Oregon Microenterprise Network

CDBG 2010 2nd Quarter Award AnnouncementsThe Oregon Business Development Department (OBDD) recently awarded more than $4 million dollars in grants to ten city and county projects.  The grants from the Oregon Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program will assist Oregon communities with funding for important community infrastructure projects around the State, as detailed below.   The recently funded projects include community facilities, microenterprise assistance, wastewater and water projects.  Applications for the 3rd quarter are due September 30, 2010 and will be announced in November 2010.

The Community Development Block Grant program supports a variety of local projects and services aimed at improving community livability for citizens with low to moderate income.

Community/Public Facility projects ($1,800,000):

Malheur County – Domestic Violence Shelter    $1,000,000

City of Oakridge – Library     $   800,000

Public Works projects ($2,025,500):

City of Canyonville – Wastewater System Final Design      $   700,000

City of Powers – Wastewater System Final Design   $   725,000

City of Stanfield – Water System Final Design   $   302,000

City of Amity – Water Master Plan     $   150,000

City of Nyssa – Wastewater Collection Plan   $   148,500

Microenterprise Assistance ($227,496):

Union County – Microenterprise Assistance    $     37,500

City of Independence – Microenterprise Assistance           $     90,000

City of Junction City – Microenterprise Assistance   $     99,996

TOTAL GRANT DOLLARS AWARDED:    $4,052,996

OBDD is accepting applications until September 30, 2010 for the CDBG program’s 3rd quarter competitive application round.  Award decisions for the 3rd quarter will be made in November 2010.

Since the early 1980’s, OBDD has administered the State of Oregon’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program with funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.  The program serves non-metropolitan cities and counties of Oregon.  OBDD reviews applications for funding under the Community Development Block Grant program on a quarterly basis or until all funds available for the year have been obligated.

For further information about the Oregon Community Development Block Grant program, please contact OBDD or visit

http://www.orinfrastructure.org/

CDBG is accepting public comment on the proposed 2011 CDBG Method of Distribution through September 8, 2010.  Click here to view and download templates.

OMEN welcomes its 2010-2011 Asset Building Corps VISTA team.  The fourteen member team starts their year of service on August 20th, 2010, serving at various nonprofits around the state.  For more information on the OMEN Asset Building Corps VISTA team, click here.  This years VISTA host sites include:

• Adelante Mujeres
• Bienestar
• Economic Opportunity Initiative/Portland Development Commission
• Financial Beginnings
• Food Roots
• Hacienda CDC
• Innovative Change$/Innovative Housing Inc (IHI)
• MERIT (MicroEnterprise Resources, Initiatives & Training)
• NEDCO (Neighborhood Economic Development Corp)
• OMEN (Oregon Microenterprise Network)
• PCRI (Portland Community Reinvestment Initiatives, Inc)
• Proud Ground
• Portland State University Business Outreach Program
• Salem-Keizer CDC

In partnership with the Latino Business Alliance and Chemeketa Community College SBDC, MERIT is hosting a Latino business expo and conference, Expo Negocio – Latino Business Showcase!, at the Chemeketa Center for Business and Industry on September 10^th and 11^th.

Latinos are not just impacting the economy as consumers; they are also becoming entrepreneurial drivers of the economy, starting businesses at a faster rate than any other demographic. Expo Negocio will recognize the contributions Hispanics are making to our economy and explore best practices to help Latino entrepreneurs prosper.  This two day event includes:

Friday:

• Luncheon with guest speaker Lydia Muniz, the Governor’s advocate for Minority, Women and Emerging Small Business
• Panel discussion facilitated by Grace Gallegos that will explore cross cultural communication and the role that it plays in business

Who should attend?  Business and economic development professionals, small business owners, leaders from Latino organizations, community members, educators and public officials. The cost to attend Friday’s conference is $20 and includes lunch. Registration is required to attend the luncheon.

Saturday:

• Exhibition area spotlighting many of the region’s Latino businesses
• Workshops for business owners and others wanting to start small businesses. Workshops to be offered include bookkeeping, taxes, health insurance, business financing, obtaining a contractor’s license in addition to classes that will help people with business ideas figure out how to get started. Workshops will be offered in Spanish.

There is no cost to the general public for admission to the business exhibition and workshops. Exhibitor tables are available for a reasonable fee, registration information can be found on the exponegocio.org website.

This event brings together economic development professionals and small business owners with an emphasis on best practices to help Latino entrepreneurs grow and prosper. This conference will include excellent opportunities to learn new business strategies, network, be challenged by keynote speakers, learn new skills in small business workshops, experience a food demonstration area, and showcase regional businesses.

For more information, contact Forrest Peck, Director of MERIT at 503-399-5088 or via email at forrest.peck@chemeketa.edu, or Lucy Escobar from the Latino Business Alliance at 971-218-0807.

In conjunction with The Regence Group, Hacienda CDC cordially invites you to join them for their second annual night of food, music, dancing, and fun! Tickets include live entertainment, tamales prepared by Hacienda’s own Micro Mercantes participants, raffle prizes, and more! Help celebrate the accomplishments of our community and continue to address the important challenges we face in housing, community economic development, and youth development.

FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TICKETS: Please visit www.haciendacdc.org or contact Dianne at 503-961-6403

Click here to view the invitation!

About $45 million will be awarded nationwide, and the first deadline for
RMAP applications is July 16.  Although there will be future funding rounds,
it is likely that the availability of funds will shrink and the competition
for funds will increase, so prospective RMAP applicants are strongly
encouraged to apply by the first deadline, August 16 (previously July 16).

If you were thinking about applying for USDA Rural Development’s newly-minted RMAP program, but missed the July 16 application deadline, take heart.  USDA has decided to re-open the first round application period, with
the new deadline of August 16, 2010:

http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2010/pdf/2010-18639.pdf

(If August 16 is still too soon for you, the next deadline after August 16
will be September 30; and thereafter, quarterly applications may be
submitted.)

For those of you who have been following the RMAP story closely, you may be
interested to know that the number of applications received nationwide by
the initially-set July 16 deadline for the RMAP Loan program total was LESS
than the loan funds available.  By contrast, the RMAP “TA-Only” Grant
program is heavily oversubscribed, so new applications for these grants will
be entering an already very competitive field.

USDA Rural Development recently unveiled its Rural Microentrepreneur
Assistance Program (RMAP).  This program provides low interest loans to
capitalize microloan funds and provides technical assistance grants to
support such funds; there is also a small grant-only program to support
technical assistance delivery to microenterprises in need of such financing.

Nonprofits, tribes, and institutions of higher learning are eligible for
RMAP assistance.  Public bodies and local governments are NOT eligible for
this program.

Details about the new program first appeared in the Federal Register as a
notice inviting applications on June 3, and as an interim final rule on May
28.  You can find links to both of these key documents here:
http://www.rurdev.usda.gov/or/rmap.htm

An announcement from USDA Rural Development regarding the Rural Microentrepreneur Assistance Program (RMAP) Program: