Please Note: The 2010 Request for Proposals submission deadline was August 24, 2009. Grant awards for the 2010 Grant/Mini Grant Programs will be announced in January 2010. Following is the list of Targeted Topics for the 2010 Grant Programs.

TARGETED TOPICS FOR THE 2010 GRANT PROGRAM

1. Needs Assessment of Emergency Medical Service Providers in Rural Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania’s 1,000 emergency medical service (EMS) providers are volunteers, paid staff or a combination of the two. In rural areas, these providers have an average service area of 76 square miles compared to the typical urban service area of 21 miles. Increasing operating and personnel costs are creating financial concerns for some ambulance services as current funding sources may not be keeping pace with expenses. This research will analyze rural EMS providers’ budgets and personnel complements.

Key Expected Outcomes
• Identification and cataloging of financial revenue sources and expenditures for rural Pennsylvania EMS providers.
• Analysis of financial information to estimate the number of rural EMS providers who are currently financially at risk and those who will likely be at risk over the next 10 years.
• Determination of the current staffing complement of rural EMS providers and estimation of staffing needs over the next 10 years to identify any potential gaps.
• Public policy implications and relevant recommendations.

2. Examination of Criminal Offenders
According to the National Center on Rural Justice and Crime Prevention, the specific causes and consequences of rural crime can be uniquely different from urban crime. This research will analyze Pennsylvania Department of Corrections inmate data and Pennsylvania Commission on Sentencing data to identify demographics, criminal histories and backgrounds of Pennsylvania offenders for a 10-year period. This examination will include an analysis of educational attainment, history of any substance abuse, mental health issues, family backgrounds, any prior convictions and other relevant data. The research will include a special analysis of inmates who are serving or have served time for offenses committed in domestic violence situations.

Key Expected Outcomes
• Profile of offenders who committed crimes in Pennsylvania in the last 10 years. Profile to include county of residence, criminal history, demographics, and history of health and human service interventions.
• Determination of the number and types of crimes committed by offenders that are domestic violence related.
• Analysis, by rural and urban county of residence, of domestic violence offender demographics, human service intervention histories, sentencing histories, and other relevant data to identify patterns and trends.
• Public policy implications and relevant recommendations.

3. Rural School Building Closings
Since 1990, the number of rural school buildings and enrollment in rural schools have both declined and are expected to continue to decline. These historical data and future projections suggest that rural school districts will increasingly need to consider the issue of closing school buildings. Such decisions will be influenced by construction and renovation costs, transportation costs, location choices and community sentiment. This research will identify and examine rural school districts that may be facing this issue within the next 15 years. A review of school districts that have already addressed this issue will be completed to identify strategies and lessons affecting the outcome.

Key Expected Outcomes
• Projection of the rural school districts facing building closure decisions within the next 5, 10, and 15 years. 
• Examination of school districts that have addressed the issue of school closing to identify strategies and lessons that may be applicable to Pennsylvania rural schools.
• Public policy implications and relevant recommendations.

4. Pennsylvanians’ Attitudes Toward Renewable Energy
Across Pennsylvania, renewable energy resources, such as wind energy, solar, geothermal and biomass, are being explored and developed. Optimal alternative energy development and implementation will be affected by residents’ attitudes toward and acceptance of renewable energy. This project will examine Pennsylvanians’ attitudes toward all types of renewable energy, in terms of use and willingness to pay, as consumers, as well as their acceptance of energy facilities in their communities. 

Key Expected Outcomes
• Identification of rural and urban attitudes toward the use of renewable energy including examination of demand, access and willingness to pay.
• Identification of rural and urban attitudes toward renewable energy generation facilities on their property or in their communities.
• Comparison of attitudes toward the use of alternative energy and the acceptance of generation facilities nearby.
• Public policy implications and relevant recommendations.

5. Examination of Transportation Services Available to Rural Military Veterans for Medical Services
Medical services for veterans are provided at Veterans Administration (VA) regional medical centers and outpatient clinics throughout Pennsylvania. The often limited transportation services in rural Pennsylvania can make access to these VA centers challenging for some veterans. This research will assess the healthcare transportation needs of rural military veterans in Pennsylvania and the transportation systems specifically available to them.

Key Expected Outcomes
• Estimation of the number of veterans needing transportation services for VA medical care in rural Pennsylvania.
• Identification of the transportation services currently available to veterans and the resources that support these services.
• Gap analysis for veterans’ health care transportation networks.
• Public policy implications and relevant recommendations.

