Related Guides on this Topic
You may also want to see this guide on a related topic: Economic Development
A recurring theme found in the literature proclaims that successful communities are built; they are not born. To ensure that a quality living environment exists in rural America along with stable economic opportunities, residents must be empowered to effect change within their communities. Therefore, community development must encompasses a broad mix of talents and tasks regarding business development, infrastructure improvements, city planning, environmental concerns and social institutions - to name a few. With the right tools and resources rural residents, working together, can create the difference between a sustainable, successful community versus one that is added to the list of dying towns across rural America.
Tools
Center for Community Leadership
Web site
Assists states, counties, cities, territories, Native American Tribes, and public and private organizations to successfully serve the needs of children and adults, especially those with disabilities, in their homes, schools and communities.
Community Action Links: Community Action Agencies and State Associations
Web site
Directory of Community Action Agencies (CAAs) that help low-income people and those living in poverty. Links to CAA web sites are provided for each state.
Community and Economic Development Toolbox
Web site
Provides tools to local community and economic development (CED) practitioners so they are more knowledgeable about basic CED issues and better equipped to assist in decision making and determining the future of their communities.
Community Connections (ComCon)
Web site
Clearinghouse of housing and community development information, including publications, events and other resources.
Community Investment Network
Web site
A national information resource for individuals and organizations interested in creating, rejuvenating and maintaining healthy communities in the United States and other countries.
Community Tool Box
Web site
Practical and detailed information to support community health and development. Includes tools to help build skills on topics like cultural competence, community assessment, leadership, advocacy and more.
eStrategy.gov
Web site
Develops, coordinates, and defines ways that electronic and information technology business strategies can assist the Office of Management and Budget, interagency committees and other federal agencies to enhance access and delivery of information and services to citizens, business partners, employees, agencies, and government entities.
Future of Small Towns Idea Generator
Web site
Online forum to suggest and discuss ideas for dealing with the challenges facing small towns. Ideas are arranged by topic, including telecommunications, economic development, transportation, and more.
GovLoans.gov
Web site
Single point of access for information about Federal loan programs from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Education, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, and U.S. Small Business Administration.
Housing and Community Development Organizations
Web site
Anotated list of housing and community development organizations with links.
IncludingAllKids.org
Web site
A Web Site for Youth Leadership Organizations. Assists youth organizations in actively engaging young people of all abilities. The site features examples from Boys and Girls Clubs of America, the National 4-H Council, National Wildlife Federation and Wilderness Inquiry, and all collaborators with Easter Seals on inclusion projects.
Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Tools for Schools
Web site
A comprehensive resource to help schools maintain a healthy environment in school buildings by identifying, correcting, and preventing indoor air quality problems.
Katrina Recovery
Web site
A cooperative initiative of the U.S. Government to provide disaster assistance for individuals in need from hurricane affected states. Contact information for federal and state agencies as well as private organizations is listed.
Managing Information with Rural America (MIRA)
Web site
Describes projects funded by the MIRA program to help rural communities choose appropriate uses of technology to address issues such as economic development, education, health, and leadership.
Measuring Community Success and Sustainability: An Interactive Workbook
Web site
Discusses community development outcomes and measurements.
National Rural Transit Assistance Programs (RTAP)
Technical assistance
A federal-state-local partnership that provides training and technical assistance products and services, that are developed nationally, for distribution and replication by the states to rural transit agencies and operators. A National Transit Resource Center is supported that offers access to information and expertise, including an online list of state Rural Transit Assistance Program (RTAP) contacts.
National Service-Learning Clearinghouse
Web site
A source of material on service-learning that includes: funding opportunities, hot topics, fact sheets, resources, tools, and information about upcoming conferences.
Philanthropy Index
Web site
Tool for measuring a rural community's potential for creating a charitable fund. Includes a step-by-step process, lists of resources, and examples of successful programs.
Resources for Rural and Small Library Communities
Web site
Reports, organizations and other resources to support rural library services.
Rural Development Strategies
Web site
Links to publications and tools from the USDA Economic Research Service that address rural development strategies. Covers infrastructure improvement, business assistance, education and training, amenity-based development, community development, and funding for local rural development strategy.
Rural People, Rural Policy
Web site
Lists publications and resources addressing rural policy issues and rural capacity building. Includes information on grants focused on rural issues.
RuralTransportation.org
Web site
Tool for rural transportation stakeholders, including local elected officials and regional development professionals. Includes links to publications and resources, examples of state models for rural transportation planning, and more. Produced by the National Association of Counties (NACo) and the National Association of Development Organizations (NADO).
