Grants From The Department of Agriculture

United States Department of Agriculture was established to provide leadership on food, natural resources, agriculture, and other associated issues that are all based on sound public policy, the best available technology, and efficient and effective management.

This post is part of a network of sites interested with the intersection of small business, the philanthropic sector and government in creating healthy and sustainable communities.

Find additional information and resources on small business grants and loans, home buyer programs and Community Foundation programs from around the world.

Grants from the Department of Health and Human Services

In 1979 the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) was established in an effort to protect the health of all Americans and to provide essential human services to everyone, especially to those who are least capable of helping themselves.

This post is aligned with a network of sites interested with the intersection of small business, the philanthropic sector and government in creating healthy and sustainable communities.

Find additional information and resources on nonprofit information, educational grants and Civic Engagement programs from around the world.

Become A Leader With These Simple Steps

Some people are followers, while others are leaders. Lots of followers would rather be leaders. But in reality most people really don’t understand how to be a good leader. Only a few people truly master being a great leader. Keep reading if you want to transition from follower to leader.

Look for talents that others have. When you seek others to assist in your business efforts, it should start becoming clear which folks can help the most. That applies both to contracting people and hiring them.

TIP! Make it a point to look for hidden talent in your teammates. It should be easy to choose who can benefit you and in what way.

When you are a leader, try to keep things as simple as possible. Concentrate on the important things. Start setting priorities once you’ve accomplished that. Try to simplify your work. Also set some time aside for thinking and brainstorming.

Be strong and decisive as a leader. When you are a leader, you will have to make decisions. If your subordinates offer a wide range of potential solutions to an issue, you must select the one that offers the most benefits to the largest group.

TIP! Being decisive is a good way to sharpen your leadership skills. Since you are in charge, many decisions may be totally up to you.

Being decisive is a good method in boosting leadership ability. Since you’re the leader, many decisions may come down to you. If your employees have differing opinions about how something should be done, consider using their ideas if it will benefit the team as a whole.

Always handle emerging issues with transparency. It was common to hide any issues before, but great leaders don’t do that any more. Are you wondering why? There are many different forms of communication today. The news will likely leak out somehow anyway. Isn’t it better to control the message than react to it? Great leaders stay on that path.

TIP! Whenever you can, be open with your team about potential problems. People used to hide business problems, but today, great leaders don’t do that.

Tenacity is an important leadership quality. When things aren’t going the right way, your team is going to turn to you. Instead, concentrate on accomplishing your goals even when obstacles arise. Your tenacity and persistence will help keep your team on task.

Show your appreciation for your team. Simple things such as thank you notes can make a big difference. This helps lift up a person’s spirits, and it costs you nothing.

TIP! Are you the leader of a group? Be sure they’re aware of how appreciative you are of them. It does not take much time to write a thank you note or a note of praise for a job well done, and it can really boost morale.

You can compete with other businesses and still uphold your work ethic. If your competitors are sinking to moral lows, do not follow along. You don’t need to mimic them if you wish to be as successful as possible. By developing an innovation that keeps you competitive, you will be able to sleep better at night.

Tenacity is vital to effective leadership. When things go wrong, your team will look to you on how they should react. You should focus on being successful even when things go wrong. Seeing your persistence will spur the group on to get back up and get back to work again.

TIP! Tenacity is easily among the more critical leadership traits. If the project goes downhill, you will be the team’s guide as far as reaction goes.

Good work can flow more readily in the presence of strong incentives. Everyone may already have a salary, but small incentives make things a lot more fun and productive. If you have an employee that continues to go above and beyond, recognize them. Leaders that do well don’t pinch their pennies when good things happen.

Try your best to be approachable. Some people think that a good leadership style should involve fear and intimidation. It is not a good strategy, however; it only makes your team dislike you. Let subordinates know that they can bring you any concerns they have.

TIP! Do everything you can to be approachable. Many people believe that striking fear in peoples’ hearts and intimidating them is the best way for you to show them you are in charge.

Since reading the above tips, you know what it takes to become a better leader. Act confidently so others maintain confidence in you. Use the things you have learned here to become the great leader you have always wanted to be. It’s possible to get the exact right things to happen and to have your colleagues help you with it.

