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September 16, 2009

In an effort to continue to track the distribution of federal funds allocated by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the Equal Voice for America's Families Coalition will send out updates about upcoming hearings, public actions, requests for proposals, updates and resources regarding expenditure and allocation of stimulus dollars at the state level.



Public Hearings

TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND COMMUNITY AFFAIRS SEEKS PUBLIC INPUT

Who: Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs
What:

Public comment regarding:
* 2010 HOME, Housing Tax Credit and Housing Trust Fund Affordable Housing Needs Score
* 2010 HOME Housing Tax Credit and Housing Trust Fund Regional Allocation Formula
* 2010 Housing Tax Credit Qualified Allocation Plan and Rule (QAP)
* 2010 Real Estate Analysis Rules
The comment period for all items is September 18 - October 26, 2009

Where/When:

Dallas
Monday, September 28, 2009

11:30 am
J. Erik Jonsson Central Library, Dallas Room
1515 Young Street
Dallas, TX 75201

El Paso
Thursday, October 1, 2009

5:30 pm
City Council Chambers, 2nd Floor
2 Civic Center Plaza
El Paso, TX 79901

Harlingen
Wednesday, October 7, 2009

3:00 pm
Harlingen Public Library
410 76 Drive
Harlingen, TX 78550

Austin
Monday, October 12, 2009

9:30 am
Thompson Conference Center
4505 Robert Dedman Dr. - Room 2.102
Austin, TX 78712

Click here to read more
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CALIFORNIA ENERGY COMMISSION TO REVIEW STATE ENERGY PROGRAM GUIDELINES

Who: California Energy Commission
What:

Public business meeting to consider adopting the proposed State Energy Program Guidelines designed to implement and administer programs funded by the $226 million in stimulus dollars flowing to the State Energy Program.

To view the Committee version of the proposed guidelines, click here.

Where/When:

Sacramento
Wednesday, September 30, 2009

10:00 am
California Energy Commission
1516 Ninth Street
First Floor, Hearing Room A
Sacramento, CA

The meeting will also be broadcast over the internet. Click here for more information.

Click here to read more.
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State & Local Requests for Proposals

STIMULUS FUNDING AVAILABLE FOR LOCAL EDUCATION AGENCIES IN TEXAS

Who: Texas Education Agency
What:

Soliciting proposals from local education agencies to utilize stimulus dollars to support elementary, secondary and post-secondary education, and early childhood education programs as applicable.

Goals:

-To make improvements in teacher effectiveness;
-To ensure all schools have highly qualified teachers;
-To make progress toward college and career-ready standards and rigorous assessments to improve teaching and learning;
-To improve achievement in low-performing schools by providing support and effective interventions; and
-To gather information to improve student learning, teacher performance and college- and career-readiness.

How to Apply:

Local education agencies (ie public school districts) and open-enrollment charter schools are eligible to apply.

In order to apply, applicants must have appropriate Texas Education Agency Secure Environment (TEASE) access. Applicants who do not have TEASE access for eGrants should visit the TEASE webpage.

If further assistance is needed, please call the eGrants Help Desk at (512) 463-7025 or email egrants@tea.state.tx.us.

Deadline: Wednesday, September 30, 2009 - 5:00 CST
Click here to read more.
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FUNDING AVAILABLE FOR CHILDREN’S SERVICES IN RURAL ARKANSAS

Who: Arkansas Department of Human Services
What:

Soliciting proposals from state certified providers to develop sustainable strategies for service delivery to children and families in designated rural areas.

Goals:

-To reach children who would not otherwise be served in their natural environment;

-To provide services such as Speech Therapy, Occupational Therapy, and Physical Therapy;

-To establish a sustainable service delivery system in rural areas of the state; and

-To test innovative ways of providing service delivery in areas lacking established providers.

