Las Vegas Nonprofit is Getting AHEAD!

September 2015 was a very good month for the Vegas Roots Community Garden. The five year old nonprofit received not one but two substantial grants from the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco (FHLBSF) and from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).

In January of 2014 Rosalind Brooks the owner of Vegas Roots, a five acre community garden located in West Las Vegas, attended a workshop coordinated by the HUD Las Vegas Field Office and the Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco.

Leena Randhawa, FHLBSF gave an in-depth review of the bank's Access to Housing and Economic Assistance for Development (AHEAD) program. Leena explained how the bank gives out approximately one million dollars to small nonprofit organizations to conduct programs that include economic development for low income persons.

Ms. Brooks applied for the AHEAD grant after attending the workshop but was not successful. Rosalind attended other workshops coordinated and conducted by the Las Vegas Field Office. She took advantage of free training from the Southern Nevada Nonprofit Information Center located at Clark County Flamingo Library.

Rosalind Brooks, owner of Vegas Roots Garden and Jerri Merrit, Vice President of Western Alliance Bank

When the AHEAD grant opened again Rosalind worked through a FHLBSF member bank, Western Alliance Bank to again apply for the AHEAD grant. She fine-tuned her application, utilizing skills she learned from the workshops.

She was successful in getting funding for the Veggie Buck Truck (VBT). VBT is a mobile "farmer market" with a job training and nutritional education component. Ms. Brooks also submitted the VBT model to USDA and received their 2015 Local Food Promotion Program grant.

The Las Vegas HUD office works diligently to help local nonprofits and community partners work together so that they can all get ahead. Congratulations to Jerry Merritt of Western Alliance Bank and Rosalind Brooks of Vegas Roots Community Gardens.

If you would like more information please contact:

• Vegas Roots (http://www.vegasroots.org/)
• Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco (FHLBSF) (http://www.fhlbsf.com/)

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