Hire people that are diverse when you’re building up a business. Cultural, age and educational diversity will give you a broader range of perspectives. Try not to hire employees who are all the same as you. If you do, there will be no new ideas brought to the table. It could also solidify your own weaknesses throughout the entire company.

TIP! To grow your business you should hire employees that have a diverse background. If you have a diverse set of people, you’ll see that you’ll get more perspectives than you would if you stuck with one type of person.

Simple Tips About Leadership That Are Easy To Follow

Leadership includes being able to provide effective guidance and direction to those who need it. While a lot of people just are natural born leaders, other people need to figure out what goes into leading others. If you want to improve your leadership abilities, keep reading for some great advice.

Your team should understand your vision. Create a mission statement that helps all employees understand your vision for the company. Make sure your team gets an idea of what the bigger picture is about so they can feel good about their accomplishments. It helps build relationships and provides direction.

TIP! Always communicate your company’s vision to your team. Use your company’s mission as a guide and incorporate company values into everyday life.

Make sure you are able to communicate the vision you have for your team. Your mission and objectives should be a compass for you. You must clarify the visions you have for success, and show subordinates the valuable role they play. It is smart and helps to build relationships and give people direction.

You must inspire creativity in your team. Creative thinking prompts folks to take chances that lead to amazing outcomes. Try exploring possibilities and following curiosity. Do not hesitate to embrace innovation, even if it does not have immediate application. It will help your team be creative and inspire better work.

TIP! Good leaders inspire creativity in their team. Taking risks and being creative can provide you with great success.

If you want to be a better leader, improving your honesty is a great starting point. Leaders should always strive to take people in better directions. When people believe you are honest, they will have more respect for you. Your honesty will influence your followers to be honest as well.

All good leaders must be focused on the future. You have to know what’s next and how to prepare for it. You won’t always know all the specifics, but do your best. Keep asking yourself about your goals for the next year, or even six months, so you can plan your outcome accordingly.

TIP! Keep one eye on the future. You should be able to anticipate things before they occur, so you can handle anything that gets thrown your way.

Don’t think your staff is able to know what you’re thinking. State fully how the work needs to be done, and the various steps to get there. Be open to questions. This way your staff will not hesitate to ask questions if they do not understand any of your expectations.

Decisiveness is essential to being a great leader. Since you are in charge, many decisions may be totally up to you. Listen to what different members of your team suggest when you encounter a problem and choose the solution that will benefit everyone.

TIP! Be strong and decisive as a leader. You’re going to be responsible for making many of them.

When you’re a good leader, you should quickly see the talent potential in other people. When looking for those who will help you on the job, you want to build a team of talented individuals. This also applies to contacting and hiring people for your small jobs.

When you are working with customers or colleagues, you must conduct yourself ethically. Instill a strong code of ethics in your employees and follow that code yourself. Customers are faithful to companies that are known to truly care about them. When you give your employees moral responsibilities and expectations, you help make sure that they follow those rules.

TIP! When you deal with customers, you must be ethical. Good ethics contribute to the success of a business.

Always handle emerging issues with transparency. Business problems were normally hidden in the past, but good leaders now do the opposite. Why is that? Today, it’s all about communication. What’s done in the dark comes out in the light eventually. So, why not try to control the message that’s going out there instead of trying to react to it? This is the path of true leadership.

If you manage people, tell them that you appreciate their work. Simple things such as thank you notes can make a big difference. That brief acknowledgment can turn a whole day around, boosting a mood, and is absolutely free.

TIP! Show your appreciation for your team. It takes only a minute to write an appreciative note and it could be very meaningful to someone who has been working hard.

When you find yourself being a leader, put your focus on those working with you and watch how the work seems to follow. Encourage and inspire coworkers. It’s too easy to over-focus on micromanaging every project that must be completed. Focus more on helping your team to want to get things done without you needing to do that.

Set high standards aimed at meeting your goals but make sure your goals are attainable. All this will do is set your team up for failure. This is the best way to fail and show everyone that you’re not good at leading.

TIP! Setting the bar high is important in business, but don’t expect the impossible. This will only lead to failure.

