successful participation of all people in community and economic life. This is the focus of the Asset Building and Community Development program. Objectives include:

Stabilizing Income
Poverty is traditionally measured by a family's level of income. Income is influenced by education, access to opportunity, initiative and the availability of public-sector programs and support systems that provide stability for households. These grant strategies aim to strengthen the systems that enable people to maintain a stable income—workforce development, job creation, land tenure, access to financial services, control over natural resources, social security, and similar kinds of support.

Promoting Vibrant Communities
Poverty is more than a lack of economic resources. It also encompasses marginalization, isolation, reduced security, and the inability to participate in decision making. People living in poverty have limited access to common resources such as health care, education, markets and land; and they are disproportionately exposed to and affected by unhealthy environments. To combat these circumstances, the Ford Foundation supports and promotes vibrant communities that value diversity and deep relationships among their members, offer access to opportunities for viable livelihoods, restore and maintain healthy and sustainable environments in which they live and thrive, and support asset accumulation throughout the life cycle.

Community and Resource Development
The Ford Foundation also focuses on building communities that are economically prosperous, environmentally sustainable and socially inclusive. Such communities value diversity and fairness and offer all members broad access to opportunities to create and maintain viable livelihoods. They are places where people have a say in the fundamental decisions that affect their identities, their livelihoods and their environment. And, as places that foster both social connectedness and economic opportunity, they are able to provide the resources that can fundamentally alter the lives of marginalized individuals and vulnerable families. By providing grants and other support that helps people acquire, protect, improve and manage resources—such as land, water, forests, wildlife and other natural assets—and build the organizational and networking capacity needed for participation in decision making at different levels. They also consider the unique challenges of both urban and rural communities and support the development of models that improve the quality of life in each.

Websites:
www.fordfound.org

Database of available grants

Contact Information:
Ford Foundation
320 East 43rd Street
New York, N.Y. 10017 USA
212-573-5000
office-of-communications@fordfound.org

Foundation for Rural Education and Development (FRED)

Summary: In 1989, the Organization for the Promotion and Advancement of Small Telecommunications Companies (OPASTCO) created the Foundation for Rural Education and Development (FRED) to address the educational and developmental needs of rural areas.

Program Name: Scholarships and Technology Grants

Description: The Foundation's mission is to sponsor programs and activities that improve the educational, social and economic conditions of rural areas. FRED carries out this mission by raising funds to sponsor scholarships, awards and programs that directly benefit rural America.

Scholarship
Each year, the Foundation for Rural Education and Development awards scholarships to rural America's best and brightest students. Scholarships range from $1,000 to $2,500 and are funded by the FRED Scholarship Endowment and by donations to the FRED Annual Giving Campaign. The Everette Kneece Return to Rural America Scholarship honors Mr. Kneece's vital and pioneering efforts on behalf of FRED and is awarded in the amount of $5,000 to the year's top applicant.

Grants
FRED exists to help telephone companies promote rural development and play an important role in the future of their communities. Through telecommunications and the expanded use of computers and the Internet, rural communities are becoming choice locations for many businesses and their employees. Businesses that were at one time technologically restricted to urban locations are now choosing to relocate to rural areas. Part of FRED’s mission is providing rural communities with grants to put this technology infrastructure in place.

Websites:       www.fred.org       Application for technology grant

Communities Utilizing:       Open to rural communities throughout the U.S.

Contact Information:
Foundation for Rural Education and Development
21 Dupont Circle, NW Suite 700
Washington, D.C. 20036
Phone: 202-659-5990
sap@opastco.org

William Randolph Hearst Foundation

Summary: Then William Randolph Hearst Foundation and The Hearst Foundation, Inc. together assist institutions in providing opportunities to underserved and underrepresented populations. The joint foundations’ charitable goals of the two Foundations are essentially the same, and reflect the philanthropic interests of William Randolph Hearst and include grants in the areas of education, health, social service, culture, and other miscellaneous subjects.

Description: Specific guidelines for each of the funding priorities have been established by the Directors and include:

Education: The Hearst Foundations support undergraduate education through the establishment of endowed scholarships at private liberal arts colleges and universities. In addition, similar support is provided for professional study in teaching, engineering, mathematics, science and the health care professions, at the undergraduate and graduate levels. A limited number of proposals is also accepted from independent, K-12 schools with outstanding academic programs and demonstrated track records of outreach to economically disadvantaged students. As a general policy, grants are not made to publicly funded educational institutions. However, private organizations or coalitions seeking to improve and broaden access to public education may be considered for grant support.

Health: The Hearst Foundations are committed to supporting programs that seek to improve and assure access to quality health care for underserved populations in both urban and rural areas. Grants are awarded primarily to leading regional hospitals, medical centers and specialized medical institutions, such as children's and women's hospitals. The Foundations support direct medical services that promote wellness, prevention and rehabilitation. In addition, the Foundations have established several endowments at leading medical research institutions to provide young scientific investigators with research fellowships.

