A Designing Projects for Successful Grants Workshop will be offered in Portland on July 1 from 1-3 p.m. The workshop will be held at the Washington County Historical Society and Museum on 17677 NW Springville Rd.

The workshop is free to all who are interested. It will cover how to plan your project and write a successful grant application.

The workshop will emphasize the Oregon Heritage Grants, the Oregon Museums Grants and the Historic Cemeteries Grant offered by Heritage Programs of Oregon Parks and Recreation Department, but the information can be applied to any grant.

Contact Kuri Gill at Kuri.Gill@state.or.us or 503.986.0685 for more information.

The National Park Service helps its partners plan outdoor recreation and natural resource conservation projects in local communities.

August 1 marks the deadline for the next round of assistance from the National Park Service's Rivers, Trails, and Conservation Assistance (RTCA) Program.

RTCA staff provide technical assistance to community groups and local, state, and federal government agencies so they can conserve rivers, preserve open space, and develop trails and greenways.

Click here for a copy of the application guidelines

Mercy Corps Northwest has a pair of seminars available in June that may be helpful to those planning to start a business or for those who are self-employed.

Payroll Taxes for New Business Start-ups will be offered on June 22, 2009 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. while E-Commerce for Your Business, Resources and Tools will be offered on June 23, 2009 from 6:30-8 p.m. The seminars will be held in Portland at the Mercy Corps Northwest office at 2069 NE Hoyt Street.

Cost is $5 for Mercy Corps Northwest clients and $10 for the general public. RSVP to Erica at estrachan@mercycorpsnw.org or 503.236.1580 ext. 209

Click here for more information on the seminars

Travel Oregon is pleased to announce the opening of the 2009-10 Matching Grants Program for investment in travel and tourism organizations across the state. The grant program is part of Travel Oregon's tourism development mission to assist Oregon communities and organizations in the creation, enhancement and implementation of quality tourism plans and products.

The mission of the Oregon Tourism Commission (OTC), doing business as Travel Oregon, is to "encourage economic growth and to enhance the quality of life in Oregon through a strengthened economic impact of tourism throughout the state." As such, OTC has established a program to make grant awards to eligible applicants for projects that contribute to the development and improvement of local economies and communities throughout the state by means of the enhancement, expansion and promotion of the visitor industry.

Cities, counties, port districts, federally recognized Tribes and non-profit entities located in Oregon and involved with tourism promotion and development are eligible for grants from the Matching Grants Program. Applicants must equally match the amount of the awarded grant; up to 50% of the match may be in-kind. Each applicant may request up to $10,000 in grant funds with a limit of one grant project request per cycle.

The deadline for completing the online electronic application is August 18, 2009.

Click here to find out more about the 2009-10 Matching Grants Program

Please direct questions to Michelle Woodard, Industry Relations Liaison at Grants@TravelOregon.com

Opponent testimony before the Jackson County Commission concluded last week regarding the proposed Siskiyou Rest Area and Welcome Center.

The Oregon Department of Transportation will be testifying again in support of the project on May 27. Additional testimony beyond May 27 may be necessary in this land use discussion.

After public testimony concludes sometime this summer, the Jackson County Commission will then deliberate on the land use amendments necessary to approve of the project.