State Brownfields and Voluntary Response Programs: An Update from the States
Web site
Explores the evolving landscape of state environmental, financial, and technical programs, including the incentives designed to promote brownfields cleanup and redevelopment. This tool looks at multiple components of state brownfields and voluntary response program(s), and provides a synopsis of each state's response program(s) and contact information. Appendix A provides a review of state program changes that resulted from the federal brownfields law and Appendix B provides a condensed state-by-state reference guide.
State Rural Development Council Success Story Database
Web site
Database of initiatives and projects conducted by State Rural Development Councils (SRDCs). Searchable by state, topic and organization.
Transportation Toolbox for Rural Areas and Small Communities
Web site
Designed to assist public and private stakeholders in planning, developing, and improving rural areas and small communities, especially through transportation and related projects. It is a project through the United States Department of Agriculture and the United States Department of Transportation to address long term rural transportation needs.
USA.gov: Locate In-Person Services
Web site
An online portal for U.S. citizens to locate services from the U.S. government.
VirtualCAP.org
Web site
A clearinghouse of information and material that can be used by Community Action Agencies and others to help low-income persons and families move toward self-sufficiency and to reduce poverty in communities across the United States.
Funding
Calvert Foundation Loan Program
Loans to community organizations that act as financial intermediaries, including loan funds, microfinance institutions, affordable housing developers and social enterprises.
Community Development Transportation Lending Services (CTAA)
Provides loan funding to support transit services in rural areas.
Community Economic Development Program Operational Projects
Grants to provide technical and financial assistance for community economic development activities designed to address the economic needs of low-income individuals and families through the creation of employment and business opportunities.
Do Something Plum Youth Grants
Funding for sustainable community action projects, programs or organizations.
Environmental Justice Small Grants Program
Funding to support and empower communities that are working on local solutions to local environmental and/or public health issues.
Ethyl Grant Program
Funding for rural communities and schools.
FedEx Social Responsibility Program
Core giving areas are emergency and disaster relief, pedestrian and child safety, education, and health and human services.
Game Stop Youth Grants
Grants to potential community leaders age 25 and under who identify problems and make changes in their communities.
HOPE VI Revitalization Grants Program
Grants to assist public housing authorities (PHAs) to build sustainable communities by improving the living environment for public housing residents, revitalize housing sites, and provide housing.
HUD State Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program
Funding for revitalizing neighborhoods, expanding housing, improving community facilities and services, acquiring property such as land and buildings, and improvements to property.
Indiana Community Improvement/Development Grants
Grants which are used to support the funding of specific capital projects in the areas of arts and culture, education, and health and welfare.
Kroger Company Foundation
Capital campaigns, start up grants, and funding for special projects. Focuses only on areas where company has operations.
Laura Jane Musser Fund: Rural Initiative Program
Fund hopes to fund projects where citizens work together towards improving their rural communities.
Midwest Assistance Program Loan Fund
Provides low-cost, short and intermediate term loans for community water and wastewater projects through its Community Revolving Loan Fund.
Readers Digest Make it Matter Program
The Foundation will give away $1 million to nonprofit organizations based on inspiring stories submitted by the public.
RGK Foundation Grants
Grants that support projects in the broad areas of education, community, and medicine/health.
Rural Economic Development Loan and Grant Program
Loans and grants are to assist in economically developing rural areas.
USDA Community Facilities Loan and Grant Program
Funding to construct, enlarge, or improve essential community facilities for health care, public safety, and public services in rural areas.
Inactive Funding
Inactive Funding Opportunities -
Lists additional funding programs for this topic that are not currently accepting applications. Programs that are inactive may be offered again in the future.
Regulations, Forms & Other Useful Documents
Arts, Culture, and Design in Rural North Carolina
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Economic Development Center
Report suggests that rural areas may be overlooking an opportunity for economic growth centered on creative and cultural assets. Focuses on three case studies involving four North Carolina counties.
Date: 04 / 2007
Asset Building and Availability of Credit in Rural Communities
Author(s): Jon Bailey
Sponsoring organization: Center for Rural Affairs
Discusses the role of asset building, through home ownership, business ownership, or enhanced education, as a method for community development. Describes the lack of financial services and credit availability in rural areas, and how this can negatively impact asset building.
Journal citation: Center for Rural Affairs Newsletter
Date: 12 / 2004
Blueprint for Action: Developing Livable Communities for All Ages
Sponsoring organization: MetLife Foundation
A guide providing communities with detailed procedures and practical solutions in the areas of housing, planning and zoning, transportation, health and supportive services, public safety and civic engagement.
