April 6, 2021
We're Searching for an AmeriCorps Vista Volunteer - Advocate for Economic Development
AmeriCorps members and AmeriCorps Seniors volunteers serve directly with nonprofit organizations to tackle our nation’s most pressing challenges.
The East Texas Council of Governments is partnering with AmeriCorps VISTA for Advocate for Economic Development. The Agent for Economic Development-VISTA will review our region wide CEDS, compare it to other CEDS identified through research by the VISTA as “best practice” CEDS and make recommendations for modifications to improve EDD reach and effectiveness throughout our 14-County region. The VISTA will also help establish a new regional Brownfields Program by identifying brownfield sites, catalog them, assess them, and ultimately, once the Brownfields Program has been established, restore them to the point where these sites can be redeployed for local businesses use. Our VISTA will also work directly with the Executive Director, the Division Director and other EDD staff to conduct background research on a new program designed for Texas to help address infrastructure “capacity gaps” between urban and rural communities through the implementation and strategic use of economic development grant programs.
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The U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development launched a new Rural Development Eligibility Lookup Tool, which has been integrated into Rural Development’s Eligibility site. This site now directs users to an eligibility mapping tool for the following programs: Community Facilities Electric OneRD Guarantee Rural Business and Cooperative Services Water and Environmental Programs The Rural Development Eligibility Lookup Tool enables user flexibility in determining programmatic eligibility based on their location across multiple programs simultaneously. USDA Income and Property Eligibility Site: https://eligibility.sc.egov.usda.gov/eligibility/welcomeAction.do USDA Rural Development Eligibility Lookup Tool (direct link): https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/3c2f6c9581bb4f06a4ab68df8f34b0be This consolidated view of eligibility represents a significant modernization in how Rural Development assesses and communicates program eligibility. By centralizing eligibility checks, utilizing current geospatial technology and adhering to modern data governance standards, the tool significantly reduces staff workload and improves engagement with rural communities. This initiative supports Rural Development’s mission to provide efficient, transparent and accessible services while ensuring compliance with federal requirements and maintaining consistency with existing eligibility data sources.
ETCOG is proud to host the Texas Department of Agriculture on March 12th to hold a TxCDBG Regional Outreach Meeting. Join us to hear a TxCDBG grant program overview of requirements, allocation formula, upcoming funding opportunities, and TDA's one-year action plan. Eligible applicants in our region are all non-entitlement communities, which include all of our cities with the exception of Tyler, Marshall, and Longview. When Thursday, March 12, 2026 10:00 AM Where ETCOG Headquarters 3800 Stone Road Kilgore, TX 75662 Please RSVP your attendance !
ETCOG is proud to host the Texas Department of Agriculture on November 30th to hold a TxCDBG Kickoff Meeting. Join us to hear about grant allocations planned for our region and an overview of proposed changes to the application process.
