The Foundation for Rural Service is happy to announce that the 2023 Community Grant Program is now accepting applications. The Community Grant Program awards grants to nonprofit organizations in our communities doing great work. These grants are an opportunity for NTCA members to amplify the ways we are supporting our communities. These grants are designed to provide support to a variety of local efforts to build and sustain a high-quality life in rural America. The grants awarded each November support a variety of projects concentrated in four major categories:
Business and Economic Development – Devise a plan to turn your community into a global phenomenon by growing small or existing businesses, developing new ones, and implementing a job creation program that attracts key talent from your community or from skilled individuals interested in relocating to small town America.
Community Development – Develop an outreach program that helps to promote advancing technology skills of your community members, incorporates innovation into learning, raises the visibility of your community’s talent and artistry, and places your town on everyone’s bucket list as the place to visit.
Education – Support advances in education by helping your school’s technology (computers, smart boards, etc.) in the classroom, build resources for curriculum development, strengthen extracurricular activities and programs, and promote distance learning programs.
Telecommunications Applications – Show how you plan to turn your community into a technological powerhouse by promoting the implementation and use of broadband-enabled applications for telehealth, education, government services, safety and security, and efficient energy distribution and use.
In 2022, Park Region partnered with the Foundation for Rural Service to award Greater Fergus Falls $5,000 to provide smart room technology services for coworking spaces that make trainings, workshops, and meetings functional and effective. As an NTCA member, Park Region encourages organizations in our communities to apply for the Community Grant Program. Applications for the grant program are due to the Underwood or Fergus Falls office by August 15, 2023. Visit parkregion.com/about-us/community-donations/ to learn more and to download the application.