After reading this article, you know more about what you need to be a strong leader. This article has hopefully given you an idea of how to nurture your abilities. The world needs great leaders, so try becoming one today.

Don’t be obsessed with winning everything. Spreadsheets, goals and statistics are the norm in today’s society. Many leaders do this for creating goals and measuring progress. Don’t focus so much on the numbers, but on the success of your team itself instead.

TIP! Avoiding becoming obsessed with winning. In today’s technological world, most things can be broken down into numbers on paper.

Community Development Credit Unions

A Community Development Credit Union, more commonly known as a CDCU, is a credit financial institution which owned and controlled by its members in an effort to sustain the ability of being able to provide a wide array of financial services. Basically a Community Development Credit Union is a type of Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) that is specially designed to low and moderate income people and communities with or without small businesses.

Find additional information and resources on small business grants and loans, home buyer programs and impact investment programs from around the world.

Getting Money to Start a New Business

Starting a new business can be an exciting venture – unfortunately, it can also be quite expensive as well. In order to get the money that you need to get your business off of the ground, you might be considering a loan from a bank or other lender; you should keep in mind that there are some other alternatives for funding that might serve you well in addition to traditional loans.

For more information on small business grant and home ownership programs visit TopGovernmentGrants.com.

The Keys To Being A Great Leader

Good leadership is a quality that many like would like to have. Many are born with it just in them, while other people need to really work hard at it. Many skills are needed to become a great leader. If you want to improve your leadership, keep reading to find new strategies.

It is wise to use honesty as a great starting point for leadership. You, as a leader, should lead people in the right direction. Honesty is easy for the people you lead to see. Stay open and honest and your team will return the favor.

TIP! If you’re trying to increase your leadership skills, a good place to start is with honesty. You should always lead people toward the right thing, as a leader.

Your staff are not psychics. Be concise with what you want done and how you want it done. This will let people know that it is okay to approach for help if they don’t understand everything.

Honesty is critical to sound leadership. Effective leadership requires trust. As you are proving and developing yourself as a bright leader, remain honest and transparent with those around you. When people know that they can trust you, you will gain respect.

TIP! Honesty is probably the most important leadership quality to have. A good leader needs to instill trust.

Don’t lose your moral compass. Make decisions that you can live with as a human being. Do not make a decision you’ll later regret. Some might not have your morals, but you have to do the thing you know to be right.

Keep your morals in mind. Decisions you make need to be ones that others are happy with and you are happy with, too. If a decision is going to upset you or stress you out, consider not choosing that direction. Do whatever you think is right.

TIP! Good morals should never go out the door when you’re a leader. Be sure to will be comfortable with the decisions you make.

Be upfront about potential issues. It used to be that hiding business problems was the norm, but now great leaders do the opposite. What is the reason for that? It’s largely because information spreads like wildfire regardless. The news will likely leak out somehow anyway. Wouldn’t be better for you to be in control of how the story is told? Being a true leader means you are on top of that message.

When you’re a leader, you should always make sure that they feel appreciated. It takes only seconds or minutes to email or write a thank you, or to support someone else, and it goes a long way in the eyes of others. Even the smallest tokens of gratitude can keep your employees motivated to do well.

TIP! Always express appreciation to those who are working for you. It only takes a moment to write a short thank-you, or “good job” note, and it can mean a lot to someone who is working hard all day.

Never do anything that could be considered unethical, illegal or underhanded. Ethics is a part of any successful business. When your team knows you are to be trusted, they will do a better job for you. Ensure rules are followed by developing morals within your company.

It is important to refrain from doing anything that could be construed as deceitful or devious. In order to build trust as a leader, you must come through with your promises. When you claim the best services around, show the people that you mean what you say. Your employees must understand what it means to be the best.

TIP! Don’t engage in underhanded behavior. In order to build trust as a leader, you must come through with your promises.

Take care of people and productivity will soar. Learn how to be inspiring and encouraging to those working with you. Instead of placing too much focus on individual tasks, motivate the team to perform well.

You decision making skills will be judged by your team. Their opinions of you is affected by who gets assigned vital projects, and by who you fire, hire and promote. You’ll want to avoid favoritism and reward those tho have done a good job.

