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Read an Overview of this Initiative
Results of 2006-07 Program
Results of 2005-2006 Program
2007-08 Application Materials listed below are for reference only
Call for Proposals (PDF)
Grant Application (Word)
Six Organizations Receive Grants to Help Rural Families
(September 2007) -- Six organizations have been selected to receive a total of $100,000 in grants from the Rural Maryland Council's and the Annie E. Casey Foundation's direct services grants program, Strengthening the Well Being of Rural Maryland Families. This initiative, now in its third year, awards grants to non-profit, community-based or community-serving organizations that help disadvantaged families enhance their economic success. The RMC, which administers the program, received applications from 14 organizations which, together, applied for nearly $269,000. This level of requests is not only a testament to the effective work of past grantees but also an indication of the growing need for more resources in Maryland’s rural areas. Grantees for 2007-2008 are:
- Carver Community Center, Cumberland. Allegany Workforce Development Project. Service Area: Allegany County. Grant Amount: $20,000
- Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C., Angel’s Watch Regional Women’s Shelter's Project Boost. Service Area: Calvert, Charles & St. Mary’s Counties. Grant Amount: $19,980
- Garrett County Community Action Agency/Overlook Judy Center Partnership, Money Smart Jump Start Project. Service Area: Western Maryland. Grant Amount: $8,740.
- Maryland Rural Development Corporation, Head Start on Homeowner Ownership project. Service Area: Caroline, Kent, Talbot and Dorchester Counties. Grant Amount: $12,780
- Shared Opportunity Services, Inc., Financial Literacy for Hispanic Workers project. Service Area: Kent County. Grant Amount: $18,500
- Maryland Cooperative Extension, Parents and Teachers as Wealth Coaches project. Service Area: Worcester County. Grant Amount: $20,000
Grantee: Carver Community Center, Cumberland
Carver Community Center Website
The Carver Community Center works to remove barriers through education and training; fill voids in existing services for needy area residents; empower residents to strengthen families and achieve economic self-sufficiency; and contribute to the rejuvenation of the community and surrounding neighborhoods.
Grant Program Summary: The Workforce Development Program will provide individualized Microsoft Office computer training to low income job seekers who do not have the basic computer skills necessary to obtain and hold a job. Financial planning and money management workshops will be presented monthly, and self-esteem and soft skills workshops will be offered continuously. Upon completion of training, students who obtain employment, enter another training program, or enroll in learning institutions will be considered successful.
Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C.
Catholic Charities website
Angel’s Watch is the only regional shelter serving homeless women from Calvert, Charles and St. Mary’s counties. There has been a significant increase in the number of women who are homeless due, primarily, to their inability to earn a living-wage and secure affordable housing within the tri-county area. This represents a shift away from barriers related mostly to chronic alcohol, drug or mental health issues. Project Boost was developed to better assist women who are further along the continuum of personal empowerment.
Program Summary: Currently, there are 14 women and 20 children in the Transitional Housing program. The shelter will collaborate with community partners to offer them:
- Intensive job readiness services, with the goal of long-term, competitive employment;
- Assistance securing affordable housing;
- Personalized services, with the objective of helping participants make a realistic plan for unsubsidized child care, accessible transportation, financial management, asset acquisition, community involvement, etc.; and
- Community mentors who will provide a foundation for long-term stability.
Garrett County Community Action Agency
GCCA Website
The mission of the Garrett County Community Action Committee is to enable people in need to improve the quality of their lives by becoming more self sufficient and receiving essential services.
Program Summary: The Money Smart Jump Start project will use two series of five workshops to help families develop financial skills and positive banking relationships. A financial incentive component insures the success of the project. Participating families are awarded a $200 bonus for completion of the workshop series. GCCAC has an existing IDA program that can "jump start" families towards building assets and increasing their wealth. GCCAC is committed to matching $2 for every $1 up to $2,000 per family.
Maryland Rural Development Corporation
MRDC Website
The MRDC is the only HUD-certified housing counseling agency serving the Upper Shore. As the regional Head Start grantee serving more than 447 families in three rural counties (Caroline, Cecil, Harford), MRDC is uniquely qualified to provide needed economic literacy training as well as provide a supportive group environment for project participants to grow toward home omeownership, and increase finanical management skill base and economic assest development.
Program Summary: The Head Start on Homeownership Project will provide direct techincal assistance, training, and leveraging of below market rate mortgage resources for five first-time homebuyers including four participating Head Start families seeking first time homeownership. Funds will also provide support for a strategic housing production partnership to actualize affordable new housing units for low and moderate income families.
Shared Opportunity Services (SOS), Inc.
SOS website
Kent County is a rural agricultural community where employers rely heavily on Hispanic workers yet limited resources are available to help workers and their families become stable and economically successful. This population is faced with language, transportation, and child care barriers that prevent them from succeeding. In 2006, SOS introduced a basic financial literacy program that resulted in a nucleus of family strengthening support for local Hispanic families. During the grant period, Hispanic participants grew to represent 21% of total participants compared to 15% in 2005.
Program Summary: SOS and its key collaborators -- Maryland Cooperative Extension, Kent County Board of Education, and BB&T Bank – will extend the programming begun in FY 2007 to reach 200 Hispanic workers employed in nearby communities, to emphasize basic financial education as a life skill, and to encourage past participants to provide peer support to the group through special events.
Maryland Cooperative Extension
Cooperative Extension Website
PTWC, an outreach program that conducts and evaluates financial literacy training programs across three Lower Shore counties, delivers targeted train-the-trainer programs to parents, primary caregivers and K-12 educators. The program integrates basic personal finance lessons into daily encounters with children in classrooms, at home, and in the community. During 2007 – 2008, the grant will help the program meet an increasing demand for in-school assemblies, parent and teacher trainings, and materials for students, parents and teachers.
The Grants Manager for the Strengthening Rural Maryland Families initiative is RMC's Vice Chair, Dr. Bonnie Braun at the University of Maryland's Department of Family Studies. If you have any questions about this program, contact her at: bbraun@umd.edu.