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USDA ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR GRANTS TO PROVIDE BROADBAND SERVICE TO REMOTE RURAL COMMUNITIES
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development is accepting applications for the Community Connect program for grants to provide broadband service to residents of remote rural communities. The funds are to build broadband infrastructure. Awardees are also required to establish community centers that offer free public access to broadband service. The application deadline is June 18. For more information, visit USDA Rural Development’s website at http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/utp_commconnect.html.

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IRS SEEKING APPLICATIONS FOR VOLUNTEER TAX ASSISTANCE PROGRAM GRANTS
The Internal Revenue Service is accepting applications for the Tax Counseling for the Elderly (TCE) and Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) grant programs, which will allow some organizations to apply for annual funding for up to three years. Applications will be accepted only through www.grants.gov from May 1 through May 31, 2012. Previous grant recipients will have the option to apply for up to 3 years of annual funding, which would reduce the amount of paperwork they must complete over the 3-year period. This annual funding will also help recipients with budget planning. Interested organizations may obtain an electronic copy of the grant application package instructions, Publication 1101 at www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p1101.pdf for TCE and Publication 4671 at www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p4671.pdf for VITA on the IRS.gov website. In 2012 the IRS awarded 30 TCE grantees $5.6 million and 213 VITA grantees $12 million. Through April 9, 2012, the two grant programs filed more than 2 million returns at over 9,800 sites nationwide. The TCE program was established in 1978 to provide tax counseling and return preparation to persons age 60 or older and to give training and technical assistance to the volunteers who provide free federal income tax assistance to seniors across the nation. The VITA Grant program was established in 2007 to supplement the VITA program, which was created in 1969. VITA provides underserved communities with free federal income tax filing assistance. The grant program enables VITA to extend services to underserved populations in hard-to-reach urban and non-urban areas, to increase taxpayers’ ability to file returns electronically, to enhance training of volunteers and to improve the accuracy rate of returns prepared at VITA sites.

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 USDA ANNOUNCES FUNDING FOR FARMERS’ MARKET PROMOTION PROGRAM
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced funding for the Farmers Market Promotion Program. The program provides support for activities designed to promote the domestic consumption of agricultural commodities by expanding direct producer-to-consumer marketing opportunities. The application deadline is May 21. Proposed projects will encourage the development, promotion, and expansion of direct marketing of agricultural commodities from farmers to consumers. For an application or more information, visit www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/FMPP.

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DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR COMMUNITY POLICING DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM
The U.S. Department of Justice is offering grants to nonprofit and profit institutions, universities, community groups and governmental agencies for the Community Policing Development Program. The program provides support for the development of community oriented policing strategies that significantly advance the field of community policing, and demonstrate an understanding of community policing as it pertains to the following topic areas: community policing enhancement, ethics and integrity, policing in a new economy, child and youth safety, police operations, officer safety and wellness, veterans support, and an open topic area focused on community policing-related topics. The application deadline is May 21. For more information, visit www.cops.usdoj.gov/default.asp?Item=2450.

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USDA ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR FARM TO SCHOOL GRANT PROGRAM
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) is accepting grant applications for the Farm to School Grant Program, which will help schools respond to the growing demand for locally sourced foods and increase market opportunities for producers and food businesses, including food processors, manufacturers, distributors and other value-added operations. The grant program, which is part of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, assists eligible entities in implementing farm to school programs that improve access to local foods in eligible schools. The new investments will assist schools in procuring food from local producers. Farm to school initiatives can also include agriculture and nutrition education efforts such as school gardens, field trips to local farms, and cooking classes. Proposals are due June 15, 2012. For more information on the farm to school grant program, or USDA’s farm to school efforts in general, visit FNS’s website at www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/f2s/.

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VETERANS AFFAIRS ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR HOMELESS PROVIDERS GRANTS
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is accepting applications for assistance under the Per Diem Only component of VA's Homeless Providers Grant and Per Diem Program. The Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) includes funding priorities for those applicants who will serve specific homeless veteran populations that are identified in the NOFA, or implement a new ``transition in place'' housing model to facilitate housing stabilization. The application deadline is May 30, 2012. For more information, visit www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2012-03-01/html/2012-4880.htm

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HOW PUBLIC HOUSING AGENCY INITIATIVES INCREASE RESIDENTS' ECONOMIC SECURITY
The Center for Housing Policy, a research affiliate of the National Housing Conference, has released a new brief in the Ideas for Housing Policy and Practice series called, More Than a Roof: Case Studies of Public Housing Agency Initiatives To Increase Residents' Economic Security. The brief describes efforts by public housing agencies to help residents make progress toward economic security. Specifically, it profiles agencies running four initiatives: the Family Self-Sufficiency program; the Housing Choice Voucher Homeownership program; Earned Income Tax Credit Outreach; and Individual Development Accounts. It concludes by highlighting two innovative approaches that merit consideration by agencies seeking to expand economic security opportunities for their residents. For a copy of the brief, visit www.nhc.org/publications/index.html.

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ERS RELEASES 2011 RURAL AMERICA AT A GLANCE
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service (ERS) has released the 2011 edition of Rural America at a Glance. This year’s edition highlights the most recent indicators of social and economic conditions in rural areas for use in developing policies and programs to assist rural areas. It focuses on the U.S. rural economy, including employment trends, poverty, education, and population trends. For a copy, visit www.ers.usda.gov/Publications/EIB85/.

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DAILY YONDER OFFERS RURAL NEWS FROM ACROSS THE NATION
Looking for news, commentary and blogs on rural America? Check out The Daily Yonder at www.thedailyyonder.com. The Daily Yonder is published on the web by the Center for Rural Strategies and focuses on big issues, such as health, employment, broadband access, education, and economic development, that are facing small communities. The Daily Yonder was developed with the support of the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the Nathan Cummings Foundation, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, and the Media Democracy Fund, a project of the Proteus Fund.

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PENN STATE AG LAW CENTER LAUNCHING LEGAL CLINIC FOR RURAL COMMUNITIES, AG BUSINESSES
Pennsylvania State University’s Agricultural Law Resource and Reference Center is launching a new Rural Economic Development Clinic this fall. The clinic will serve rural communities and agricultural businesses and will be staffed by law students who will work under the supervision of licensed attorneys. Students will assist clients with a wide variety of legal issues specifically faced by agricultural businesses and rural communities. Services may include drafting contracts or lease agreements, reviewing documents, and providing basic business planning. For more information about the clinic and its services, visit http://law.psu.edu/academics/clinics_and_externships/rural_economic_development_clinic.

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