News and Stories

Great Lakes Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Center (TCTAC)

Purdue Extension Community Development is the Indiana lead for the Great Lakes Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Technical Assistance...

Community Listening Session

Purdue Extension was selected by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to co-host a community listening session on end-of-service...

Total Eclipse 2024 Resource Hub

On April 8, 2024 much of Indiana will experience a total solar eclipse with the path of totality covering much of southern and central Indiana.

Beginner’s Tips for Drafting Grant Budgets

If there’s a phrase from Purdue Extension’s Beginner’s Guide to Grant Writing workshop that solicits the most fear and...

A Pledge for the New Year

A standard best practice in recruiting members to any community board is to provide them with a written role description to give them a good...

Giving Thanks to Funders: Tips for Being a Good Steward

If you find yourself in the fortunate situation of needing to thank a funder for awarding a grant proposal that you’ve submitted, note that...

Three Rookie Mistakes That Can Make or Break Your Grant Proposal

The thought of writing a grant proposal can be intimidating for folks who are new to the process. There are multiple steps involved, multiple...

Five Ways to Connect with Grant Makers

Most grant applications can now be completed online with little, if any, personal interaction between the grant seeker and the grant funder....

Purdue Pilots Training Sessions for County Extension Boards

In April, Purdue Extension began piloting a series of training sessions for county extension boards across Indiana. The goal is to gather feedback...

So, What’s Your Big Idea? Crafting a Solid Project Description for Your Next Grant Proposal

If you’ve ever written a community grant proposal, you’ve discovered that most applications have a standard set of sections that you...

Purdue Extension releases Indiana renewable energy survey results

Indiana communities are facing complex land-use planning decisions, specifically in regards to renewable energy. To assist communities, Purdue...

Goal, Objective, Outcome, or Impact? Understanding the Differences When Drafting a Grant Proposal

Most community-related grant applications have a section asking for a description of the changes expected within a community if the proposal were...

Yes, but Is It a Community Need? Frame Your Grant Proposals to Clearly Benefit the Community

Whenever I facilitate Purdue Extension’s Guide to Grant Writing workshop, there is usually a participant seeking funding to buy equipment for...

Information, Discussion, or Decision? Add this column to your agendas for more effective meetings

If you are like me, you appreciate meetings where it feels like the group “got something done” by the time it adjourned. On the other...

The American Citizen Planner – Looking Back & Planning Ahead

Since its adaptation by a subcommittee of the Purdue Land Use Team in 2019, the ACP-IN Signature Program has completed four successful sessions in...

Strengthen your Grant Proposals through Community Collaborations

In the world of grant writing, funders often look for ways to get the biggest bang for the buck. In other words, they’re looking to fund...

Take Time to Celebrate! Don’t Overlook this Motivating Step in Board Development

Over the past two months, I’ve had the pleasure of working with a non-profit organization’s board of directors from the Caribbean...

One Water Approach to Water Resources Management (ID-525-W) – Leslie Dorworth, Melissa Widhalm, Kara Salazar

Climate change is spotlighting the importance of managing water resources. Building on previous work (ID-524-W, ID-520-W, ID-519-W), in this...

Climate Change and Sustainable Development (ID-524-W) – Melissa Widhalm, Kara Salazar, Leslie Dorworth

Energy-intensive development practices contribute to increasing levels of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, which are leading to shifting climate...

Are you preparing for it? (ID-520-W) – Melissa Widhalm, Kara Salazar, Leslie Dorworth

This publication provides an overview of how changing climate conditions will affect Indiana and the Midwest and offers sensible strategies for...

Communication strategies to support local planning (ID-519-W) – Melissa Widhalm, Leslie Dorworth, Kara Salazar

Despite strong evidence that climate change is happening, many people do not realize the urgency with which we need to act, nor do they fully...

The Care & Feeding of the Board: The Case for Creating a Governance Committee

Many years ago, a mentor of mine, who was helping me develop the structure of a non-profit board, mentioned something that stuck with me. “Of...

