Data and Community Engagement
This August 7, 2023 Lunch-n-Learn session highlighted data your community may need to collect and review for your broadband planning efforts.
Articles
Funding renewable energy and energy efficiency on your farm
Improving energy efficiency and generating renewable energy on the farm can significantly reduce energy expenses over the long term. Thanks to new and expanded funding, agricultural producers can now significantly reduce the upfront cost for clean energy projects on their farms. This article introduces three programs to fund renewable energy systems (RES) and energy efficiency improvements (EEI): Rural Energy for America Program (REAP); Focus on Energy; and Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE).
Residential: Clean Energy Funding Series
On this Clean Energy Funding Webinar you will learn from our expert panel about the various paths to obtain federal funding for your home energy improvements statewide and when they might be available, state funding for energy efficiency and renewable energy that can help fund and supplement federal rebates, and about electrification options, especially heat pumps.
Organizing For Community Broadband Planning
Build a strong broadband team – learn tips and processes from Extension community building experts during this interactive workshop. This webinar provides tips, processes, and actionable steps you can take to move your community’s broadband efforts forward. You will learn and practice tools to: Develop and convene your core project team. Identify and engage community stakeholders. Draft a regional broadband vision and goals. Identify key barriers and opportunities related to “Internet for All”.
Using Labor Market Information to Address Rural Workforce Challenges
This webinar highlights several rural workforce challenges and the role that university extension can play in addressing these challenges. It also introduces the Future Opportunities for Rural Workforce and Rural Development (FORWARD) curriculum designed by the North Central Regional Center for Rural Development (NCRCRD) at Purdue University and the Association of Public and Land Grant Universities (APLU)—a curriculum intended to support extension professionals in their efforts address some of these rural workforce challenges. The webinar gives particular focus on how labor market information (LMI) and other types of socio-economic data can be more effectively woven into rural workforce planning efforts.
Equity / Justice40: Clean Energy Funding Series
In this webinar you will learn about the seven Justice40 investment areas, what is required to fulfill Justice40 requirements, how to prepare to address it, tools to use, and resources to assist you.
The Economics of Downtown Revitalization: Putting Some “Oomph” Behind the Numbers
This webinar answers a handful of essential questions: What is downtown revitalization, and why does it matter? Why is it important to quantitatively evaluate revitalization efforts (such as the Main Street Program)? What are some of the challenges involved with the evaluation of downtown revitalization?
Clean Transportation: Clean Energy Funding Series
In this webinar, you will learn the types of clean transportation funding available to businesses, governments, schools, rural areas and tribes, organizations, and individuals and what you need to do in advance to be ready to apply. You will learn about business funding for EV charging, Drive Clean rural assessments, as well as strategies to apply for electric school buses and electric city buses in Wisconsin. Clean transportation funding can be in your future, we’ll introduce you to resources to assist you.
Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Planning for Wisconsin Counties, Tribes, and REDOs
This is the third session on broadband planning and funding for counties, Tribes, and REDOs. The Public Service Commission of Wisconsin’s Wisconsin Broadband Office provided an update the BEAD Local Planning Grant Program, including funding allocations, grant instructions, budgeting and financial reporting details, eligible categories, allowable activities, and deliverables. The Technical Assistance Team from UW-Madison, Division of Extension and WEDC’s Office of Rural Prosperity provided planning updates and resources, including the GEO partners mapping tool available through BEAD Funding and an update of a statewide survey aiding in the development of Wisconsin’s BEAD and Digital Equity Plans.
Business & Workforce Development: Clean Energy Funding Series
In this webinar, our expert panel discusses clean energy funding available to businesses at both the Federal and state level, how to optimize your access to funding & financing, strategies to lower your tax liability, and programs to increase the clean energy workforce in Wisconsin.
2023 Wisconsin Rural Economic Summit
Using the latest research and data specific to Wisconsin’s rural communities and regions, this summit focuses on the Wisconsin rural economy. The summit includes an overview of the latest economic and demographic trends across rural communities, an examination of entrepreneurship, and a discussion of what rural communities can do to foster economic growth and development.
Business Retention and Expansion (BRE) – Minnesota Examples of An Essential Economic Development Activity
This webinar describes work from the University of Minnesota-Extension to support business retention and expansion efforts in rural areas. With over 20 years of experience working with rural communities, MN-Extension has developed several resources that support economic development leaders to create a supportive ecosystem for rural business retention and expansion. Three guest presenters, Michael Darger, Marty Walsh, and Amy Schaefer, discuss the importance of business retention and expansion in rural communities.