TIP! The people beneath you judge you by your decisions. The people you choose to give important tasks and those you decide to promote will all factor into their impression of your leadership abilities.

There are many skills you will have to work on in order to become a good leader. Use your individual personality and talents when choosing leadership styles. If you remember the tips here, you are going to see that leadership can be almost as simple as breathing.

You should schedule some time every day to go over just how well things are running at work. It’s often a good idea to ask a few members of your team to participate in these daily evaluations. They can make suggestions, discuss changes, and you can all become friends.

TIP! Successful leaders often evaluate progress at the end of each work day. You could even ask a few members of your team to join you in this assessment.

How To Slow Down The Effects Of Aging

Have you noticed that your skin is not as smooth as it used to be? Are you looking for that motivation and energy you lost as you got older? You sure have landed in the right spot then! Read on to find out how you can fight off some common effects of aging.

Keep your brain active by learning. Always try to further your travel to intelligence. You may want to consider taking a class at your community college or just work on a crossword puzzle each day. No matter what you do, it will allow your mind to work and help keep you feeling mentally sharp.

TIP! Always try to learn new things. With age comes wisdom, but that doesn’t mean you should stop seeking out new knowledge.

Learn new things and keep your mind moving. With age comes wisdom, but that doesn’t mean you should stop seeking out new knowledge. Take a class at your community college or do some puzzles, they will keep your mind active.

Increase the intensity of your exercise program. As you age, your body needs more activities to help it remain flexible and strong. Try to do a half hour walk, five days a week. Do strength exercises on some days and cardio activities on alternate days. You will be more fit and at a level that will keep you young.

TIP! Step up your fitness routine. As your body gets older, it needs to stay active more to remain strong and flexible.

Increase the amount of time you spend working out. As you get older, you need to work out more often to maintain the same muscle tone and flexibility. Go for quick walks for 30 minutes a day, five days a week. Mix it up with some strength exercises twice per week. Varied activities keep you fit and better able to ward off disease.

Do your best to bring happiness to the people you are close to. It is a blessing to your life to be able to make others happy. Happiness is free! It’s one of the best things you can share with others, and yourself, too.

TIP! You should exude happiness wherever you go. The happier you make others feel, the happier you will feel.

Growing Older sometimes means we have to look at the option of some form of assisted living. It can get to the point where we don’t have the ability to take care of ourselves. There may come a time when you will have to decide whether or not to move into a nursing home. While this can be an unpleasant thought for some, it may be the best option. People that work in these places will be able to give you the health care you cannot give yourself.

As you age, the home becomes a source of comfort. Make your space your own; it will make it more comforting to come home to after a bad day. Your home will comfort you.

TIP! As you age, your home is a reflection of who you are and becomes your personal sanctuary. Take the time to turn your home into a comfortable refuge, so that you know you have a place of rest if the rigors of the outside world have been too much for you.

Whenever you can, spread peace and joy. If you are making other people feel good, you will feel good. You can be altruistic without spending money and making others happy is a priceless gift.

Life is a journey that should be explored and enjoyed. Set milestones for yourself, and when you reach them feel proud of yourself.

TIP! Consider life a journey of exploration and enjoyment. If you take the time to set milestones like you did for your kids as they were growing, you will find that when you reach those milestones you will feel the same pride as you did all of those years ago.

Personalize your home to make it your own. With time, you will get tired of your house and want to make it more personal. Your new place will become familiar and home-like once you bring your own touches to it. Bring out the photographs or paintings, cushions and decorations that gave your former home an air of comfort. They will make this new place feel like home too.

Keep your eyes healthy, especially as you get on in years. It is natural to experience decreased visual acuity as you age, but by seeing an eye doctor on a regular basis, you can prevent any serious problems.

TIP! Going to the eye doctor becomes more important as you age. Some loss of eyesight is inevitable as you grow older, but you can be proactive in preventing damaging eye disease with regular eye exams and screenings.

They say youth is wasted on the young, but that’s all the more reason to get your youth back. With the tips in this article, you’ll be able to look and feel like you did years ago, but you’ll retain all the wisdom age has brought you. You won’t mind growing older now that you have this advice to guide you.

