{"version":1,"type":"rich","provider_name":"Libsyn","provider_url":"https:\/\/www.libsyn.com","height":90,"width":600,"title":"118: NAR Grants, Tools, and Resources for State and Local REALTOR\u00ae Associations To Turn Ideas into Actions with Christine Windle: Part 1","description":"Welcome to the Center for REALTOR\u00ae Development podcast. I\u2019m Monica Neubauer, your host.   REALTORS\u00ae play a powerful role in shaping our communities. Many are deeply involved, while others are just beginning to explore the possibilities. As an industry, we bring tremendous value, not just to buyers and sellers, but to neighborhoods, main streets, and local community development initiatives that make our communities stronger.   What many people don\u2019t realize is that the National Association of REALTORS\u00ae offers a suite of grants, tools, and resources available only to state and local associations, to help turn great ideas into action. Whether it\u2019s improving housing access, revitalizing public spaces, or tackling zoning challenges, NAR has programs that can help.   Maybe something we discuss today will inspire an initiative you may want to get involved in, or open a door you didn\u2019t know was there.   [1:50] Joining us to share more is Christine Windle, who helps lead some of these efforts at NAR. Welcome, Christine. [1:59] Monica shares Christine Windle\u2019s biography. [3:02] Christine explains that NAR\u2019s Community Outreach Program offers several grants: Smart Growth, Housing Opportunity, Placemaking, and Fair Housing. These are available exclusively to state and local REALTOR\u00ae associations, not individual REALTORS\u00ae. [3:19] NAR\u2019s Community Outreach Program has produced webinars for state and local associations of REALTORS\u00ae and their leadership on how to leverage these grants. Just Google NAR Community Outreach webinars, and the page comes up. [3:32] The discussion will be how REALTORS\u00ae can work through local associations and state associations to identify, advocate for, and support eligible initiatives. All of these projects are meant to be done with the community. [4:03] It\u2019s REALTORS\u00ae helping the community, in partnership with their local and state association. There are networking opportunities. It\u2019s the industry lifting the community. [4:50] The Community Outreach Grant and Resource program is designed to help REALTOR\u00ae associations and their leadership engage in transformational work, bringing REALTORS\u00ae to the table to support housing opportunity, smart growth, placemaking, and fair housing in their communities. [5:12] Within the program, there are cornerstone grants. The Smart Growth Grant supports local planning efforts, infrastructure, investment planning, zoning reform, and more. It helps associations bring stakeholders together to plan for future growth in ways that are equitable and sustainable. [5:32] The Housing Opportunity Grant is a little different. It focuses on expanding access to home ownership, reducing barriers, and promoting housing affordability. These grants often support first-time buyer education, workforce housing forums, and housing trust fund advocacy. [5:50] The Placemaking Grant helps associations convert underutilized spaces into vibrant public spaces. So think of a pocket park, a trailhead, or alley activation. These small projects can have a really big impact on the quality of life and smarter growth. [6:11] Monica asks to hear more about these individual programs and how they help REALTORS\u00ae. [7:12] Christine explains the Housing Opportunity Grant. It\u2019s a widely used grant. It\u2019s a great member-engagement grant. It\u2019s a great grant to leverage for the local association when REALTORS\u00ae want to get involved in a Housing Fair. Several local associations will work with partners. [7:30] Partnerships are an important aspect of these programs, with associations leveraging relationships with municipalities, Housing Authorities, and housing counseling entities to put together Housing Fairs. The grant can help support expenses associated with those Housing Fairs. [7:53] The Housing Opportunity Grant Level 2 can be leveraged up to $7,500 to support the venue rentals, expenses, marketing materials, and needed workshop speakers. The REALTORS\u00ae work with the local association through the committee structure to help design the event and to help with engagement. [8:15] Many of them come to the table with ideas on what we need to do to get it done this year. We work with the local association. The board of directors of the local association signs off, and the staff applies for the grant. We help them understand what the best practices are with housing fairs. [8:36] Christine says we\u2019ll show them the housing opportunity toolkit, which has real-life examples, the REALTOR\u00ae success stories, where they can gain inspiration from what others are doing, to build the best program it can be. [9:06] Monica says, If you get started, this is not something to drag your feet on. Start making the plan and start communicating with Christine and her team. Look at the earlier episodes