Thirty-two Southern and Eastern Kentucky counties, including Lincoln, are eligible to apply for funding assistance in the form of mini-grants for community projects that encourage and support improved community strategic planning and implementation. The Center for Rural Development (CRD) has issued an official invitation for applications to its "Developing and Implementing Community Strategies" program.
Through funding support from the Appalachiam Resource Center(ARC), the CRD will be providing two cycles of mini-grants to encourage and support improved community strategic planning and implementation throughout the Southern and Eastern Kentucky region.
Applications for the first cycle of project funding are due by Friday, Feb. 29, for the project period of Apr. 7 through Oct. 6, 2008. The list of community projects approved for funding is scheduled to be announced on Apr. 1.
"At the core of The Center's mission is to stimulate innovative and sustainable economic development solutions in the region we serve, and these grants target communities that have the ideas, but lack the resources, to move them forward," said CRD President and CEO Lonnie Lawson. "The Center/ARC grants awarded in 2005 made a significant impact on each of the counties and cities that received them and served to underscore the critical importance of strategic thinking and planning — regardless of the size of the community. We fully expect that this funding will build on that beginning and impact our region to a much greater extent."
