New Growth MO Community Development

06/18/2026

Need funding for your business? Are your books ready?

Before you apply for a loan, make sure your financial records tell the story lenders need to see.

Join the free online workshop, Banking on Your Books: Preparing Your Financials for Financing, and learn:

✔ What financial information lenders typically request
✔ Why banks ask for specific reports and documents
✔ How to organize your books for financing conversations
✔ Ways to strengthen banking relationships and improve funding readiness

Whether you're seeking financing now or planning for future growth, this session will help you approach the process with greater confidence.

📅 June 30, 2026
🕚 11:30 a.m.
💻 Online

Register here: https://hub.catalyzerapp.com/public/events/banking-on-your-books-preparing-your-financials-fo-9-795

Need help preparing your financials or exploring funding options? The New Growth Women's Business Center provides no-cost one-on-one business counseling and credit building. Contact us to get started.

417-282-5936; [email protected]

06/17/2026

What does it take to strengthen an entire rural region?

It takes more than one organization working alone.

That's the idea behind a Rural Development Hub—a local organization that helps bring people, organizations, resources, and opportunities together to address challenges and opportunities that often extend beyond any one community.

We're honored that New Growth has been recognized by The Aspen Institute Community Strategies Group as a Rural Development Hub and included on its national map of organizations helping rural communities build stronger futures.

A Rural Development Hub helps move ideas into action by bringing together local priorities, regional partners, and resources to support long-term community success.

At New Growth, that work takes many forms, from supporting entrepreneurs and small businesses to strengthening local food systems, expanding transportation access, and helping communities address child care and workforce challenges.

And while we're grateful to have the Liston Center as a home base for much of this work, New Growth is about far more than one building or location. Our work happens across communities, counties, and partnerships throughout the region.

We're proud to be part of a growing network of organizations across the country working to create stronger economies, healthier communities, and more opportunities in rural America.

Learn more: https://www.aspencsg.org/rural-development-hubs/

https://www.facebook.com/AspenInstitute

06/16/2026

Get support starting a home-based child care business!

New Growth is still accepting one participant from Henry, St. Clair, Cedar, Polk, or a surrounding county for a program that helps to start a licensed home-based child care business.

Through this Family Child Care Champions program, participants receive mentoring, licensing guidance, training, peer support, and up to $2,500 in mini-grant funding to help start a licensed home-based child care business or become licensed if they are already providing care.

Learn more and sign up here: https://www.newgrowthmo.org/post/start-your-family-child-care-business;

Or contact the New Growth Women’s Business Center at 417-282-5936, [email protected]

06/15/2026

🖱️ Should you click it?

Most online scams aren't stopped by expensive software. They're stopped by knowing a few simple things to look for before you click.

That's why participants are often surprised by how much clarity this training provides. Small insights can make a big difference when it comes to spotting phishing emails, fraudulent websites, deceptive links, and other common online scams.

Join Dray Schenker, Chief Technology Officer for West Central Missouri Community Action Agency, for a practical webinar on protecting your information and making smarter technology decisions.

Plus, participants will have an opportunity to ask technology-related questions and gain insights from someone who works with business systems and technology every day.

📅 June 30
🕚 11:00 a.m.
💻 Live online (recording provided to those who register)

Whether you own a business or simply use a computer or smartphone, you'll walk away with practical tips you can use immediately.

Register today: https://newgrowth.ecenterdirect.com/events/1019159

06/12/2026

👶 Running a child care program means wearing a lot of hats.
One minute you're caring for children. The next you're handling billing, paperwork, licensing requirements, technology, scheduling, supplies, staffing, and communication with families.

That's why the New Growth Women's Business Center is helping launch a new no-cost support program for rural Missouri child care programs beginning in September 2026.

Selected participants will receive practical, hands-on support that may include:
✔ One-on-one guidance
✔ Tools to save time and money
✔ Help with billing, payments, and enrollment management
✔ Connections to statewide resources and technology tools
✔ Opportunities to learn alongside other child care professionals

Whether you're a home-based provider or operate a child care center, this program is designed to help strengthen your operations so you can spend more time focusing on the children and families you serve.

Only 10 rural Missouri child care programs will be selected for the first year of the program.

Interested in learning more? Access a Child Care Business Support Interest Form at https://www.newgrowthmo.org/post/support-for-rural-child-care-programs-coming-soon

Strong child care programs help children, families, employers, and entire communities thrive. ❤️

06/11/2026

New Growth is very proud to collaborate with partners on this project, the Harvest to Market grant through the Heartland Food Business Coalition

🚜 Harvest to Market Grant applications are now open!

Food and farm businesses in eligible rural counties of Kansas and western Missouri can apply for grants ranging from $5,000 to $25,000 to help move local food from farm to market.

Funding can support projects such as:
✅ Processing equipment
✅ Cold storage and refrigeration
✅ Distribution and delivery systems
✅ Packaging and labeling improvements
✅ Marketing and branding
✅ Online sales platforms
✅ Product development and value-added processing

With approximately $1 million available and no matching funds required, this grant is designed to help food and farm businesses grow, reach new customers, and strengthen local and regional food systems.

Applications are due August 31, 2026, at noon Central Time.

Learn more, check eligibility, and apply:
🔗https://heartlandfoodbusiness.org/harvest-to-market-grant/

06/08/2026

Why does Farm to School matter? Katie Nixon, director of New Growth Food Systems and an organic farmer, shared insights on this topic at the Heartland Farm to School & Early Care and Education Institute in Excelsior Springs, where teams from Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska are gathering to strengthen Farm to School and Farm to Early Care and Education efforts in their communities.

Farm to School is about much more than what's on the lunch tray. It helps children connect with where their food comes from through local food purchasing, school gardens, hands-on learning, cooking activities, and relationships with local farmers and food producers.

When schools and early care programs purchase local food, students gain access to fresh foods, farmers gain new market opportunities, and communities build stronger local food systems. From gardens and taste tests to farm field trips and classroom lessons, these experiences help children develop lifelong connections to healthy food and agriculture.

We're grateful to all of the educators, child care providers, farmers, and community partners working to grow the next generation's understanding of food, farming, and community.

Interested in the future of local food and rural communities? Join our email list to receive updates, stories, and opportunities from New Growth. Sign up for our email list at https://www.newgrowthmo.org/

06/04/2026

Wish you could get a little help from a lawyer - for free? Every business owner makes decisions that can have legal implications, whether you're signing contracts, hiring employees, choosing a business structure, or selling products and services.

Join SEED Law for a virtual, no-cost session designed to help business owners understand common legal issues, avoid costly mistakes, and make more informed decisions.

This Show-Me Network online training event will include understanding the pros and cons of different business structures (such as sole proprietorship, LLC, or corporation), how to protect yourself and your business, what to watch for in contracts, and other common legal issues business owners face.

Whether you're just starting out or have been in business for years, this workshop can help you better understand the legal side of running a business and know when to seek professional guidance.

📆 June 10, 2026
🕐 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. Central
💼 Virtual Workshop
📝 Register here: https://hub.catalyzerapp.com/public/events/startup-law-preparing-to-open-your-business-9-793

See more training events like this at https://showmenetwork.org/calendar/