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Specific Grant Programs

• US Department of Education
  Community Technology Centers Grants for enabling access and training to information technology in communities.

• US Department of Commerce. National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). Technology Opportunities Program (TOP)
  A highly-competitive, merit-based grant program that brings the benefits of digital network technologies to communities throughout the United States.

Library Journal has established a new award for the Best Small or Rural Library in America, cosponsored by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. It has been founded to encourage and showcase the exemplary work of these libraries. The guidelines are below and at www.libraryjournal.com. Do you know a potential winner? Guidelines: The award honors the library that most profoundly demonstrates outstanding service to populations of 25,000 or less (see below for eligibility). Members of the editorial board of Library Journal, librarians from around the country, and a representative

J. Jill Compassion Fund Offers Funding for Programs Aiding Women and Children Deadline: December 15, annually As a nationwide retailer of women's clothing, J. Jill Group, Inc. focuses its philanthropic efforts on issues affecting disadvantaged women and children. As part of that outreach, J. Jill has established the J. Jill Compassion Fund at the Boston Foundation. The primary goal of the fund is to provide financial support on a national scale to community-based organizations and/or programs whose mission focuses on aiding women and children in need.

Deadline: December 31, 2004 A program of the Fannie Mae Foundation, the James A. Johnson Fellowships Program recognizes and rewards urban and rural affordable housing and community development professionals for their years of service to the field. Each year, the foundation selects up to six seasoned professionals as Johnson Fellows. These fellows design and pursue development plans that can include research, travel, study, self-designed internships, and other activities that enhance their skills and knowledge. Fellows meet as a group four times during the fellowship year and take purposeful time away from their current positions to pursue their personal and professional fellowship goals.

Deadline: November 1, 2004 The National Trust Main Street Center, a program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, invites communities, individuals, businesses, and organizations that have achieved outstanding success in Main Street revitalization efforts to apply for the 2005 Great American Main Street Awards and the 2005 Main Street Leadership Awards. Winners will be recognized at the annual National Main Streets Conference to be held in Baltimore, Maryland, May 8-11, 2005. The Great American Main Street Awards recognize five communities annually for achievement in following the Main Street tools for commercial district revitalization.