AEDC To Offer 5 Grant Workshops
The Arkansas Economic Development Commission (AEDC) will host five workshops around the state in November to educate community leaders on opportunities for state and federal grants.
The grants include options from the Grants Division of AEDC as well as the Arkansas Department of Rural Services, the Arkansas Natural Resource Commission, the Community Resource Group, and the United States Department of Agriculture Rural Development.
Meeting dates and locations include:
- November 6 – Newport; Newport Economic Development Commission, 201 Hazel Street; 10:30 a.m. to noon.
- November 7 – Clarksville; University of the Ozarks, Rogers Conference Center, Hanna Room, 415 N. College Avenue; 10:30 a.m. to noon.
- November 17 – North Little Rock; Arkansas Municipal League, 301 N. Second Street; 10:30 a.m. to noon.
- November 20 – Magnolia; Southwest Arkansas Planning & Development District, 101 Business Park Drive; 10:30 a.m. to noon.
- November 21 – Monticello; Monticello Economic Development Commission, 211 W. Gaines Street; 10:30 a.m. to noon.
“I want to encourage all of our local leaders with a stake in grants administration to attend one of these workshops,” said Jean Noble, director of AEDC’s Grants Division in a press release sent Wednesday (Oct. 29). “These programs are vitally important in improving the lives of many of our state’s citizens.”
AEDC administers Arkansas’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program as well as several state-funded grant programs aimed at economic development. Projects funded through CDBG include senior centers, childcare centers, county health units, and economic development grants to benefit companies locating or expanding in Arkansas.
The Arkansas Department of Rural Services provides grants to counties and small Arkansas communities. These grants may be used to fund a variety of projects, including community centers, fire stations and fire trucks.
The Arkansas Natural Resources Commission administers that portion of the state CDBG program that funds residential water and wastewater grants. In addition to the CDBG program, ANRC also administers state and federal loan programs for water and wastewater systems.
The Community Resource Group is a private non-profit organization that provides assistance to communities and water and wastewater districts in the form of loans and technical assistance for water, wastewater, and affordable housing projects.
The United States Department of Agriculture Rural Development Community Facilities Program provides grants and loans to fund essential community facilities, water, and wastewater projects for public use in rural areas. Examples of projects include community centers, fire stations and fire trucks, medical facilities, waterline extensions, and wastewater collection/treatment systems.
The two-hour workshops are free and open to the public. No registration is required. For more information, contact Dottie Boyles at the Arkansas Economic Development Commission at 501.682.7682 or by email at [email protected].