Date: 2007
Blueprint for the Rural South
Author(s): Lionel J. Beaulieu
Sponsoring organization: Southern Rural Development Center
Describes the goals to strengthen the capacity of the region’s 29 land-grant institutions to address critical contemporary rural development issues impacting the well-being of people and communities in the rural South.
Date: 07 / 2007
Building Better Rural Places: Federal Programs for Sustainable Agriculture, Forestry, Conservation and Community Development
Author(s): Margaret Krome, Susan LeVan, David Zodrow
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Department of Agriculture
Directory of federal programs for sustainable agriculture, forestry, conservation and community development. Includes a description of each program, eligibility and contact information.
Date: 08 / 2004
Building Better: A Guide to America's Best New Development Projects
Sponsoring organization: Sierra Club Foundation
Highlights a variety of development projects nationwide because of their ability to offer transportation choices, revitalize neighborhoods and preserve local values.
Date: 10 / 2005
Catalytic Community Development
Sponsoring organization: Rural Sociological Society
Presents a new "catalytic" model of community development that changes traditional roles of developers in order to more effectively involve rural communities in development efforts. The brief includes six specific characteristics of catalytic development in addition to policy actions needed for its success.
Date: 01 / 2006
CDBG Works for Rural Communities
Sponsoring organization: Housing Assistance Council
A special issue that focuses on the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG). State, county, and local community development practitioners share their stories of how the CDBG program has worked for their communities.
Journal citation: Rural Voices Volume 11 Issue 01
Date: 2006
Collaborations to Enhance Community and Population Well-Being
Sponsoring organization: National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services
Chapter from the 2005 Report to the Secretary: Rural Health and Human Services Issues. Discusses ways the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services can support collaborations among community organizations and local rural leaders to improve the well-being of rural communities and residents. Includes examples of successful rural collaborations.
Date: 04 / 2005
Connecting Rural Communities: Volunteering and Neighboring
Author(s): Mary Conley
Sponsoring organization: Points of Light Foundation
A monograph on the nature and practice of volunteering in rural America. Includes some of the effective strategies and solutions to address local needs and connect families to critical resources.
Date: 2005
Demystifying the Rehabilitation Act: What Faith-Based and Community Organizations Need to Know About Using Federal Financial Assistance to Serve People with Disabilities
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Department of Labor
Provides information for faith-based and community organizations that received financial assistance to serve people with disabilities from the United State Department of Labor. Includes a list of national resources that can help organizations deliver services to people with disabilities.
Date: 2008
E-Government and Democracy: Representation and Citizen Engagement in the Information Age
Author(s): Steven Clift
Comprehensive overview of the democratic outcomes that can be sought by government and civil society, in order to deepen and enhance participatory democracy online.
Date: 2004
Economic Gardening: Growing Your Own Business
Sponsoring organization: Rural Policy Research Institute
Identifies how successful economic development depends on economic competitiveness,
diversification of our economies and the quality of jobs being created.
Date: 11 / 2005
Effective Rural Governance: What Is It? Does It Matter?
Author(s): Nancy Stark
Sponsoring organization: Rural Policy Research Institute
Defines effective governance and lists eight key principles of effective rural governance. Includes examples of rural governance efforts that address these principles.
Date: 2005
Energizing Rural Entrepreneurs Energizing Our Community's Development
Sponsoring organization: Rural Policy Research Institute
Discusses how successful economic development still depends on business investment, job creation and tax base expansion.
Date: 11 / 2005
Financing Brownfield Redevelopment in Small Towns and Rural Areas: Helpful Hints and Examples
Author(s): Charles Bartsch, Barbara Wells
Highlights how some rural communities have developed successful ways to finance the redevelopment and reuse of brownfield sites.
Date: 04 / 2006
Implementing A New USDA Rural Development Program Targeting Small Rural Hospitals and Their Communities: Recommendations of the RUPRI Health Panel
Author(s): Andrew F. Coburn, A. Clinton MacKinney, Timothy D. McBride, Keith J. Mueller, Rebecca T. Slifkin, Mary K. Wakefield
Sponsoring organization: RUPRI Center for Rural Health Policy Analysis
Lists recommendations for implementing a new USDA
Rural Development program, included in the Senate Farm Bill proposal, should it be enacted into law. The goal of this program is to strengthen rural health care delivery systems, to provide necessary health care services to rural residents in a cost-effective manner.
Date: 03 / 2008
Integrating the Needs of Immigrant Workers and Rural Communities Part 1: Immigrants and the Community
Author(s): Max J. Pfeffer, Pilar A. Parra
Sponsoring organization: Rural New York Initiative
Overview of immigrants' experiences in rural New York communities. Describes the increase in immigrant population in rural areas, and the needs and opportunities they bring to communities.
