Place-Based Community Development as a Platform for Federal and State Program Collaboration

Communities of place – towns, neighborhoods, and rural regions – can serve as integrative locations for bringing together the efforts of diverse federal and state programs.  Illinois ResourceNet can structure workshops and conferences that invite federal program officers from a variety of agencies to consider multiple program strategies arising from different kinds of Illinois communities.

For example, Illinois ResourceNet can:

•    Convene workshops aimed at matching up federal grant opportunities with community economic development plans that involve workforce development, small business development, small area transportation studies, community technology enhancements, and entrepreneurship training.

•    Structure workshops that identify federal funds that can potentially support the components of local agribusiness strategies, including agri- tourism, the creation of micro-business incubators, the diversification of farm-based enterprises, home-based enterprises, and the development of markets for new agricultural products.

•    Invite federal agency representatives to jointly consider how the elements of comprehensive community development plans match up over a two or three year period with federal resources that will come available through grants, tax credits, loans, and procurement opportunities.

Collaborative planning and project development that is place-based is unique in its capacity to invite fund development strategies across a range of program areas.

University-Based Professional Expertise Creates Sustainable Habitats

Through its network of community development professionals and Extension professionals, Illinois ResourceNet can work with community collaborative efforts to link environmental, agricultural, business development, housing, and family development projects.  Such projects can collaborate around the creation of sustainable communities for families and individuals in their localities.

Such efforts can aim to draw federal resources into projects aimed at:

•    Agricultural development (rural and urban) and community food production that increases income generating opportunities for families

•    Creative approaches to low-cost energy production using alternatives to fossil fuels

•    Efforts to make family housing and habitats into productive assets

•    The use of shared community space and institutions such as green space, schools, and community centers for micro-business development, food production, and the creation of new employment opportunities

•    Community plans for resource conservation and recycling activities that can generate incomes for families

•    Projects aimed at creating constructive opportunities for youth in sustainable community development

For information on building such collaboratives focused on sustainable habitats and securing federal resources, contact Illinois ResourceNet at info@illinoisresource.net or call (312) 413-4301.

The Value of Community and Regional Collaborative Networks

Illinois ResourceNet values the collaborative networks that some communities and regions have established. These entities typically forge ongoing planning and development relationships among local governments, business groups, and nonprofit organizations. Some are formally incorporated others are informally organized. Some focus on particular policy areas such as youth, agricultural issues, or economic development. Others address multiple policy areas. Such networks can be rural, suburban, or urban.

Collaborative networks share information about programs, services, and issues. They convene participating organizations for training events, strategic planning, and educational sessions. But beyond such sharing of information and resources, they work together as partners to strengthen their communities and regions. They make decisions jointly. And they seek grants, loans, tax credits, contracts, and income generating opportunities jointly.

Illinois ResourceNet works with strong collaborative entities because they provide certain advantages for grant seeking:

• They have developed data useful in documenting problems, assets, trends, demographic characteristics, economic conditions, and other variables.

• They bring diverse partners to the table, making it possible to respond to complex federal projects that require a combination of strategies, such as business development, food production, infrastructure development, housing, and social services.

• They have already passed through the initial stages involved in building working relationships among partners and across sectors.

• They can demonstrate how individual projects for which funds might be sought fit into local and regional planning strategies.

• They provide greater potential for leveraging matching resources, including funds and in-kind contributions.

• They have likely built ties with state and local government bodies whose support is often considered by federal agencies when assessing a proposed project’s sustainability.

Due to the above benefits of collaboration, Illinois ResourceNet reaches out to communities who have such working entities already in place. Illinois ResourceNet’s services – technical assistance, electronic funding notices, workshops, on-line courses, and its Web site can add value to community and regional efforts to secure federal funds through such working partnerships.