Social Service: The Hearst Foundations support human service agencies that foster effective solutions to social and economic problems. Preference is given to well-established organizations that provide comprehensive, direct-service programs that share one or more of the following goals: - Helping individuals move from welfare dependence to economic independence - Strengthening families and ensuring healthy childhood development - Addressing the frequently interrelated problems of homelessness, drug addiction, and mental illness - Fostering youth leadership - Increasing access to affordable housing - Creating socio-economic opportunities for women and girls - Promoting literacy - Capacity building for social service organizations.

Culture: The Hearst Foundations support programs that enrich the lives of young people by engaging them in cultural activities, primarily through arts-in-education programs. Grants are awarded to major institutions and community organizations in the arts and sciences that address the lack of arts programming in pre-kindergarten through 12th grade curricula by providing comprehensive, on-site and/or outreach education activities.

Targets and Limitations: Grants are awarded throughout the U.S.

Websites:                              http://www.hearstfdn.org/
Link to available grants                       Link to application

Contact Information:
West of Mississippi River:                         East of Mississippi River:
The William Randolph Hearst Foundations    The William Randolph Hearst Foundations
90 New Montgomery Street                      300 West 57th Street
Suite 1212                                            26th Floor
San Francisco, California 94105                 New York, New York 10019-3741

Summary:                             The Kellogg Foundation focuses on rural development through a program called Rural People, Rural                                                             Policy. This initiative welcomes 26 organizations joining the Rural Policy Networks. This multi-year                                                                 initiative is designed to improve the lives of those living in small communities across the nation. Each                                                             organization receives a $100,000 grant (over five years) to participate in the Initiative.

W.K. Kellogg Foundation

Summary: The Kellogg Foundation focuses on rural development through a program called Rural People, Rural Policy. This initiative welcomes 26 organizations joining the Rural Policy Networks. This multi-year initiative is designed to improve the lives of those living in small communities across the nation. Each organization receives a $100,000 grant (over five years) to participate in the Initiative.

Program Name: Rural People, Rural Policy

Description: Rural People, Rural Policy is grounded in a systems-change approach to policy reform. The systems-change perspective acknowledges the complex and interconnected nature of major rural issues. Rather than focusing on alleviating symptoms, such as inadequate school funding, economic decline, and thin infrastructure, the systems change approach seeks to address the underlying behavior, interactions, and decisions that cause the symptoms or keep the symptoms from being addressed. Systems change seeks to understand how complex public and private systems work, decides where the leverage points are to change them, and builds the skills, relationships, and messages required to create new policy outcomes.

WKKF believes that for significant positive change to occur for rural people and communities there must be action in the policy arena. By taking a greater role in examining policy and making it more coherent, nonprofit organizations and citizens can make a difference in communities. They can change rules, increase opportunities, or prioritize public funding. Some of the policy that most affects rural communities – from economic development to school systems to farm policy – could benefit from more community involvement. And it makes sense that the rural communities most directly affected should be part of the effort to analyze the effectiveness of current policy – and work for changes that matter.

Rural Policy Networks are based in specific regions where WKKF has invested considerable resources in
recent years. These five regions are:

• Central Appalachia (West Virginia, Appalachian counties of Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio, Maryland, and Virginia)
• Mid South (Mississippi, Arkansas, and Louisiana)
• Great Plains (Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Montana)
• Southwest (Arizona and New Mexico)
• Michigan (In 2008, a network of Michigan organizations was added.)

Rural Policy Networks allow organizations working to improve rural America to act collectively. The seven Networks engage in a process that develops the individual organizations and collective strategies, skills, and efforts to improve the impact of public and private policy on rural people and rural places. The network approach is strategic and deliberate about building, strengthening, and maintaining network ties. Policy networks can provide organizations with opportunities for learning and access to a wider set of resources (ideas, information, connections) for making and moving policy that strengthens rural communities. This Initiative offers an opportunity to recruit new allies, imagine new approaches, and recognize achievable change.

As of 2008, each Network has membership of up to 15 organizations. During the remaining years of the Initiative, the emphasis will be on strengthening the Networks and encouraging their organic expansion, development, and active engagement in rural policy change. Each grantee in a Network participates in a series of three Peer Learning Sessions that builds their Network’s capacity to engage in effective policy change, strategic communications, and network development. The Peer Learning Sessions are deliberately designed and planned for strengthening the ties of the Network.

