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Author: RuralRISE Tech

Federal Access Center

Through its Federal Access Center, the Just Transition Fund (JTF) provides grants and technical assistance to help coal-impacted communities access federal funding to support economic development, workforce development, and broadband expansion projects.

Join us to learn about upcoming federal grant deadlines and how the JTF can help you apply. This presentation will specifically share details about the USDA’s Reconnect program which has historically provided up to $35 million in grant funding per project to expand internet access in the most rural and distressed communities.

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Creating Harmony in Your Ecosystem

Join Kevin and Erin from The Ecosystem Trust Project as they give you hands-on tools to increase harmony (and trust) amongst your ecosystem members, based on their trust-building playbook. Learn actions to take, questions to ask, and how to intentionally build trust at this fun and informative session.

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Building Entrepreneurial Ecosystems Into Your Economic Development Plans

The pandemic shone a light on the importance of small businesses to our communities. With record numbers of applications, especially by women and minorities, local economic development teams can boost their outcomes and tackle the wealth gap at the same time by investing in and supporting a local entrepreneurial ecosystem. In this session, we’ll discuss the components of an entrepreneurial ecosystem and hear about the who, what, when, where, why, and how of two economic development projects that focus on entrepreneurship in rural areas: a community fish market and a loan fund to boost rural businesses.

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