this year about community investment grants to help individuals buy houses, and these episodes, and let the ideas flow. [9:43] Christine explains, you can also use the grant to put together individual homebuyer education initiatives. Local associations are leveraging Level 2 to partner with the municipality to do outreach on Saturdays, where their REALTORS\u00ae and affiliates are teaching to help build awareness about education. [10:15] Monica asks about Placemaking. The definition is not complicated. It\u2019s making places better. I see that as a high-level term used a lot in zoning language and in government situations. But I don't think the average real estate agent understands what that is or how easy it is to put in their community. [10:52] Christine says our Placemaking program grew out of our Smart Growth program, which is to help REALTOR\u00ae associations and REALTORS\u00ae engage in building better and more livable communities. [11:04] Think walkability, mixed use, housing affordability, and transit options, growing in versus growing out. That program was being designed in the late \u201990s. And then, as it grew over the decade, the Placemaking program came about. [11:22] Placemaking means different things. But there was recognition that local associations could get involved in helping build more vibrant communities tactically. What that means to us is converting underutilized spaces. Think of a vacant lot between two buildings. There's potential with that vacant lot. [11:44] Perhaps it's a pocket park that can go in there, or what we call an alley activation, where you could put lights and benches, a gathering spot for the community to get together and to help recognize and realize the potential of that space. [11:59] Once you redesign that space and bring life to it, then the other areas of the town become vibrant. And so what we call Placemaking is quicker, lighter, cheaper projects. [12:12] Christine gives an example. Take that pocket park, where you're putting benches together, maybe put a game table, and lights. The community says, I would like to have lunch there. Let me go to the local deli. That's a spot. You want that to be an attractive spot. [12:27] It\u2019s also used for trail heads as well to connect communities and to build parks and to build dog parks, anything that brings in vibrancy. It\u2019s an exercise as well for the REALTOR\u00ae associations to build partnerships and relationships with local elected officials. [12:46] Often, the association will have an idea, they\u2019ll bring it to the municipality, the parks director, and the elected officials, and they\u2019ll come together with a plan. The grant can provide support of up to $7,500 for that improvement. There's a lot of potential. The projects must be under half a million dollars. [13:04] It\u2019s called Quicker, Lighter, Cheaper projects. We\u2019re not financing large capital facility projects; we're financing small parks, pocket parks. As of last year, we listened to our associations, and there was an interest in helping to refurbish some of these smaller-scale initiatives and community assets. [13:26] Local associations can kick in funds to replace that bench that\u2019s been there for a long time, and to refurbish a smaller-scale community asset. Christine adds an important aspect: the lot must be publicly owned, not private property or owned by a non-profit. It must be owned by the municipality. [14:16] There's a reason for that. We want the area to be vibrant for years to come. Once the municipality commits to that, we know that that investment from an NAR standpoint is going to stay. And we don't want to put any type of REALTOR\u00ae Party dollars toward anything that enriches an individual. [14:40] We want it to be accessible and open to the community at all times. You can\u2019t lock it up for a period of six months. It\u2019s fine if, at sunset, you have to lock up the park. It has to be accessible to everyone. [15:18] Monica asks about Smart Growth. Christine says to think of Smart Growth as bringing homes near jobs and the ability of residences and businesses to improve walkability and infrastructure, ensuring community revitalization efforts move forward. [16:06] Christine says, think about infill as an example, where we have a vacant building. Is there an opportunity to ensure adaptive reuse or to bring in and develop mixed-use, to create a place where people can live, work, and play? That's the essence of smart growth. [16:31] It\u2019s bringing homes closer to jobs. It means safer streets for people walking and biking. A lot of our associations are doing walkability audits to expand sidewalks and put in crosswalks so people can travel safely from one place to another. It has zoning that welcomes a mix of housing types. [17:15] Monica notes that, going to a municipality with potential grants and education, an association can bring more to the table than just a request. [17:42] Christine adds that the program offers a suite of resources, including grants, education, and funding programs that allow technical assessments to help diagnose a real estate problem to ensure smarter