Southern Region Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (SSARE), the Southern Rural Development Center (SRDC) and the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC)

These grants fund projects that embrace local strategies to link sound farm and non-farm economic development with agriculture and natural resource management. Applications are encouraged that seek to increase knowledge, build capacity and make connections among on- and off-farm sustainable agriculture activities, economic and community development efforts, value-added activities, civic engagement and local government policy.

Proposals are especially encouraged that focus on entrepreneurship efforts and on value-added activities that build on the agricultural and nonagricultural assets of rural communities.

Level 1 proposals may take place anywhere in the Southern Region (which consists of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands) and may take any one of a number of approaches to achieving the goals of the program.

Level 2 funds are only available in certain Appalachian counties (listed in the call for proposals) and must focus a majority of their activities and outcomes on value-added sustainable agriculture.

Online, visit
http://www.southernsare.uga.edu/scig_page.htm

The Laura Jane Musser Fund proposes to assist public or not-for-profit entities to initiate or implement projects in rural areas to undertake consensus-based activities in environmental stewardship or dispute resolution.

The Musser Fund encourages communities to use a consensus-based approach to environmental decision-making. By this we mean a collaborative process, involving a neutral facilitator where appropriate, that strives to involve all key stakeholders as well as local citizens in developing environmental programs and policies that satisfy common interests.

National Institutes of Health

A central goal of this program is to facilitate interdisciplinary collaboration and innovation in population research while providing essential and cost-effective core services in support of the development, conduct and translation of population research based in centers or comparable administrative units.

Applicants may request funds under this announcement to support infrastructure development designed to:

1. Enhance the quality and quantity of population research conducted at an institution, and
2. Develop new research capabilities to advance population research through innovative approaches.

Grants will be made to qualified intermediary organizations that will provide financial and technical assistance to recipient organizations to develop their capacity and ability to undertake projects related to housing, community facilities, or community and economic development.

W.K. Kellogg Foundation

The Rural Development program goal is to fund collaborative, comprehensive and inclusive approaches to rural economic development that emphasize community problem-solving, leadership development, entrepreneurship development and delivery of human, social and economic services. It also strives to enable rural people to raise the national awareness of rural communities' potential and problems.

The State Farm Good Neighbor Service-Learning Grant offers up to $1,000 each to young people (ages 5-25), teachers and school-based service-learning coordinators to implement service-learning projects on National and Global Youth Service Day 2007 (April 20-22, 2007). Service-learning is a teaching method that combines meaningful service with curriculum- or program-based learning.

Successful service-learning projects will address an important issue in the community such as literacy, disaster relief, education or environmental awareness, to name a few. Projects are encouraged that promote collaboration between youth, teachers and adults.

The Sociology Program supports basic research on all forms of human social organization - societies, institutions, groups and demography - and processes of individual and institutional change. The program encourages theoretically focused empirical investigations aimed at improving the explanation of fundamental social processes.

Included is research on organizations and organizational behavior, population dynamics, social movements, social groups, labor force participation, stratification and mobility, family, social networks, socialization, gender roles and the sociology of science and technology. The program supports both original data collections and secondary data analysis that use the full range of quantitative and qualitative methodological tools.

Online, visit http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=5369

Health Resources & Services Administration

$3.75 million

This program encourages the development of new and innovative health care delivery systems in rural communities that lack essential care services. Programs funded have varied greatly and have brought care that would not otherwise have been available to at least 2 million rural citizens across the country. Through consortia of schools, churches, emergency medical service providers, local universities, private practitioners and the like, rural communities have managed to create hospice care, bring health check-ups to children and provide prenatal care to women in remote areas.

Georgia-Pacific Foundation

$20 million

October 31, 2006

The Georgia-Pacific Foundation invests in educational efforts that empower youth, and provide workers with job readiness training. It also invests in scholarships and technical programs that give workers the skills necessary for today's workplace. The Foundation supports such community needs as affordable housing, historic preservation, arts and culture, youth development, diversity and safety. In addition, the Georgia-Pacific Foundation invests in organizations that foster environmental responsibility and provide environmental learning opportunities, including those that promote source reduction, recycling, reuse and cleaner air.

State Farm Companies Foundation

$20 million

Continuous

State Farm focuses its giving in the areas of safety, community development and education. It supports programs that promote community development by making housing affordable, fostering sustainable communities, rehabilitating neighborhoods and eliminating barriers to home ownership. State Farm also considers grants for K-12 public school programs focused on teacher excellence, service-learning programs that integrate core classroom curriculum with community service and programs that incorporate Systemic Improvement criteria into education systems to improve overall effectiveness.