Register for the Fall 2021 Cohort: Community Coaching Learning Circle

Purdue Extension Community Development is offering a professional development opportunity for individuals interested in honing their community...

But Who’s Watching the Board?

Community Boards of Directors are tasked with many responsibilities, from creating a mission statement to raising funds in support of that mission....

New Member Orientation: A Simple, Effective Way to Improve Board Performance

Community Boards of Directors are tasked with many responsibilities, from creating a mission statement to raising funds in support of that mission....

Consider the Consent Agenda for More Productive Board Meetings

These participants from Purdue Extension’s Community Leadership Program were talking about their experiences using—and learning...

Recruit, Engage, Renew, Repeat: Embracing the Board Development Cycle

I can’t resist a good presentation graphic. Whenever I find an illustration that nicely captures a thought, theme, or theory, I’m all...

Unleashing the Power of the Introverts in the Room

Anywhere from 30-50% of you reading this column may often identify with this situation: You are driving home from a community board or committee...

Polishing Your Proposals: Insider Tips from the Beginner’s Guide to Grant Writing Program

As an instructor for the Beginner’s Guide to Grant Writing program, one of my favorite things to do is ask participants to share a memorable...

Recruitment Strategies for Building Stronger Boards

Purdue Extension recently surveyed over 350 board, council, and committee members throughout the state to better respond to their training needs....

Register for EDEN’s Annual Meeting

This year has given all community development educators a reason to tune into the expertise of the Extension Disaster Education Network (EDEN)....

Latino Health Needs & Workforce Assessment Begins in Clinton County

A Latino Health Needs & Workforce Assessment study has launched in Clinton County as a collaboration between the Indiana Minority Health...

Spotlight on Grant-Writing Success

Let Us Learn, Inc. (LUL) was a brand-new 501(c)3 nonprofit at the beginning of 2017. We received our nonprofit status in December of 2016, and we...

Small Business Resources to Support Economic Retention and Recovery

This article contains a list of resources for Indiana small businesses to support economic retention and recovery related to the COVID-19...

Purdue Extension Land Use Team Launches American Citizen Planner Program in Indiana

The American Citizen Planner program, which provides training in core competencies for public planning officials, is now being offered in Indiana...

Tracking 21st Century Diversity in Indiana Counties

As globalization continues to chug along and the digital age continues to take hold, communities in Indiana need to adapt in order to remain...

Fostering Economic Stability – Communities Working Together to Drive Progress

So often my travels leave me weaving alongside desolate country roads that are sparsely populated and towns that are blighted with empty, dusty...

Purdue Extension Community Development Responds to Needs in Your Community

Purdue Extension has offices in all ninety-two counties in Indiana. Through these offices, our educators are able to spend their workdays (and live...

Extension Invests in Preparing the Next Generation of Community Leaders

In the last ten years, Indianapolis has embarked on a positive economic path with initiatives such as the “quality of life” plans,...

This September: Be Prepared, Not Scared

This September is National Preparedness Month (NPM). The Extension Disaster Education Network (EDEN) has committed to participate in NPM to...

Coming Together for Racial Understanding

Eighteen staff from Purdue Extension and the College of Agriculture met at the Wright Forestry Center from May 21-22 to participate in a...

Effective Business Meetings – Reducing the Stress and Increasing Productivity

Raise your hand if you have attended any business meeting that you roll your eyes and think that the meeting is too long? So often, the agenda and...

Group Works on Downtown Enhancement

Three different areas of emphasis are being developed into a comprehensive plan to help make central Connersville a place where healthier choices...

The Key to Being More Productive? Try Slowing Down

In a world where we are constantly asked to have more things completed, assigned more tasks and given more responsibilities, it seems there is a...

Learning Essential Skills to Engage Difficult Conversation

Conversations move life forward. They can also stop things from moving forward. Relationships begin and end on conversations. Teams are formed and...

Cumberland HCI Team Launches Arts and Spaces Task Force

The Town of Cumberland, Indiana, has launched a new civic organization dedicated to engaging the public through art and improving the aesthetics of...