growth. [18:00] There are lots of opportunities. We work with all of our local or state associations and meet them where they are in their journey on building better communities, in their journey on smarter growth. So proud of our team. We have Hugh Morris, who has been with us for 20 years. [18:18] He is an urban planner. He has a different lens in terms of helping design educational plans for local associations and helping them with their journey. [18:29] Hannah Dannenfelser, our manager of grant resources, came to us two years ago, helping us focus on Placemaking and really putting together some amazing and incredible toolkits and resources. [18:42] She has a blog to inspire you. She manages our Fair Housing and our Rural Outreach program. We've got a heck of a team! If there\u2019s one thing to take away from this podcast, it\u2019s that the staff and the committees are here to help local associations leverage these resources to benefit their communities. [19:11] As a real estate speaker, Monica has been invited to many smaller cities across the country.  Speaking to those areas, Monica says, if you have a part of your area that needs a little attention, you can help in any phase. It can start with a study, or funding a Housing Fair, or funding a park. [20:07] Monica sees so much potential and excellent energy happening in some of these small cities to create more housing options for people nationwide that she\u2019s excited to get this out to our listeners! [20:25] Some places are working so hard to create beautiful spaces, and Monica wants you to know this is available for you. [20:46] Christine says, We meet people where they are. We have a grant for every association. Christine shares an example: Our Rural Outreach Grant Program. This is designed for local associations that have a chartered footprint that includes a municipality with a population under 30,000. [21:11] This grant, put in place three years ago, has helped those local associations put together forums on rural infrastructure, information on getting broadband, and addressing onsite well and septic education with our members. An association in Virginia had an educational field trip on wells and septic systems. [21:55] Other examples are flood plain education and environmental open space preservation education. [22:09] The Community Outreach Program has a tool for local and state associations to reach them. It\u2019s the Community Outreach Planning Session. It has been wildly successful since the pandemic. People sign up with Signup Genius and schedule a meeting with the entire team. [22:32] Sometimes other grant managers from different programs will participate. The association asks to talk about X, Y, and Z. We need help with this. They set up a Zoom meeting and spend about 45 minutes or an hour with the association, designing their program and listening to them. [22:56]  We listen to what their priorities are. Our team responds to a grant or resource that could help. And then if there\u2019s something else that is on their mind, they want to reach NAR on, we of course send them to the appropriate person at NAR. Christine loves spending one-on-one time with associations. [23:24] The local associations are welcome to bring their leadership. We have been on Zoom calls with entire committees and their spreadsheets, deciding how the grant program can support their advocacy priorities. It\u2019s a ton of fun and a learning experience. It helps establish a relationship. [23:44] Christine says, Our goal with the Community Outreach Program is for local and state associations to keep these programs top-of-mind as they work through their advocacy initiatives, and discuss these priorities. We want to build a relationship with them. These planning sessions help. [24:02] Associations are always welcome to text or email the Community Outreach Program. They do that when they need help. It's OK. Just reach out to Hugh. Just reach out to Hannah. Just reach out to Christine. [24:38] Monica gives kudos to those local and state associations that have already reached out to the Community Outreach Program and the staff at NAR. We want to see more people do that, which is why we have this episode today. We\u2019re trying to educate some more folks. [25:06] Monica brings up the grant opportunity of up to $3,000 to support education for REALTORS\u00ae. These grants can cover instructor fees, materials, and curriculum development. Christine says she\u2019s hoping our local and state association education directors are listening! [25:46] The Community Outreach Program has several grant programs that offer up to $3,000 for eligible initiatives. They would love for the local associations to take advantage of it. The highest use has been the Fair Housing Grant Level One. [26:01] Last year, we had a hundred local and state associations approved for that Level One to teach Bias Override and Fair Housing CE classes. Christine says, That's a low-hanging fruit. My only suggestion, with all of these grant programs, is please apply early. [26:24] Christine lists classes: Bias Override, Planning and Zoning, Smart Growth Level One, and any type of zoning course; it doesn\u2019t have to be our zoning course. The idea is to teach REALTORS\u00ae and to build knowledge, so Level One is REALTOR\u00ae-only. [26:49] If you want to go wide and go to Level 2, you\u2019re welcome to do that. We have a lot of local associations teaching Planning and Zoning and Bias Override, and inviting partners, the construction industry, and elected leaders. That's level two, up to $7,500, because you may need a bigger room.  [27:13] The Housing Opportunity Level 1 is being used to teach housing opportunities. If you\u2019re a new REALTOR\u00ae trying to find the down payment assistance programs available in your area, the local association could put together a program to teach REALTORS\u00ae about that. You could take it to Level 2. [27:38] Rural Outreach Level 1 includes well and septic classes, open space preservation, and flood plain education. There\u2019s an educational opportunity for the four grants. [27:51]  We've also seen ADU workshops. So your municipality has now allowed ADUs. What is that all about? Do a workshop in your local association to teach REALTORS\u00ae. Go wide for a Level 2 Housing Opportunity. Maybe consumers want to understand the new ADU ordinance and the design standards. [28:14] Take that opportunity to build great relationships with the community, inviting consumers in. It\u2019s inspirational that the local association is taking the lead. Your name is out there, building the REALTOR\u00ae brand, and you\u2019re ensuring that people know that REALTORS\u00ae are leading on these issues. [28:41] Monica says our next episode is going to give you some success stories so you can see a little bit more of how this plays out. You need to apply, and you need to apply early. [28:58] Christine says, The first thing to do, if you\u2019re a local association, is study the REALTOR\u00ae Party Community Outreach section. We have one page that talks about all of our grants and resources. Also, study the application process and the FAQs, where we talk about eligible expenses. [29:17] Most importantly, sign up for a Community Outreach Planning Session to talk about how one or more grants could help. It\u2019s worth taking the time to do that, or just giving us a call and doing a brainstorm. If you\u2019re a REALTOR\u00ae, get involved with your local association. [29:38] Talk to the local association Executive or Executive Director, the local Government Affairs Director, or the Education Director. Committee involvement is so important. There\u2019s strength in numbers. There\u2019s no I in team. [30:05] Get involved in the committee. Talk to the board about what\u2019s important to the industry. Share your wonderful ideas based on your background. REALTORS\u00ae come from all walks of life. Christine is inspired when they come to the committee and they make a suggestion. \u201cHave you thought what if\u2026?\u201d [30:24] So, get in there, network, meet your fellow REALTORS\u00ae, support your local association, and, if you\u2019re game, rise the ladder and serve on your state association. Get more involved. Get more involved in NAR. [30:40] There is so much there for you and for your business, in terms of relationship-building, knowledge-building, and getting engaged in the community. There are so many benefits for your business and the profession. [30:59] When you\u2019re making suggestions, be inspired by those in the room, your fellow committee members, coming up with that idea, always thinking about, can a grant support this? Let me talk to my Association Executive about it, because I heard Monica talk about it a long time ago! [31:21] Save this episode and get back to it after you get involved! It\u2019s hard to take in all this information and absorb it. [31:30] Monica says, It is a lot, but you\u2019ve done a great job, Christine, distilling it into these different areas and giving some snapshots of what\u2019s available. Thank you so much for your very clear direction on this! [31:42] Christine adds, about the application process, it opens mid-January and typically closes mid-October, each year. This year, we ran out of money at the end of May. [32:08] Christine\u2019s advice is for local and state associations to bring their ideas to the table now, to talk to Community Outreach around the fourth quarter about what they would like to do, and get ready to apply in early January. That gives a chance at the funding. [32:25] Monica says, This is going to come out in the Fall of 2025. Hopefully, some of you have already had some ideas. You can go and plug this right in, but if not, you get those conversations started. If not for a few months, but don't yet. Don\u2019t, don\u2019t run, but do hurry. Don\u2019t run. Do hurry. [32:53] We don\u2019t want you to trip, but we do want you to be involved. And you know, you may end up having a call with Christine\u2019s team and finding out that there are more pieces to put together, and you may be revisiting it a few months later. [33:05] So some of these things do take time as they create vision for the long-term in the community and for the agents. We\u2019re going to wrap up Episode 1. [33:16] Thank