Date: 11 / 2004
Long-Term Impacts of Retiree In-Migration on Rural Areas: A Case Study of Cumberland County, Tennessee
Sponsoring organization: University of Tennessee Institute for Public Service
A summary of a report commissioned by the Institute for Public Service to inform state, local, and regional officials, and other interested individuals about the various impacts of a substantial influx of in-migrant retirees (IMRs) on a rural community.
Date: 01 / 2007
Maximizing Program Services Through Private Sector Partnerships and Relationships: A Guide for Faith and Community-Based Service Providers
Sponsoring organization: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
Provides faith and community-based organizations specific, practical guidance about the aspects of engaging corporate givers and foundation grantmakers.
Date: 02 / 2006
Moving Home: Manufactured Housing in Rural America
Sponsoring organization: Housing Assistance Council
A data review of rural manufactured housing units, residents, and related issues. Includes short pieces written by local rural housing providers, national organizations, and a representative of the manufactured housing industry, highlights some of the pros and cons of using these structures to provide affordable, sustainable homeownership.
Date: 11 / 2005
Partnership for Working Toward Inclusive Communities
Sponsoring organization: National League of Cities
Offers for communities ideas for creating connections, encouraging dialogue, celebrating different cultures, involving youth and the media, and focusing on city employees and policies. The Neighborhood Alliance Program in Owensboro, Kentucky, Youth in Government/Youth in Action in Hampton, Virginia, and the Unity Project in Clarksburg, West Virginia are among the Southern programs highlighted.
Date: 02 / 2006
Planning for the Future: A Handbook on Community Visioning
Sponsoring organization: Center for Rural Pennsylvania
Helps communities to conduct community planning and community development. Includes a list of recommended readings and resources that can be used to help implement different parts of a community vision.
Date: 2006
Power of Rural Philanthropy
Author(s): Alan McGregor, Bethany Chaney
Sponsoring organization: Southern Rural Development Initiative
Discusses the power of homegrown rural philanthropy. While noting that a recent study showed two-thirds of rural counties with fewer than $1 million in philanthropic assets, the report points with optimism to a growing base of homegrown assets and provides examples of successful efforts. The report concludes with recommendations and resources for building philanthropic assets in rural areas.
Date: 2005
Recreation, Tourism, and Rural Well-Being
Author(s): Richard J. Reeder, Dennis M. Brown
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
Assesses the effect of recreation and tourism development on socioeconomic conditions in rural recreation counties. The findings imply that recreation and tourism development contributes to rural well-being, increasing local employment, wage levels, and income, reducing poverty, and improving education and health.
Date: 08 / 2005
Rural Development: Community Development Technical Assistance Handbook
Sponsoring organization: USDA Rural Development
Provides information and guidance concerning the community development technical assistance process and the delivery of these services to Rural Development clients.
Date: 11 / 2005
Rural Development: Executive Summary, July 2006
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Department of Agriculture
Describes the current state of rural development, discusses and evaluates current key rural development programs available to communities and individuals through the USDA, and concludes with a discussion of general policy alternatives.
Date: 07 / 2006
Rural Development: July 2006
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Department of Agriculture
This paper describes the current state of rural development, discusses and evaluates current key rural development programs available to communities and individuals through the Department of Agriculture (USDA), and concludes with a discussion of general policy alternatives.
Date: 07 / 2006
Solutions for America: Inventing Civic Solutions
Sponsoring organization: Pew Partnership for Civic Change
A how-to guide on launching and sustaining successful community programs in rural America.
Date: 2005
Standing Together: An Emergency Planning Guide for America's Communities
Sponsoring organization: Joint Commission
A guide for small, rural and suburban communities to both prepare for and successfully respond to major local and regional emergencies - whether they be hurricanes, floods, terrorist attacks, major infectious outbreaks, hazardous materials spills, or other catastrophic occurrences.
Date: 2005
Sustainable Communities for All Ages: A Viable Futures Toolkit
Sponsoring organization: Blue Moon Fund
Aimed at designing solutions to meet the needs of older generations that will also meet the needs of younger generations. Examples from around the country include developing new school curricula that encourage young people to go into health care fields, designing walkable communities that improve the health of all generations, and having after school programs share sites with senior centers. A user guide complements the toolkit.
Date: 2007
Theories of Poverty and Antipoverty Programs in Community Development
Author(s): Ted Bradshaw
Sponsoring organization: RUPRI Rural Poverty Research Center
Reviews five theories of poverty
and discusses how each will lead to different antipoverty strategies.