The Comprehensive Plan (ID-234-W) – Indraneel Kumar, Val Slack

A community needs a comprehensive plan to serve as the compass for its future course. However, the ability and will to prepare and implement the...

A Look at Confined Feeding Operations in Indiana

Confined Feeding Operations (CFOs) offer an efficient system to feed and house animals through specialization, increased facility size and close...

Winners Named for National Association of Community Development Extension Professionals Awards

Purdue Extension’s Beginner’s Guide to Grant Writing was recently recognized as a national award winner by the National Association of...

New Curriculum Joins Public Spaces and Healthy Communities Programs

We were in southern Indiana a few weeks ago in a county that is, at first glance, not for want of green space. In fact, natural spaces abound.

A Planning & Zoning Glossary (ID-228-W) – Indraneel Kumar

Confused about plans, districts, zones, codes, and more? Knowing and using a common vocabulary of planning and zoning terms will help you...

Welcome to the Plan Commission or Board of Zoning Appeals (ID-511-W) – Jeff Burbrink

Are you new to the local Plan Commission or the Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA)? This article give an introduction to plan commissions and BZAs, the...

Assessing Your Comprehensive Plan (ID-227-W) – Dan Walker

A comprehensive plan helps communities identify their shared goals and guides development policies that allow the community to reach those goals....

Facilitative Leadership Used to Create Comprehensive Strategy for Food Access in Indianapolis

On June 3, the City of Indianapolis, Indy Food Council, Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), and Purdue Extension-Marion County hosted the...

Southwestern Indiana Master Gardeners & Strategic Planning

The Southwestern Indiana Master Gardeners Association (SWIMGA) continues to pioneer efforts on strategic planning for their organization. A group...

Community Development Regional Educators Facilitate Visioning Forum

Nearly 50 Southwestern Indiana Master Gardeners Association (SWIMGA) members attended a Visioning Forum on February 4, 2017. Community Development...

Indiana Hometown Collaboration Initiative Accepting Applications

The Hometown Collaboration Initiative, an Initiative of the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs (OCRA) is accepting applications from...

Purdue Extension’s Conservation Through Community Leadership Program – Accepting Community Applications

Purdue Extension’s new Conservation through Community Leadership (CCL) program is now accepting applications for the inaugural community...

WLFI News Features Logansport’s HCI Activities

The story highlighted a key goal of the local HCI team, which is to share the story of the community’s rich history and local assets. The...

Economic Development – Placed Based Assets

More and more communities are beginning to recognize the need for place based asset strategies when it comes to economic development.

In Rebuilding Economy and Population, Small Towns Wonder: What Comes First?

Small towns across Indiana are trying modernize their economies and hold onto younger residents. But where do they start? With jobs? Quality of...

Indiana Hometown Collaboration Initiative Now Accepting Applications

The Hometown Collaboration Initiative (HCI), an initiative of the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs (OCRA), is accepting applications...

West Lafayette Parks Survey Results Are In

The department conducted the survey earlier this year. It asked questions about individual opinions on services, programs and facilities provided...

Seymour to Host Local Food Summit

Seymour’s HCI Coordinating Team is heavily engaged with Vision 2025 in planning and launching their Local Food Summit that will take...

Purdue Extension Aids Frankfort in Downtown Revitalization Study Grant

The award of a federally-funded $40,000 planning grant will allow city officials to develop a Downtown Revitalization Study to address ways to...

Purdue Extension Aids Frankfort in Downtown Revitalization Study Grant

Corydon HCI Capstone Project Underway

In 2015, the Corydon HCI committee had many great accomplishments, ranging from strong engagement from the community to strengthened relationships...

Enhancing the Value of Public Spaces Annual Meeting in Frankfort, Indiana

“Imagining what Downtown Frankfort will look like in 10 years” was the whole point of the Enhancing the Value of Downtown Public Spaces...

Extension Leads Strategic Planning Process for the Food Bank of Northwest Indiana

On December 19, 2014, the Food Bank of Northwest Indiana Board of Directors adopted a plan to increase the number of meals distributed by two...