Monday, December 21, 2009
For classrooms in need...
Public school teachers have a new way to fundraise for their classrooms, and those wishing to contribute to regional schools can easily donate online to a special project. DonorsChoose.org allows teachers to post the story behind the need in their classrooms to request assistance with funding.
Friday, December 18, 2009
Local legislators urge support for manufacturing jobs
A group of local legislators, including Congresswoman Kathy Dahlkemper and Senators Specter and Casey, recently submitted a letter to Congress advocate for funding for manufacturing jobs. The focus of the advocacy is on rail investments.
Unemployment benefits extension program passes in Congress
Although it's not the six-month extension that had originally been hoped for, the unemployment benefits extension legislation passed yesterday, and it is expected that the President will sign before the New Year. The extension will be related to each State's unemployment rate and will cover eligible individuals until February 2010. More details are available here.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Update on the Jobs Bill
(from the Chronicle of Philanthrophy)
December 17, 2009
House Jobs Bill Provides $200-Million to AmeriCorps
The House of Representatives passed a $154-billion jobs bill on Wednesday that includes $200-million in fresh money for AmeriCorps, the national-service program.
The money, provided in the Jobs for Main Street Act, H.R. 2847, would allow AmeriCorps to add 25,000 members as part of a broader effort to tackle the country’s high unemployment rate by creating and saving public-service jobs.
“AmeriCorps members conduct vital services for nonprofits and communities including financial counseling, disaster response, housing support, and after-school programs,” says an explanatory note about the legislation.
The jobs bill would also pay for public-works projects; help states hire teachers, police officers, and firefighters; and extend federal unemployment benefits and other safety-net measures. About half of the money, including the AmeriCorps allocation, would come from a federal fund that was originally set aside to bail out troubled banks, much of which has now been repaid.
The Senate is not expected to consider the jobs bill until early next year.
If the AmeriCorps money is approved, it will be on top of a spending increase for the program that Congress has already passed for the 2010 fiscal year. Lawmakers approved a budget for the Corporation for National and Community Service that will allow AmeriCorps to grow to 85,000 members — up from the current 75,000 — as the first step in a seven-year effort to triple participation in the program.
AmeriCorps also gained almost 14,000 new members on a temporary basis under economic-stimulus money that was allocated earlier this year
December 17, 2009
House Jobs Bill Provides $200-Million to AmeriCorps
The House of Representatives passed a $154-billion jobs bill on Wednesday that includes $200-million in fresh money for AmeriCorps, the national-service program.
The money, provided in the Jobs for Main Street Act, H.R. 2847, would allow AmeriCorps to add 25,000 members as part of a broader effort to tackle the country’s high unemployment rate by creating and saving public-service jobs.
“AmeriCorps members conduct vital services for nonprofits and communities including financial counseling, disaster response, housing support, and after-school programs,” says an explanatory note about the legislation.
The jobs bill would also pay for public-works projects; help states hire teachers, police officers, and firefighters; and extend federal unemployment benefits and other safety-net measures. About half of the money, including the AmeriCorps allocation, would come from a federal fund that was originally set aside to bail out troubled banks, much of which has now been repaid.
The Senate is not expected to consider the jobs bill until early next year.
If the AmeriCorps money is approved, it will be on top of a spending increase for the program that Congress has already passed for the 2010 fiscal year. Lawmakers approved a budget for the Corporation for National and Community Service that will allow AmeriCorps to grow to 85,000 members — up from the current 75,000 — as the first step in a seven-year effort to triple participation in the program.
AmeriCorps also gained almost 14,000 new members on a temporary basis under economic-stimulus money that was allocated earlier this year
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Conference Call for Wind Grants: Dec. 17
Harrisburg – Potential large-scale wind energy project developers looking for guidance and assistance on how to apply for $19.8 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds are invited to take part in an informational conference call for the Green Energy Works! Wind grant program from 10:30 a.m. to noon on Thursday, Dec. 17.
The Department of Environmental Protection will conduct the call, which will be accessible by dialing 866-469-3239 and entering the access code 21331162.
The Department of Environmental Protection will conduct the call, which will be accessible by dialing 866-469-3239 and entering the access code 21331162.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Play games for social change
A new way that nonprofits are providing education and outreach (and making some money) is through online games. Commonly, advertisers will pay to be placed on websites that they know that web users will frequent, and these pages are no exception. To see examples, (or to waste some time without a huge deal of guilt), a listing of 50 games for social change has a nice sampling.
Other nice social change games include Free Poverty, (learn world geography to earn donations of water to third world countries), and Free Rice, where you can strengthen your vocabulary, math, art, or foreign language knowledge and earn rice donations to countries in poverty.
Other nice social change games include Free Poverty, (learn world geography to earn donations of water to third world countries), and Free Rice, where you can strengthen your vocabulary, math, art, or foreign language knowledge and earn rice donations to countries in poverty.
Nonprofit social media resource
Interested in promoting your nonprofit organization with new social media tools? An excellent blog with access to training, resources, and timely news by Beth Canter helps nonprofits achieve their missions by using online outreach.
Google grants support nonprofit advertising
Google has launched a new initiative to help nonprofits with the advertising and fundraising efforts. The average awardee will receive approximately $300 of free targeted advertising.
New Grant to support Main Street, Housing, & Job Readiness
A new grant is available that will support Main Street efforts to redevelop abandoned properties while helping citizens prepare for employment.