Don’t expose your skin to harsh environments. If you stay exposed to the elements for too long, your skin will suffer. This can lead to many skin problems, ranging from premature aging to skin cancer.

TIP! If you have to be outside for a period of time, take precautions and do your best to avoid extreme sunlight or extreme cold. The cold air and the sun can both equally damage your skin.

Top Leadership Advice To Take Control Of Your Destiny

You probably want to become a better leader. If this is true, you are about to learn some key tools to enhance your leadership abilities. Here you will find some easy steps towards becoming a leader.

Good leaders bring out the creative side in others. When you’re using creative thinking and taking risks, you can have a greater outcome. Always be curious and explore new possibilities. You should try out new ideas from time to time even if they aren’t all that clear to you. It is possible to assist others in broadening the scope of their thinking.

TIP! Good leaders inspire creativity. Stepping outside your comfort zone can help you achieve things you never dreamed possible.

All good leaders must be focused on the future. You have to know what it takes to see the future so you can figure out how to plan for what’s coming up. Obviously you can’t know everything that will happen in the future, but it is crucial that you are prepared. Continually ask yourself where you want to be in six months or a year, and then plan for that outcome.

A good way to start being a better leader is to be more decisive. As the leader, decisions start with you. If your employees have differing opinions about how something should be done, consider using their ideas if it will benefit the team as a whole.

TIP! Decisive leaders are successful. Since you are in charge, many decisions may be totally up to you.

Look for talent in your team. This helps you realize who to choose for certain tasks and where to position people. This strategy works if you are hiring people or contracting someone to do a small job.

Don’t act like you know it all when you want to improve your skills. You might have good ideas and think you’re perfect, but others may wish to add something, too. They can offer suggestions on ways to improve your idea, execute it, or point out problems that they may see in your plan.

TIP! If you’re trying to improve your leadership skills, avoid acting like you know everything. You may think your ideas are the best, but it is important to listen to what others have to say.

Let others know about possible problems. Unlike the old leaders who covered up problems, the great leaders of today are more upfront in their communication. What is the reason for that? It is important to communicate nowadays. For this reason, business problems will be known whether you want them to or not. Wouldn’t be better for you to be in control of how the story is told? Successful leaders have excellent communication skills.

To be a good business leader, you should never lower your morals just to compete. If your competition is behaving in an uncomfortable manner, look for an alternative so you can compete. There is nothing that says you must compromise your morals to stay relevant. If you make up new strategies, then you can have a clear conscience concerning your decision.

TIP! If you want to be a great leader, you ought never to dismiss your own morals to be competitive. If you find you don’t approve of what your competition is doing, then it’s up to you to find an alternate route but still be competitive.

It’s essential to remain ethical when you deal with customers and employees. Good ethics contribute to the success of a business. If your customers see the sincerity in the job that you do, they will be loyal to your business. This will also give them a good lead to follow.

Always keep your word. You ought to do what you promise, especially as a leader. If you can’t do this for any reason, you have to tell others why this is the case. Changing tactics or not delivering on promises erratically, will cause you to lose the respect of any who do not know the reasoning.

TIP! Always be impeccable with your word. You have to live up to your promises.

Tenacity is a very important characteristic of successful leaders. When you have things that go wrong, your team will look to see how you react. Whatever obstacles may be in your way, keep your focus on the goal. Your persistence will give the group all they need to become motivated.

Stay confident as you deal with others. Keep in mind that there is a fine line between confidence and arrogance. People don’t trust others who are arrogant. True sincerity will build a bond of trust between you and the workers, as well as real understanding. Insincerity is obvious to other people so make a habit of being honest with people.

TIP! Be sincere and confident when talking to clients, customers and employees. Don’t mistake arrogance with confidence.

As you can tell, being a leader is achievable if you know what you’re doing. Sow your tools through dedication, education and hard work. Use these tips to build yourself into a great leader.

If someone on your team makes a mistake, treat it as a learning opportunity, rather than a chance to criticize. Discussing what went wrong and sharing this information with the rest of the team can lead to ideas on how prevent the error from happening again in the future.

TIP! Effective leaders use mistakes as opportunities to learn and teach. Talking over the problem with the workers provides a great learning opportunity for everyone.