Extension Foundation and Innovation Collective Partner to Drive Innovation and Community Development

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The Extension Foundation, a nonprofit organization that supports the Cooperative Extension System, is pleased to announce a new partnership with Innovation Collective, an organization dedicated to unleashing human flourishing through building innovative communities and growing successful startups.

The partnership will focus on fostering innovation, economic development, and building resilient economies served by the Cooperative Extension System. Through this collaboration, the Extension Foundation and Innovation Collective will provide educational resources, mentorship programs, and networking opportunities to help community members, entrepreneurs and small business owners turn their ideas into successful companies.

“This partnership with Innovation Collective will provide the Extension Foundation with new tools and resources to help communities build innovative ecosystems that drive economic growth and community development,” said Beverly Coberly, interim CEO of the Extension Foundation. “We are excited to work with Innovation Collective to create opportunities for entrepreneurs and small business owners in our communities.”

Through this partnership, the Extension Foundation and Innovation Collective will work together to deliver a series of programs and services to support community members, entrepreneurs and small business owners in two communities as part of their Pilot Program. These programs will include mentorship opportunities, access to funding, educational resources, and networking events.

“Innovation Collective is thrilled to partner with the Extension Foundation to drive innovation and entrepreneurship in communities across the country,” said Nick Smoot, CEO of Innovation Collective. “By working together, we can help local community members, entrepreneurs and small business owners turn their ideas into action,create jobs, and build meaningful connections that strengthen local economies.”

The partnership between the Extension Foundation and Innovation Collective builds on the strengths of both organizations to provide communities with the resources they need to build successful businesses and drive economic growth. By working together, they will be able to create a supportive ecosystem that fosters personal growth, innovation and entrepreneurship. The program launch will start with two communities, Breathitt County, Kentucky and Malheur County, Oregon. “I am excited to be part of the program because I am passionate about establishing and maintaining partnerships with local agencies and organizations that meet the identified needs of the community. This opportunity will provide tools, training, and resources that are not readily available in rural communities”, says Barbara Brody, Associate Professor of Practice, Family and Community Health Faculty in the College of Public Health and Human Sciences at Oregon State University. 

For more information about the Extension Foundation and its mission to support the Cooperative Extension System, please visit https://extension.org/. For more information about Innovation Collective and its mission to build innovative communities, please visit www.innovationcollective.co.

Contact: 

Brenna Kotar, Extension Foundation

brennakotar@extension.org

Jenn Farwell,  Innovation Collective

Jenn@innovationcollective.co

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ICYMI, #GoodReads from Extension Foundation

The Extension Foundation has recently released several new titles on a broad range of topics, from climate and extreme weather to building farm and farm family resilience. Check out our bookshelf to learn more about the work other Extension professionals are doing. 

ICYMI, here are a few recent titles that may interest you.

Sustainable Tourism, Agritourism, Outdoor Recreation, and Community Development. Our newest title is The NET Effect. This 57-page ezine contains eight case studies that explore innovative Cooperative Extension and Sea Grant work in sustainable tourism and outdoor recreation. It features programs from Georgia, Michigan, Minnesota, Oregon, South Carolina, Utah, Vermont, and West Virginia. This magazine is an outcome of a partnership of the National Extension Tourism (NET) design team, the Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development (NERCRD), and the New Technologies for Ag Extension (NTAE) grant program. 

Climate and Extreme Weather. Many of us are considering how our Extension programs can help our clientele adapt to/mitigate the effects of a changing climate and extreme weather events. This report contains a national inventory of Cooperative Extension programs and practices in climate and extreme weather. In addition, it offers Extension educators and upper administration insight regarding successes, challenges, and gaps in programming. 

Program Planning and Team Building. If you’re planning Extension programs, take a peek at Engaged Program Planning for Extension Foundation Impact Collaborative Teams. This publication provides context and guidance on community engagement and team building using the Impact Collaborative methodology. The Impact Collaborative helps Cooperative Extension projects, programs, and initiatives be innovative and community-engaged efforts that result in measurable and visible local impact. Whether you are looking to improve an existing program or expand your reach to new audiences, this publication has ideas to help you develop community-based approaches to problem-solving. 

Digital Communications, Social Media, and Content Strategy. Are you thinking about how to communicate your Extension story? What about social media and digital communications? This publication features content contributed and curated by Extension professionals from around the country. You’ll find perspective pieces about technology use in Extension and practical information about specific social media platforms, SEO, and content strategy.

You can find the entire library of publications here. 

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REQUEST FOR APPLICATIONS: EXCITE Implementation Phase

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REQUEST FOR APPLICATIONS

EXCITE: Implementation Phase

 

ELIGIBILITY: Competitive phase available to ALL Land-grant universities (1862, 1890, 1994) by completing an online application. Participation in the Design Phase is not a requirement to apply for the Implementation Phase.

AWARD AMOUNT:  $100,000

TIMELINE: 

  • Application Open: February 2023
  • Application Deadline: March 15, 2023, 11:59PM PT
  • Award Notification: May 2023
  • Award Period: June 1, 2023 – November 30, 2024 

Extension Collaboration on Immunization Teaching and Engagement (EXCITE) is a nationwide local response by U.S. Cooperative Extension made possible through an interagency agreement between USDA-NIFA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It embeds partners and funders to strengthen immunization education with a special focus on adult vaccination confidence around COVID and other adult immunizations. Over 8 million adults in rural and medically underserved populations have been reached.

Cooperative Extension’s partnership with the CDC, initiated by the ECOP Health Innovation Task Force, is happy to release EXCITE Phase 3. The long-term goal of this partnership is to strengthen Immunization Education with a special focus on adult vaccination confidence around adult immunizations. EXCITE will address COVID-19 vaccine confidence in the LGU Extension communities and advance the work of EXCITE 1 and 2 for adult immunization education in local communities.  (https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/adults/index.html)

EXCITE consists of two phases: The Design Phase (6 months October 15, 2023-March 15, 2023) and the Implementation Phase (18 months, through November 2024), which is the subject of this RFA.

The overall objectives of the EXCITE project are to increase COVID-19 and adult immunization through (1) Increasing partnerships with local Departments of Public Health with special emphasis placed on those at the local level. Other potential partners include Federally Qualified Health Centers and Rural Health Clinics, or other types of partners that can provide adult immunization in prioritized communities; (2) Increasing positive perception of public health partners and vaccine providers of the value of collaboration with Extension; (3) Changing attitudes and beliefs within LGUs about adult immunization that will lead the organization to become an asset model focused on building early adoption and innovation leaders in adult immunization education; (4) Assessing best practices for adult immunization in rural communities through National Convening and 3 selected pilot projects.

The competitive Implementation Phase will (1) implement plans for adult immunization education and vaccination at the local level and directed to identified rural and medically-underserved communities and (2) improve confidence in the COVID-19 Vaccine in their LGU.

 

WHERE TO APPLY: The deadline for receipt of your application is March 15, 2023, 11:59PM PT. Applications should be filled out through Extension Foundation here: extension.org/exciteapplication. Applications received after this date will not be considered. For additional information, questions, or clarifications, email EXCITE@extension.org.

 

APPLICATION ACCESS: The deadline for receipt of the application is March 15, 2023, 11:59PM PT. Applications should be completed through Extension Foundation here: extension.org/exciteapplication.  Applications received after this date will NOT be considered. For additional information, questions, or clarifications, please contact EXCITE@extension.org.

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