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We love hearing about the awesome work you do throughout Ohio. If your organization is mentioned in the news, please share it with us. We love photos too! If you send it to Lisa Much , we can put it on our blog and in this newsletter. 

New Report Lays Out Strategies to Revitalize Smaller Legacy Cities

From Gary, Indiana to Lowell, Massachusetts, smaller post-industrial cities are taking strategic steps to regenerate - with the chance to follow their larger rebounding counterparts like Pittsburgh and Cleveland - by building on downtowns, capitalizing on a unique sense of place, and focusing on workforce development, according to a new report published by the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy in partnership with the Greater Ohio Policy Center. The report, Revitalizing America's Smaller Legacy Cities: Strategies for Postindustrial Success from Gary to Lowell, emphasizes how America's smaller legacy cities - cities located primarily in the Midwest and Northeast with 30,000 to 200,000 residents and traditional economies built around manufacturing - have long been central to building American middle class prosperity. 

Village of Yellow Springs Seeking a Housing Needs Assessment 

The Village of Yellow Springs seeks assistance to understand the housing needs of the people of Yellow Springs and the surrounding area. The geographic area to be studied will be determined in concert with the contracted firm, but should include general trend information for the Dayton-Springfield metropolitan area and specific trend information for the Yellow Springs area. Specific housing needs and availability within the Yellow Springs area should also be included. Deliverables shall include information on general housing needs and general affordability needs of the study area population.  Packets may be found on their website at http://vil.yellowsprings.oh.us/. The proposal is due no later than 4:00 P.M. EST on Monday, September 11, 2017.

In July, 27 New VISTAs Started Serving

July was a big month for the OCDCA AmeriCorps VISTA program. A new class of VISTAs began their service terms at CDCs from Cleveland to Cincinnati, and they have spent their first month learning the ropes. A few VISTAs stayed on for a second term. Joseph Linsky, who is a second-year VISTA at Slavic Village Development in Cleveland, hosted the Cleveland Chain Reaction at the Village Market, drawing over 200 visitors and shoppers. We wish you all a great year of service!

Registration Open for Ohio Land Bank Conference

Louis Stokes Community Visionary Award Breakfast

Rural Technical Assistance Opportunity

The National Association for Latino Community Asset Builders (NALCAB), is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization based in San Antonio, TX who recently received a HUD grant to deliver project-based and organizational technical assistance (TA) and capacity building services, and loans to affordable housing and community development projects, in rural communities in 12 states.

Government, tribal, and non-profit affordable housing providers, and community and economic development entities in rural areas of Ohio are eligible for this TA. More information here.

ServeOhio Make a Difference Day Grants

ServeOhio, in conjunction with its corporate Stewards of Service, Honda of America and AEP Ohio, announces the availability of grants to support community service projects organized for Make A Difference Day on October 28, 2017. Deadline is September 5th at 5 PM.

National Endowment for the Arts Our Town Grants for Creative Placemaking

The National Endowment for the Arts has published guidelines and the application for the next funding round of Our Town, the agency's primary creative placemaking grants program. Our Town requires partnerships between arts organizations and government, other nonprofit organizations, and private entities to achieve livability goals for communities, under the program areas of either arts engagement, cultural planning, and design projects or projects that build knowledge about creative placemaking. Deadline is September 11.

ArtsWave Catalyzing Impact Grant Program (Southwest Ohio)

The purpose of the Catalyzing Impact Grant Program is to encourage a breadth of programming through arts and cultural heritage projects that support the goals of ArtsWave's Blueprint for Collective Action. Deadline is September 13.

Catalyst Initiative

The Catalyst Initiative supports place-based project teams comprised of an individual artist and a civic (community, non-profit, or municipal) partner to conceive and execute a small-scale local arts-based project created in response to an expressed need by the partner. CPCP offers the cohort of artists and civic partners conceptual and process support throughout planning, implementation and evaluation of their projects. CPCP makes site-visits, convenes the cohort and supports documentation. An informational call is scheduled for September 6th. Deadline is September 15th.

Unitarian Universalist Fund for a Just Society

Grants are made to non-Unitarian Universalist groups in the U.S. and Canada that: use community organizing to bring about systemic change leading to a more just society; mobilize those who have been disenfranchised and excluded from resources, power and the right to self-determination; and have an active focused campaign to create systemic change. Deadline is September 15.

Rocky Community Improvement Fund (Southeast Ohio)

RCIF will again be partnering with the Osteopathic Heritage Foundation of Nelsonville for their Spring Grant distribution. This combined effort will allow for even more money to be channeled into the local community. Applications are now being accepted through September 15, 2017 for projects from local non-profits that benefit the citizens of Nelsonville and the surrounding areas.

Finance Fund Grants

Their grants are designed to create a better quality of life for people living in economically distressed urban and rural communities. 

Predevelopment Grant: Funding up to $30,000 is available for eligible activities that include feasibility studies, environmental review, legal research, engineering and architectural drawings and site plans, business plans, market studies, zoning and permit fees. More information here.

Economic Development Grant: These grants provide funding for projects that create long-term private sector jobs to strengthen an area's economic base. Grants up to $100,000 are made primarily for fixed assets such as real estate, machinery, equipment, furniture, fixtures, etc. A portion of the funding may be used for administration. More information here.

The US House plans to vote on the FY18 Transportation-Housing and Urban Development (THUD) spending bill in the first few days of September after members of Congress return from their month-long recess. The current plan is for the THUD bill to be combined with seven other domestic spending bills to form a larger package. Because of tight federal spending limits, the THUD bill would eliminate more than 140,000 housing vouchers and reduce flexible resources used by states and localities to build and preserve affordable homes and address community needs.

Even if the House passes the spending package, the Senate is unlikely to consider the bill. Because of the low domestic spending levels and conservative policy riders in the House spending bills, Democrats are expected to oppose them. Without some Democratic support, the Senate does not have the 60 votes it needs to approve the spending bills. The Senate continues to work on its spending bills, which exceed the Budget Control Act caps. This sets the stage for bipartisan negotiations. Congress and the administration will need to reach an agreement on final FY18 spending bills - or enact a short-term Continuing Resolution - before the start of the new fiscal year on October 1 or risk a government shutdown.

Given the limited time remaining before the start of the next fiscal year, Congress will likely need to rely on at least one short term stopgap spending bill to keep the government open when FY18 begins on October 1. Click here for an updated budget chart covering a variety of community development and housing programs.

This important and insightful article in New York Magazine describes the management and direction of HUD. Is Anybody Home at HUD?