Illinois Communities Rising: Place-Based Pathways to Federal Resources
The Conference on Thursday, September 16, 2010, UIC Forum, Chicago, IL, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m attracted representatives from nonprofits, municipalities, and state and federal agencies.
You can access all of the information, resources and materials disseminated and presented at this year’s conference on this page.
View- 2010 IRN Statewide Conference Announcement
View- 2010 IRN Conference Panelists, Presenters & Facilitators Biographies
View- 2010 IRN Conference Agenda
View- 2010 IRN Conference Details- (Payment, Check-in, Parking Options, Overnight Accommodations, Lunch)
Conference Break-Out Sessions Descriptions
View- IRN 2010 Conference Break-out Sessions
Case Study: Finding Funding in Floods: Working with Local Communities to Develop Hazard Mitigation Plans
Facilitator: Carrie McKillip, IRN Technical Assistance Provider
Presenters: Jared Owen, IEMA Hazard Mitigation Planner; Rich Meyers, Gulfport Village Board President; Susan Meyers, Henderson County Treasurer;Coral Seitz, Henderson County Emergency Management Director
Flood mitigating has increasingly become the responsibility of local decision makers who work with technical assistance providers to apply for federal funding. IRN has worked consistently with local communities in Illinois after the 2008 floods on the importance of understanding why local communities need to adopt both structural and non-structural flood mitigation strategies. During the panel, particular attention will be paid to the role of organizational capacity within communities to address floods in addition to various local geophysical and socioeconomic characteristics.
On August 19, 2010, Governor Quinn announced federal disaster assistance approved to help people and businesses affected by the July 2010 floods. The recent declaration only reaffirms the relevance and importance of the work being completed by IRN’s technical assistance providers in previously impacted flooded communities.
View press release of Governor Quinn’s announcement >
Break-out Session Conference Audio
Advantages in Place: Creating a continuous proposal stream
Presenter: Al Zwilling, University of Illinois Extension Specialist Project Development and Sustainability and Illinois ResourceNet Extension Coordinator
In this session participants will learn about new potential federal grant opportunities and the process of using one federal grant to lead to another in a process of continuous proposal development. Proposal success is cumulative, especially when carried out in collaborative networks where data can be shared, partnerships can be forged, learning can take place, different program areas can be linked, and diverse resources can be leveraged. This session gives practical hands-on training on how to engage in a continuous proposal building process including utilizing the catalogue of federal assistance, grants.gov and planning documents to anticipate and prepare for potential opportunities.
Break-out Session Hand-outs
IRN Place Based Grants Matrix Activity
A memo for the heads of executive departments and agencies on Place-based policies was released by the Obama Administration signaling the shift to a place-based model for determining domestic and fiscal priorities.
Read the memo here >
Developing a Proposal Building Team
Presenters: Deborah Minor-Harvey & James Pfluecke, IRN Technical Assistance Providers
This workshop will identify best practices in federal grant proposal project management including developing a work plan and your work team. Participants will learn about the organizational capacity needed to successfully complete a federal grant proposal, how to assess and document your community’s needs, and how to develop a time line for the successful completion of all aspects of the proposal.
Break-out Session Hand-outs
Developing a Proposal Building Team Handout 1
Developing a Proposal Building Team Handout 2
Developing a Proposal Building Team Handout 3
Developing a Proposal Building Team Handout 4
Request for Proposal Exercise Handout
Data for Decision Maker: Using census data and visualization to tell a story
Presenter: Brian Deal, Assistant Professor of Urban and Regional Planning at the University of Illinois and Director of the LEAM Modeling Systems Laboratory and Smart Energy Design Assistance Center
Census data can provide a unique picture of local communities, by providing information on indicators such as household income levels, the age and education-level of a population, the race and ethnic makeup of a community and how a population has changed over time. This type of information is particularly useful when trying to write a grant proposal to demonstrate the need for resources within a community, or when trying to assess the needs and issues of a community. This session will explain how to access census information and use it to create maps and graphics to visualize the information being written about in proposal submissions.
Break-out Session Hand-outs
Data for Decision Maker Resources
Planning to Layer Federal Funding: Applying sustainable practices to the federal grant process
Presenter: Susan Kaplan, Outreach Activities Coordinator, UIC Institute for Environmental Science and Policy & IRN Technical Assistance Provider
Featured Guest: Carol Kulek, representative from the IL Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO)
Detailed comprehensive plans and federal funding grants need some of the same elements to thrive. If a community identifies its needs as part of the planning process, it can, as part of a continuous proposal building process, pinpoint which grants will help meet those needs. Federal grants are available for communities with an integrated vision for connecting economic development, community development, and environmental protection to create greater livability. This session will explain why comprehensive community planning should be an integral part of the federal funding process to help facilitate the continuous development of proposals.
Also featured in this breakout session, Carol Kulek will speak about grant opportunities available from the IL DCEO, and how a community can best be prepared to respond when an RFP is announced.
Panel Discussions
Place-Based Funding in Illinois: Federal, State, and Regional Insights
This panel will engage four experts from different perspectives on steering federal funds into development strategies at the community and regional levels.
Rachel Weber, Associate Director of the Great Cities Institute, and Associate Professor of Urban Planning and Policy at UIC, will facilitate a discussion among the participants about their experiences with the realities of blending federal funds into comprehensive, durable efforts to sustain and revitalize Illinois communities. Subjects likely to emerge include how to get place-based funding efforts started, what state offices are already interested in helping, and what regional and local planning bodies, colleges, and nonprofit organizations can do to build partnerships that will convince federal agencies to send funding their way.
Panelists
View Here- You can also view the Question & Answer Section of this panel discussion!
Why Place Matters for Grant Seekers?
This panel will invite three panelists to engage in a discussion about the advantages and challenges of comprehensive place-based development fromthe perspective of two active practitioners and a funder
Dennis Judd, Acting Director of the Great Cities Institute, and Department of Political Science will moderate the discussion among expert panelists about the elements a community needs in order to effectively carry out comprehensive, cross sector, integrated place-based development. The panelists will also provide examples of best practices that lead to place-based success and the capacity needed to make it work.
Panelists
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Robert Giloth, PhD, Vice President, Center for Family Economic Success and Community Change, Annie E. Casey Foundation, Baltimore, MD
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Maureen Hellwig, PhD, Senior Director of Programs, Erie Neighborhood House, Chicago, IL
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Lynne Dearborn, PhD, Associate Professor of Architecture and Urban and Regional Planning and Co-Director, East St. Louis Action Research Project, Urbana-Champaign, IL