6. Examination of Rural County Veterans Affairs Offices
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there are approximately 336,000 veterans living in rural Pennsylvania, including veterans from pre-WWII to those returning from recent military deployment.  County Veterans Affairs Offices can assist with compensation and pension claims, healthcare coverage applications (VA hospitals and CHAMP VA), funeral and burial benefit claims, and the recording of county veterans’ burial places. However, the need for and range of services provided vary greatly from county to county. This research will inventory and compare the services provided by County Veterans Affairs Offices in rural Pennsylvania.

Key Expected Outcomes
• Analysis of the operating budgets and staffing patterns of County Veterans Affairs Offices.
• Identification and analysis, by rural and urban, of the universe of services currently provided by County Veterans Affairs Offices.
• Examination of the actual use of County Veterans Affairs services compared to potential demand.
• Public policy implications and relevant recommendations.

7. Financing Part-time Post-Secondary Education
Costs, coupled with family, work and other obligations, often limit an adult’s pursuit of post-secondary education to part-time. For adults living in rural areas, geographic isolation along with limited institutional and course availability can add to the cost of pursuing a post-secondary education. This research will examine how adult part-time students at various post-secondary institutions in the commonwealth including technical schools, community colleges, colleges and universities, are financing their education, both at undergraduate and graduate levels. It will also propose viable funding options to improve affordability of higher education for part-time students.

Key Expected Outcomes
• Estimation of the number of rural students pursuing part-time education, by institution type and educational program.
• Determination of how rural part-time students are financing post-secondary education in Pennsylvania.
• Identification of factors influencing students’ decisions to pursue post-secondary education on a part-time basis.
• Identification of viable funding options that improve the affordability of post-secondary education for part-time students.
• Public policy implications and relevant recommendations.

8. Sustainability of Main Street Programs in Rural Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania’s Main Street Program (MSP) follows a community-based downtown revitalization approach, focused on design, promotion, organization and economic restructuring, and developed by the National Trust for Historic Preservation in 1980. Currently in Pennsylvania, more than 125 communities are participating in the Main Street Program. This research will examine past and present participants of the Main Street program to determine their long-term viability and sustainability. 

Key Expected Outcomes
• Identification of Pennsylvania MSP graduates and current status of any efforts that conform to the four-part MSP revitalization approach.
• Identification of elements/factors that contribute to long term sustainability of MSP programs.
• Public policy implications and relevant recommendations.

OPEN CALL TARGETED TOPICS

9. Open Call for Marcellus Shale Studies
New drilling technologies and the cost of fossil fuels have made gas exploration and development of the Marcellus Shale a viable option for the oil and gas industry. As this development has environmental, natural resource, economic, social, legal, and financial impacts, the Center for Rural Pennsylvania issues an open call for applied policy research that explores issues surrounding Marcellus Shale development.

10. Open Call on Meeting the Challenges of Recession
The current recession is creating economic and social hardships for many Pennsylvanians. Historically, the impact of recessions on rural Pennsylvania has resulted in lower incomes, higher unemployment rates, increased need for social services and declining revenues for local governments and school districts. To identify and analyze the probable prolonged effects of the current recession on rural Pennsylvania and their impact on the state’s overall economy and prospects for recovery, the Center for Rural Pennsylvania issues an open call for applied policy research. Researchers are encouraged to consult the Center’s mandated research areas (listed above) for general topic guidance in answering this open call.

MINI-GRANT RESEARCH TOPICS

11. Mini Grant: Analysis of Pennsylvania Mental Health/Mental Retardation Funding
In FY 2006-2007, the commonwealth spent more than $3 billion to support mental health and mental retardation (MH/MR) services. This research will examine total funding for MH/MR services and analyze county MH/MR expenditures to determine differences between rural and urban areas.

Key Expected Outcomes
• Analysis of the various funding sources for MH/MR services at the county level.
• Analysis of rural and urban MH/MR expenditure patterns over the last 10 years.
• Examination of the client base over the past 10 years in terms of caseload, services provided, expenditures per client, etc.
• Rural and urban analysis of the funding and client base data.

12. Mini Grant: Analysis of Small Business Development Center Use in Pennsylvania
Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs) provide management assistance to current and prospective small business owners. This research will identify the characteristics of rural and urban Pennsylvanians who have used SBDC services over the last 10 years.

Key Expected Outcomes
• Profile of users of SBDC services in Pennsylvania over the last 10 years.
• Identification of rural and urban use patterns and trends for SBDC services.