Websites:                               http://www.wkkf.org/default.aspx?tabid=75&CID=274&NID=61&LanguageID=0

Link to available grants

Partner organizations in the Rural People, Rural Policy initiative

Application for grants

Contact Information:
W.K. Kellogg Foundation,
One Michigan Avenue East,
Battle Creek, Michigan 49017-4012
Telephone: 269-968-1611
proposalsprocessing@wkkf.org

Land O’Lakes Foundation

Summary: The Land O’Lakes Foundation resources are awarded through several programs that donate cash and encourage employee volunteerism in communities across the United States — where over 300,000 farmers, ranchers and employees work in agriculture, food and fiber production, dairy processing and food marketing. Grants typically fall into one of the following categories: Arts & Culture, Civic, Human Service, and Youth & Education Organization: Land O’Lakes Foundation

Program Name: Youth & Education Assistance

Description: Land O’Lakes has an 85-year history of supporting rural communities throughout America by donating millions of dollars in funds, food and volunteers. That commitment was formalized in 1996 with the creation of the Land O’Lakes Foundation.
Governed by a seven-member board, the foundation has expanded the cooperative’s community giving and now also donates its resources to human service, education, youth, civic and art projects. In 2006, the Land O’Lakes Foundation distributed $1,066,246 in donations, primarily through matching funds programs.
Examples of recent grants awarded include:

Scholarships for high school students in rural communities throughout the U.S.
Financial literacy workshops
Community development projects including school playgrounds
Operating support for local farming & agricultural organizations
Classroom equipment
Youth leadership programs
Youth sports leagues
Elementary school greenhouse renovation projects

Targets and Limitations:    Land O’Lakes Foundation funds national programs and programs in 20 states: Arkansas, California, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas, Washington, Wisconsin

Websites:
http://www.foundation.landolakes.com/

Link to grant application

Contact Information:
Debbie Prince
Community Involvement / Volunteerism
Land O'Lakes Foundation
PO Box 64150
St. Paul, MN 55164-0150
651.481.2078
DLPrince@landolakes.com

The Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC)

Summary: Rural LISC’s mission is to build the capacity of resident-led rural community development corporations (CDCs), increase their production and impact, demonstrate the value of investing in and through rural CDCs and make the resource and policy environment more supportive of rural CDCs and their work

Program Name: Rural LISC

Description: Currently, Rural LISC provides more than 70 Partner CDC's across the country with training, technical assistance, information and financial support to address the problems rural communities face. LISC forges alliances among rural organizations, funders, lenders and policy makers to build support for the rural community development movement. Rural LISC is governed by a Rural Advisory Committee comprised of donors, lenders, rural community developers and other supporters.

Partner organizations provide a wide array of services, such as: developing and financing affordable housing; connecting residents to jobs; financing and supporting local businesses and the creation of new businesses; developing child care facilities and connecting residents to quality, affordable health care.

Despite the image that many of us have of rural America as a farm-driven economy, less than 9 percent of rural jobs are in the combined farming, agricultural services, forestry and fishing industries. Rural LISC recognizes that rural communities’ needs are not focused on agriculture alone. They provide a wide range of services to rural community developers accordingly.

In 1998, the Stand Up for Rural America campaign, a national coalition initiative that includes more than 1,300 community development organizations and hundreds of banks, foundations and educational institutions, was conceived to help rural community developers gain the resources and policy support their work deserves.

Websites:
http://www.ruralisc.org/

http://www.lisc.org/section/areas/sec6

Contact Information:
Rural LISC
1825 K Street, N.W.
Suite 1100
Washington, D.C. 20006
Phone: (202) 739-9283
info@ruralisc.org

Rural Community Assistance Corporation

Summary: Headquartered in West Sacramento, California, RCAC is a nonprofit organization dedicated to assisting rural communities achieve their goals and visions by providing training, technical assistance and access to resources.

Description: RCAC's work encompasses many services including environmental, housing, community development and a low-interest loan program. These services are available to a variety of communities and organizations. These entities include communities with populations of fewer than 50,000, other not-for-profit groups and tribal organizations.

Lending:
RCAC’s Loan Fund is a financial resource for rural communities. RACA fills financing gaps and serve those traditionally neglected by conventional markets. As a certified Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), the loan fund offers a comprehensive array of products for affordable housing development, environmental infrastructure and community facilities in rural locations. Each RCAC loan product is designed to meet the unique underwriting and structuring needs of nonprofit and local government borrowers.

The main goal of the Loan Fund is to serve low- and very-low income rural residents. While the primary borrowers from the loan fund are nonprofit organizations, municipalities, and tribal governments, the ultimate beneficiaries are the people who are given the opportunity to have safe and decent housing, water, wastewater or community facilities.

Water and Waste:
RCAC provides assistance to small municipal and nonprofit water systems, wastewater systems and solid waste management programs in 11 western states. They build local community capacity through training and technical assistance and an established network to access resources. Services are directed to low income communities and non-profits and those small water and waste systems that need help to achieve state and federal regulation compliance. In most cases, assistance is offered at no charge – covered by state and federal contracts.