you so much to Christine Windle from NAR. We\u2019re going to talk about some success stories in Episode 2, so come back and join us there. [22:25] This topic has become known to me because I\u2019ve gone on NAR Architectural Tours, when you go to the Legislative Meetings, or the NAR NEXT and Annual, and I go to some of the committee meetings, and learn things. [33:38] So I have been following these developments through planning commissions and also in my community in the city and county commission meetings. I\u2019m going and watching how that goes. [33:50] If you want to become more involved, and we hope that you will, you can take the Planning and Zoning Resource Class at Learning.REALTOR. There\u2019s an option there. There are also local classes. My association had a Septic Class that\u2019s still available on YouTube. [34:09] Your association is creating some of those. Go to some of your meetings and ask your local or state association if they\u2019re applying for any of these grants. They may have something in process that you don\u2019t know about. Offer to be involved. Join the Government Affairs Committee. [34:30] Thank you so much for coming and joining Christine and me, Monica Neubauer. I hope to see you out as part of the solution for providing more housing options and improving your community. And as you go out there, sell some more houses!   Tweetables: \u201cThe Community Outreach Grant and Resource program is designed to help REALTOR\u00ae associations \u2026 engage in transformational work, bringing REALTORS\u00ae to the table in meaningful ways, to support housing opportunity, smart growth, placemaking, and fair housing in their communities.\u201d \u2014 Christine Windle   \u201cThe Placemaking Grant helps associations convert underutilized spaces into vibrant public spaces. So think of \u2026 a pocket park, a trailhead, or alley activation. These small projects can have a really big impact on quality of life and smarter growth.\u201d \u2014 Christine Windle   \u201cOften, the association will have an idea, they\u2019ll bring it to the municipality, the parks director, and the elected officials, and they\u2019ll come together with a plan. The grant can provide support up to $7,500 for that improvement. There's a lot of potential.\u201d \u2014 Christine Windle   \u201cThe projects must be under half a million dollars. Understand, it\u2019s called Quicker, Lighter, Cheaper projects. We\u2019re not financing large capital facility projects; we're financing small parks.\u201d \u2014 Christine Windle   \u201cThe lot must be publicly owned. It can\u2019t be on private property. It can\u2019t be owned by a non-profit. It must be owned by the municipality. There's a reason for that. We want the area to be vibrant for years to come.\u201d \u2014 Christine Windle   \u201cIf you\u2019re a REALTOR\u00ae, get involved with your local association. Talk to the local association Executive, \u2026 the local Government Affairs Director, or the Education Director. Committee involvement is so important. There\u2019s strength in numbers.\u201d \u2014 Christine Windle   Guest Links:  Christine Windle, Director of Community Outreach at the National Association of REALTORS\u00ae https:\/\/www.nar.realtor\/about-nar\/grants-and-funding\/community-outreach-grants https:\/\/realtorparty.realtor\/community-outreach   Additional Links: Crdpodcast@nar.realtor Crdpodcast.REALTOR Learning.REALTOR \u2014 for NAR Online Education Training4RE.com \u2014 List of Classroom Courses from NAR and its affiliates CRD.REALTOR \u2014 List of all courses offered   Host Information: Monica Neubauer Speaker\/Podcaster\/REALTOR\u00ae Monica@MonicaNeubauer.com MonicaNeubauer.com FranklinTNBlog.com   Monica\u2019s Facebook Page: Facebook.com\/Monica.Neubauer  Instagram: Instagram.com\/MonicaNeubauerSpeaks   Guest Bio Christine Windle Christine Windle serves as the Director of Community Outreach at the National Association of REALTORS\u00ae, where she leads the Community Outreach team and oversees the implementation of a suite of programs, grants, and services designed to strengthen state and local REALTOR\u00ae association advocacy on public policy issues.   With over 35 years of experience in advocacy, communications, organizational leadership, and PAC fundraising, Christine previously served as CEO and Public Policy Director of the Dulles Area Association of REALTORS\u00ae in Loudoun County, Virginia. She also held roles at NAR as Community Development Policy Representative and staffed key committees focused on smart growth and housing needs. Her additional experience includes advocacy roles with the American Institute of Architects, the National Society of Professional Engineers, and as a congressional intern for Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD).   Christine holds an MPA from George Mason University and a BA in Political Science and Economics from the University of Maryland. She is also a REALTOR\u00ae Association Certified Executive (RCE).   NAR.realtor\/christine-corrado-windle ","author_name":"Center for REALTOR\u00ae Development","author_url":"http:\/\/www.CRDpodcast.com","html":"