Champion Communities

Faribault County 
Champion Community

Benefits of Being a 
Champion Community

Faribault County...Minnesota's 1st            

"CHAMPION COMMUNITY"

 

U S D A and Rural Development Logos

At a public signing in Blue Earth, Minnesota on January 22, 2003 Faribault County became Minnesota's 1st Champion Community.

WHEN:                 January 22, 2003

WHERE:                   Hamilton Hall - Blue Earth

TIME:                      11:00 am - 1:00 pm

Jim Heckman, Chair of the FCLRA and USDA Rural Development State Director shown here signing a 5 year  commitment between the two agencies.

What is a "Champion"  Community?

 Champion Communities are established in USDA regulations at 7 CFR 25 and are chosen by USDA from among a pool of applicants seeking designation as Empowerment Zones or Enterprise Communities.  The number of Champion Communities is limited to the number of applicants which were not designated as either an Empowerment Zone or an Enterprise Community.  After designation as a Champion Community, communities must sign an agreement with USDA State Offices of Rural Development and establish and maintain themselves in the centralized community benchmarking system.  Champions must report at least annually on their progress in implementing their strategic plans and benchmarks in order to retain their USDA certification as Champions.

Words from USDA Rural Development State Director, Steve Wenzel

What are the benefits of being a "Champion" Community?
  • Priority points for USDA Rural Development Programs.
  • Special benefits in law (e.g., eligibility for direct receipt of excess Federal Property.
  • Special Conferences for Champions (national, regional and/or state)
  • Web Site for Champion Communities.
  • On-line benchmark management and reporting system for Champion Communities.
  • Special Technical Assistance from USDA Rural Development field offices for the purposes of enhancing capacity-building within community organizations and for implementation of the strategic plan.
  • National Office of Community Development letters of support for Champion Community grant applications to other programs.

 

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Faribault County EDA 
415 South Grove Street Suite #4
Blue Earth, MN  56013
Phone: 507-526-2130 
Fax: 507-526-5154
E-Mail:  eda@faribaultcounty.org		 1(800)921-JOBZ 
 1(800)921-5629