How to apply:

Submit your application to:
Attn: DHS/DDS Children’s Services
Donaghey Plaza North, 5th Floor
PO Box 1437 Slot N504
Little Rock, AR 72203

Click here to download the full RFP and application guidelines

Deadline: Thursday, October 1, 2009 - 4:00 pm CST
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FUNDING AVAILABLE TO ASSURE TRANSPARENCY, EQUITY AND ACCOUNTABILITY IN RECOVERY ACT

Who: Open Society Institute (OSI)
What:

Soliciting proposals to support alliances of state-based organizations working to assure transparency, equity and accountability in economic recovery at the state level.

Goals:

-To advocate for transparency and public participation in the state decision-making process;

-To promote a more equitable distribution of recovery funds, reflecting the particular needs of low-income people, immigrant communities, women, LGBTQ individuals, youth and people of color;

-To include strong representation of people of color, women, immigrants, youth and low-income communities, and bring together expertise in grassroots organizing, policy research and analysis, use of innovative technologies and advocacy; and

-To spotlight the role of decision makers in the success or failure of economic recovery programs and policies.

Learn More:

OSI will host conference calls for interested organizations and funders to describe the application process and field questions.

The conference call number is (866) 847-6821, access code: 1861238510

Colorado
September 17, 2009

10:00 am MT / 12:00 pm EST

How to apply:

The Fund will accept proposals from the following states: Colorado, Florida and Louisiana.

For more information, contact Helena Huang at helenahuang@mac.com.

Click here to download the full RFP and application guidelines .

Deadline: Thursday, October 1, 2009 - 4:00 pm CST
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Federal Requests for Proposals

FUNDING AVAILABLE FOR PATHWAYS OUT OF POVERTY PROGRAM

Who: U.S. Department of Labor
What:

Accepting applications from local nonprofit entities and national nonprofit entities with networks of local affiliates, coalition members, or other established partners to receive funding through the stimulus-funded Pathways Out of Poverty Program.

Goals:

-To target services to unemployed individuals, high school dropouts, individuals with a criminal record and disadvantaged individuals living in high areas of poverty;
-To provide sound recruitment and referral strategies;
-To integrate basic skills and work-readiness training with occupational skills training;
-To combine supportive services with training services to help participants overcome barriers to employment; and
-To provide training services at times and locations that are easily accessible to targeted populations.

How to apply:

Application guidelines can be found on the Federal Register.

Completed applications should be mailed to:
U.S. Department of Labor, Employment & Training Administration
Division of Federal Assistance
Attn: Melissa Abdullah, Grants Officer
Reference SGA/DFA PY 08-19
200 Constitution Ave NW
Room N4716
Washington, DC 20210

Deadline: Tuesday, September 29, 2009 - 4:00 pm EST
Click here to read more
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FUNDING AVAILABLE FOR JOB TRAINING IN HEALTH CARE AND OTHER HIGH GROWTH AND EMERGING INDUSTRIES

Who: U.S. Department of Labor
What:

Accepting applications from nonprofit entities for projects that provide training and placement services to help workers pursue careers in health care and other high-growth industries.

Goals: To teach workers the necessary skills for, and help them pursue careers in, health care and other high growth and emerging industry sectors.
Where/When:

Application guidelines can be found on the Federal Register :

Completed applications should be mailed to:
U.S. Department of
Labor, Employment & Training Administration,
Division of Federal Assistance,
Attention: Donna Kelly, Grant Officer,
Reference SGA/DFA PY09-01,
200 Constitution Avenue, NW, Room N4716, Washington, DC 20210.

Deadline: Monday, October 5, 2009 - 4:00 pm EST
Click here to read more
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Resources

STIMULUS OPPORTUNITIES FOR SMALL BUSINESSES IN CALIFORNIA

Who: Small Business Development Centers of California
What:

Workshops for small businesses designed to share opportunities from the stimulus.

Presenters include buyers for state and federal government projects, buyers for large corporations and local panelists able to offer insight into the latest developments in surety bonding and local workforce investment initiatives.