Conferences and Training:
Training is one of RCAC’s core services. RCAC has expert trainers on the topics of water treatment, wastewater and solid waste disposal, affordable housing development, economic development and community project financing. Many of the trainings qualify as Continuing Education Units (CEUs) for professions (such as water operator) that require continued training to remain certified.

Community Development:
RCAC’s comprehensive community development (CCD) program helps communities create a vision, set goals and implement an action plan for community development projects. CCD addresses leadership development, economic development and comprehensive planning needs of rural communities.

Targets and Limitations:    RCAC serves a 13 state area including: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana,Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming

Websites:
http://www.rcac.org/

Link to current loan programs

Link to current water/waste programs

Link to current conferences and training

Link to current community development programs

Contact Information:
Rural Community Assistance Corporation
3120 Freeboard Drive, Suite 201 - 2nd Floor
West Sacramento, CA 95691
916- 447-2854

Convoy of HOPE / U.S. Disaster Relief

Summary: Convoy of HOPE provides disaster preparation and recovery for rural communities throughout the U.S. Efforts are often coordinated through local churches and volunteers to provide relief.

Description: Convoy of Hope is considered a “first responder” organization in disaster relief. Their mission is to address physical and spiritual needs.
A key element of response efforts is partnership with the local church. Convoy believes the local church, through volunteer mobilization, can be vital in serving and be the face of hope and help. U.S. Disaster Response facilitates relief efforts between churches and other organizations to help best serve the needs of survivors.

With a fleet of trucks, 300,000 square foot warehouse, Mobile Command Center, and utilizing the first response P.O.D. (Points of Distribution) model, USDR has become an active and efficient disaster relief organization, providing resources and help to victims in the first days of a disaster.

Convoy of Hope USDR has identified four levels of disaster which are used to determine how best to serve a community in need. They include:

Preparedness
Response
Relief
Recovery

These four phases tend to be embraced throughout the industry as standards, and have become important benchmarks to Convoy of Hope in determining to what kind of response is needed for an impacted community to return to state of stability.
When Convoy of Hope is not responding to disasters, they are focused on disaster preparedness. Nationwide polls indicate that 7 out of 10 people are not prepared to survive three days following a natural or man-made disaster. The desired outcome is to see local churches and cities come together to help their citizens learn how to be prepared. Through such initiatives such as H.O.P.E. Event (Helping Others Prepare for Emergencies), Convoy of Hope USDR brings local churches and community organizations to the same table.

Website:http://www.convoyofhope.org/go/hbh

Contact Information:
330 S. Patterson
Springfield, MO 65802
Phone: 417.823.8998
disaster@convoyofhope.org

Salvation Army (U.S.)

Summary: The Salvation Army is a faith-based nonprofit organization that provides emergency services for disaster relief throughout the U.S. and across the globe.

Description: Federal law has reaffirmed The Salvation Army's authority to provide disaster assistance with the passage of the Robert T. Stafford Emergency and Disaster Assistance Act, which also created the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). This Act specifically names The Salvation Army as a relief and disaster assistance organization. Several factors guide The Salvation Army's role in responding to disasters. These guiding factors include:

The Salvation Army has an established right to provide disaster relief services. That right is recognized by public law and through signed Memorandums of Understanding and Agreements (MOUs) with government agencies and other voluntary organizations.
The Salvation Army's disaster relief services are supported solely by donations.
The Salvation Army is not a first responder; rather, it supports first responders.
The Salvation Army is a mass-care support agency.

The Salvation Army's Goals in Emergency Disaster Services When The Salvation Army initiates a disaster relief operation, the first aim is to meet the basic needs of those who have been affected, both survivors and first responders (such as firefighters). The Salvation Army's goals are to offer:

Material comfort
Physical comfort
Emotional comfort
Spiritual comfort

The Salvation Army provides numerous disaster relief services. Each disaster creates its own unique circumstances. The Salvation Army's disaster response is community based, varying from place to place based upon the community’s situation and the magnitude of the disaster.

In a disaster, The Salvation Army has the ability to provide both immediate emergency assistance and long-term recovery help. Emergency response services are activated on short notice according to an agreed-upon notification procedure, while long-term recovery is strategically planned in response to the situation, through working and partnering with many other community entities. Even with the ability to be flexible and to respond based upon the community's situation, there are several basic services that The Salvation Army offers in most major disasters. These include:

Food and Water Service
Emergency Shelter
Cleanup and Restoration
Donations Management
Spiritual and Emotional Care
Disaster Social Services
Emergency Communications
Administration

Website:
Each territory in the U.S. has their own website for more specific information:    Central Territory; Eastern Territory; Southern Territory; Western Territory

Contact Information:
The Salvation Army National Headquarters
615 Slaters Lane
P.O. Box 269
Alexandria, VA 22313
www.salvationarmyusa.org