In the quickly changing world of Washington, timing is one of the more crucial aspects of our work. There are often opportunities and situations in which to mobilize the network as quickly as possible!
To address this need, National Community Action Foundation (NCAF) will occasionally send emails "Calling All Agencies" to action. Be on the lookout for these calls to action not only through email, but on social media sites as well.
With that being said, here is their first official request:
The Situation: A senior senator asked us to speak with the network and gather more information regarding the low-income banking opportunities we offer. This senator is particularly concerned with predatory lending, but wants to know more about the general financial opportunities available in low-income communities.
Call to Action: Please respond to this email (info@ncaf.org) if you believe your agency provides a financial service that you want to show off! In a few brief paragraphs, please explain the program, who it serves and the results/success stories it yields.
The U.S. Department of Labor recently published its Overtime Final Rule that will require most employers, including nonprofits, to pay overtime to all employees earning less than $47,476 per year, more than double the current threshold of $23,660. The new salary level threshold will trigger overtime pay requirements regardless of whether individual employees are considered salaried (exempt) or hourly (nonexempt). The new overtime rules take effect on December 1, 2016.
As employers of ten percent of the American workforce, the rule will have a significant impact on many nonprofits, their employees, and the people they serve. The nonprofit sector earns almost one third of its combined revenues from government grants and contracts. The confluence of these two issues led the National Council of Nonprofits to put a nationwide survey in the field in May 2016. Read more
HOMELESS TEEN GRADUATES FROM HIGH SCHOOL NEAR TOP OF CLASS
NBC4 - Columbus, OH,July 4, 2016
A Texas man who was homeless and alone for three years as a teenager just graduated high school among the top in his class.
Liyjon Desilva's mother died when he was five. He was later abandoned by his other family members. That never stopped him from showing up at class at Lee High School.
"What else am I supposed to do? It was either be that or a low life, I could have thrown everything away," Desilva told KTRK-TV. "I have a chance, why not just keep going?"
For three years in high school, Desilva lived on the streets while he attended classes. "I slept at parks. I love sleep on parking lots because I could see the stars, the sky. There was one was one where I could see the horizon of the city," Desilva said. Until, one day, his secret was discovered.
"The next thing I know we have one of our counselors who call and say there's a report we found him sleeping in the park," said Lee High School principal Jonathan N. Trinh. Trinh reached into his own pocket and paid for Desilva to stay in an extended stay hotel near the school for 30 days, according to a YouTube video published by the school district.
Early Head Start - Child Care Partnership Funding Announcements Posted
Tuesday, July 12, 2016, 2:00 pm (1pm ET/12pm MT/11am PT)
Is your agency applying for the newly-announced second round of funding for the Early Head Start/Child Care initiative? If so, please join the Partnership for a webinar on Tuesday, July 12, 2016 to hear more about the initiative, the application process, and program implementation from a panel of national experts and peer agencies who participated in the first round of funding for the initiative.
Join Community Action Partnership and the National Fatherhood Initiative (NFI) for an inspiring webinar on free and for-purchase fatherhood resources to help fathers better engage in their children's lives.
The webinar will feature Community Action Agencies that are currently incorporating father engagement tools into their offerings. Edith Rivera and David Bryant of Community Action of Central Texas will discuss their successful implementations of the "24/7 Dad" and "Understanding Dad" programs, and other NFI resources and training.
This webinar is free, but registration is required - Registertoday.
COMMUNITY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT SERIES
These sessions of the Community Economic Development Webinar Series are hosted in partnership with the California Community Economic Development Association (CCEDA).
Assessing the Use of Debt (Loans) in Community Development: Upsides and Downsides
Monday, July 27, 2016 2pm ET (1pm CT/12pm MT/11am PT)
Level: Intermediate
This is an intermediate session for those organizations that are considering using debt in a proposed CED project or are thinking of taking out a note (debt) on existing properties. Many projects can afford to fill project financing gaps with debt, but should you? This session will focus on the considerations you should make before taking on debt. You will learn basic underwriting from experienced lenders who have financed many community development and related commercial projects. What types of projects and tenants can best withstand debt? Where are the best sources for obtaining debt? How much debt could I afford or will be limited to? These are some of the questions that will be answered during this session.
OCS and NASCSP analyzed your feedback to help modify the ROMA Next Generation framework and incorporate and respond to the comments we received during the Initial Comment Period. The ROMA Next Generation framework underwent significant changes-all in an effort to use the collective expertise and response from the Network in moving us forward. The ROMA Next Generation component revisions are all included in the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) Annual Report, which has been submitted in the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Clearance packet.