When/Where:

Sacramento
Tuesday, September 22, 2009

9:00 am – 1:00 pm
Lions Gate Hotel
3140 Westover Street
McClellan , CA 95652

Escondido
Tuesday, September 29, 2009

9:00 am – 1:00 pm
Center for the Arts
340 N Escondido Blvd
Escondido, CA 92025

How to register:

This event is free and open to the public, but pre-registration is required.

To register for the event in Sacramento, click here.

To register for the event in Escondido, click here.

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STIMULUS WORKSHOPS FOR LENDERS AND SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS IN ARKANSAS

Who: Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center
What:

Workshops for lenders and small business owners to provide facts about no-interest, no-fee loans and other small business provisions in the Recovery Act.

When/Where:

El Dorado
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
8:30 am - 12:00 pm
El Dorado Chamber
111 W Main Street
El Dorado, AR 71730

Jonesboro
Thursday, September 24, 2009
1:00 pm - 4:30 pm
1709 E. Nettleton
Jonesboro, AR 72401

Little Rock
Wednesday, September 30, 2009 
8:30 am - 12:00 pm  
North Little Rock Chamber of Commerce
100 Main Street
Little Rock, AR 72201  
How to register:

Pre-registration is required. There is a fee of $25 for each participant.

To register, call (800) 862-2040 or visit http://asbtdc.ualr.edu/recovery

Click here to read more
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GRANT WRITING TRAINING SESSION IN ILLINOIS

Who: Illinois Department of Human Services
What:

Training session to help community and faith based organizations improve grant writing skills by learning to write better program descriptions that clearly address identified needs of programs, and succinctly describes the approach, activities and methods of assessment and evaluation.

When/Where:

East Hazel Crest
Tuesday, October 20, 2009

9:00 am - 4:30 pm
State Rep. William Q Davis
1912 W. 174th St
East Hazel Crest, IL 60429

How to register: This workshop is free, but pre-registration is required. Please register by October 13, 2009.

Click here to register.
Click to read more
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NEW JOB PLACEMENT AND TRAINING SERVICES IN FLORIDA

Who: Florida Workforce Board
What:

A variety of new or expanded services funded by the federal stimulus. Programs include additional job training, individual counseling, enhanced assistance for local businesses and outreach services to assist more Floridians.

When/Where:

Programs will vary by local workforce board, to find the details for your region, click here

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Stimulus in the News

Stimulus Keeping 6 Million Americans Out of Poverty in 2009

Although intended to help the economy, the stimulus plan Congress enacted earlier this year significantly reduced the recession’s impact on poverty.

Read more

Pace of New Stimulus Spending Slows

The government handed out stimulus money far more slowly this summer than it had in the first weeks after the massive economic recovery plan started, even though President Obama and other members of his administration had vowed to hasten that aid.
Read More

Fight in Congress Looms on Tax Break for Home Buyers

When Congress passed an $8,000 tax credit for first-time home buyers last winter, it was intended as a dose of shock therapy during a crisis. Now the question is becoming whether the housing market can function without it.
Read more

Communities in Action

Georgia Work Program Attracts Followers

The program, dubbed Georgia Works, is so simple that experts say other states should have no problem replicating it. “It’s a brilliant little program. There’s no cost to the employer and the only cost to the state is a small stipend for transportation.”

Read more

Can a Mother Lose Her Child Because She Doesn’t Speak English?

That's the latest question to arise in the hothouse debate over illegal immigration, as an undocumented woman from impoverished rural Mexico — who speaks only an obscure indigenous language — fights in a Mississippi court to regain custody of her infant daughter.

Read more

Catcalls and Whistles Inspired Change

About seven years ago, Rivera began leading an exercise class, a group of neighborhood mothers who would work out on the kindergarten playground at Garfield Elementary. Separated from the outside world by only a chain-link fence, the women quickly attracted unwanted male attention in the form of stares, catcalls and whistles.

Read more

Links to Additional Resources

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Action Alerts will include information about the states in Marguerite Casey Foundation's grantmaking regions: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, Texas and Washington.

Public Hearing

State & Local Requests for Proposals

Federal Requests for Proposals

Resources

Stimulus in the News

Communities Take Action