FULL ANNOUNCEMENT: http://www.hud.gov/offices/adm/grants/nofa09/hopevimainstsec.pdf
DEADLINE: Jan. 20, 2010
From the NOFA:
The objectives of the program are to:
1. Redevelop Main Street areas;
2. Preserve historic or traditional architecture or design features in Main Street areas;
3. Enhance economic development efforts in Main Street areas; and
4. Provide affordable housing in Main Street areas.
Community and Supportive Services (“CSS”) means services provided to residents of the
project that may include, but are not limited to:
a. Homeownership counseling that is scheduled to begin promptly after grant award so that, to the maximum extent possible, qualified residents will be ready to purchase new homeownership units when they are completed;
b. Educational life skills, job readiness and retention, employment training, and other activities as described on HUD’s HOPE VI website at
http://www.hud.gov/offices/pih/programs/ph/hope6/css/; and
c. Coordination with fair housing groups to educate the HOPE VI Main Street affordable housing project’s targeted population on its fair housing rights.
FULL ANNOUNCEMENT: http://www.hud.gov/offices/adm/grants/nofa09/hopevimainstsec.pdf
DEADLINE: Jan. 20, 2010
From the NOFA:
The objectives of the program are to:
1. Redevelop Main Street areas;
2. Preserve historic or traditional architecture or design features in Main Street areas;
3. Enhance economic development efforts in Main Street areas; and
4. Provide affordable housing in Main Street areas.
Community and Supportive Services (“CSS”) means services provided to residents of the
project that may include, but are not limited to:
a. Homeownership counseling that is scheduled to begin promptly after grant award so that, to the maximum extent possible, qualified residents will be ready to purchase new homeownership units when they are completed;
b. Educational life skills, job readiness and retention, employment training, and other activities as described on HUD’s HOPE VI website at
http://www.hud.gov/offices/pih/programs/ph/hope6/css/; and
c. Coordination with fair housing groups to educate the HOPE VI Main Street affordable housing project’s targeted population on its fair housing rights.
Do you know a young citizen who is working to make a change in their community? The "Do Something" initiative considers grants and honorary awards to help young people further their community projects...
http://www.dosomething.org/grants
http://www.dosomething.org/grants
Friday, December 11, 2009
NEWS--Ford Foundation's $80 million workforce initiative
NEW YORK, 2 December 2009 — As unemployment in the United States reaches its highest level in decades, the Ford Foundation today announced a five-year, $80 million effort to ensure Americans get the support they need to stabilize family incomes, cope with unemployment, and keep the jobs they have.
The initiative will focus on two related areas:
* Strengthening programs and policies that improve job quality for U.S. workers, especially low-wage employees
* Helping states modernize the delivery of existing public programs to ensure working Americans are able to meet basic needs when their wages are too low to support a family
FULL STORY: http://www.fordfound.org/newsroom/pressreleases/338
The initiative will focus on two related areas:
* Strengthening programs and policies that improve job quality for U.S. workers, especially low-wage employees
* Helping states modernize the delivery of existing public programs to ensure working Americans are able to meet basic needs when their wages are too low to support a family
FULL STORY: http://www.fordfound.org/newsroom/pressreleases/338
EVENT--Nonprofit Career Fair, Pittsburgh
The .Org Pittsburgh Non-Profit Career Fair Planning Committee--a consortium comprised of the Carnegie Mellon University, Duquesne University, Point Park University, and The University of Pittsburgh,-cordially invites your organization to attend our third annual Pittsburgh Non-Profit Job and Internship Fair on Thursday, February 25, 2010. This event will be held at Duquesne University's Student Union Ballroom.
The .Org career fair is open to all non-profit organizations seeking access to undergraduate and graduate students from colleges and universities in the Western Pennsylvania area. This will be an excellent opportunity to meet and recruit students interested in the non-profit sector.
Registration for this event is quick and easy. For additional information and to register, please visit our website at
http://www.sites.duq.edu/career-services/employers/jobfair.cfm
and select the nonprofit Career Fair.
The .Org career fair is open to all non-profit organizations seeking access to undergraduate and graduate students from colleges and universities in the Western Pennsylvania area. This will be an excellent opportunity to meet and recruit students interested in the non-profit sector.
Registration for this event is quick and easy. For additional information and to register, please visit our website at
http://www.sites.duq.edu/career-services/employers/jobfair.cfm
and select the nonprofit Career Fair.
DATA--EDA Releases New Tools on Clusters and Innovation
Economic Development Administration, Purdue University, and Indiana Business Research Center Release New Tools on Clusters and Innovation
The Economic Development Administration (EDA) has passed along the following update:
"EDA has just released some new tools in conjunction with our grantees Purdue University and the Indiana Business Research Center on clusters and innovation. The tools builds on the initial industry cluster tool research by providing occupational cluster data, so practitioners can more easily identify potential skill gaps in what businesses need and what the population's skills are. Additionally, the research led to the development of an innovation index that allows practitioners to compare their region's innovation capacity to another area. We see this as an important tool to support strategic planning efforts, as it allows practitioners feedback not only on their "innovation score", but also information on their score in the various input - so that if there are deficiencies in the inputs that lead to innovation those can be incorporated into their planning efforts."
These tools can be accessed at: www.statsamerica.org/innovation/
The Economic Development Administration (EDA) has passed along the following update:
"EDA has just released some new tools in conjunction with our grantees Purdue University and the Indiana Business Research Center on clusters and innovation. The tools builds on the initial industry cluster tool research by providing occupational cluster data, so practitioners can more easily identify potential skill gaps in what businesses need and what the population's skills are. Additionally, the research led to the development of an innovation index that allows practitioners to compare their region's innovation capacity to another area. We see this as an important tool to support strategic planning efforts, as it allows practitioners feedback not only on their "innovation score", but also information on their score in the various input - so that if there are deficiencies in the inputs that lead to innovation those can be incorporated into their planning efforts."
These tools can be accessed at: www.statsamerica.org/innovation/
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