Journal citation: Volume 3 Issue 4 Pages: 10-12
Date: 2006
They Paved Paradise...Gentrification in Rural Communities
Sponsoring organization: Housing Assistance Council
Reports on a study of three counties that illustrated common scenarios for rural gentrification - defined as the process by which higher-income households displace lower-income residents, changing the essential character of the community.
Date: 02 / 2005
Turning Around Downtown: Twelve Steps to Revitalization
Author(s): Christopher B. Leinberger
Sponsoring organization: Brookings Institution
This paper lays out the fundamentals of a downtown turnaround plan and the unique "private/public" partnership
required to succeed. Beginning with visioning and strategic planning to the reemergence of
an office market at the end stages, these 12 steps form a template for returning "walkable
urbanity" downtown.
Date: 03 / 2005
Turning Bases Into Great Places: New Life for Closed Military Facilities
Author(s): Mary Kay Bailey, Rosemary Monahan, Ilana Preuss, Aimee Storm, Megan Susman
Sponsoring organization: Environmental Protection Agency
Provides advice to communities near military bases that are closing to reducing operations. It notes that many of the most successful military-base redevelopment projects share several important traits, including: 1) planning for redevelopment early; 2) keeping the public involved throughout the redevelopment process; and 3) using the base's location, infrastructure, historic buildings and environmentally sensitive lands to the best advantage. The use of smart growth principles in base redevelopment is emphasized.
Date: 01 / 2006
Turning Challenges into Opportunities: Housing and Community Development Strategies in Rural Population Loss Counties
Author(s): Mark Kudlowitz, Lance George
Sponsoring organization: Housing Assistance Council
Rural communities that are experiencing population loss are engaged in community development and community marketing strategies to serve the needs of the remaining population, revitalize communities, and encourage in-migration. This report illustrates strategies used in Great Plains states and highlights some communities and organizations that have been successful.
Date: 03 / 2007
Unlocking Brownfields: Keys to Community Revitalization
Sponsoring organization: National Association of Local Government Environmental Professionals
Describes brownfield development, the reuse of abandoned industrial properties, as a tool for community revitalization. Discusses issues rural communities face related to brownfield development. Includes profiles of over 50 successful brownfield projects and programs.
Date: 09 / 2004
View from Washington: The State Community Development Block Grant Turns 25
Author(s): Steve Johnson
Sponsoring organization: Housing Assistance Council
The Department of Housing and Urban Development reflects back on the last 25 years since the creation of the State Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program.
Journal citation: Rural Voices Volume 11 Issue 01 Pages: 3-5
Date: 2006
Why Some Rural Communities Prosper While Others Do Not
Author(s): A. M. Isserman, E.Feser, D. Warren
Sponsoring organization: USDA Rural Development
Focuses on rural prosperity that occurs in some communities to provide answers and insights on the rural condition and rural policy.
Date: 05 / 2007
Youth VOICES in Community Design Handbook
Sponsoring organization: California Center for Civic Participation and Youth Development
Describes how communities can involve youth in local policymaking and community planning. Discusses the benefits of youth involvement, recruitment methods, and training. Includes examples of successful programs from Idaho, Virginia, Maryland and other states.
Date: 2004
Organizations
American Public Human Services Association (APHSA)
National organization
Works to educate members of Congress, the media, and the broader public on what is happening in the states regarding welfare, child welfare, health care reform, and other issues involving families and the elderly.
American Public Works Association (APWA)
National organization
An international educational and professional association of public agencies, private sector companies, and individuals dedicated to providing high quality public works goods and services.
Case Foundation
National organization
Mission is to achieve sustainable solutions to complex social problems by investing in collaboration, leadership, and entrepreneurship.
Center for Digital Government
National organization
A national research and advisory institute on information technology polices and best practices in state and local government.
Center for Rural Affairs (CRA)
Nonprofit/Foundation
Works to strengthen small businesses, family farms and ranches, and rural communities throughout the nation.
Center for Technology in Government
Academic/Research
Works with government to develop information strategies that foster innovation and enhance the quality and coordination of public services.
Community Action Partnership (CAP)
National organization
National organization representing the interests of the 1,000 Community Action Agencies (CAAs) working to fight poverty at the local level.
Community Development Society (CDS)
National organization
Provides leadership to professionals and citizens across the spectrum of community development.
Community Leadership Association (CLA)
National organization
Enhances the capacity of community leadership programs to strengthen and serve their communities by offering resources, information, and a national discussion of leadership issues.
Community Voices: HealthCare for the Underserved
Nonprofit/Foundation
Works to make health care available to all, through work at eight sites throughout the country. Helps ensure the survival of safety-net providers and strengthens community support services.
Council of State Community Development Agencies (COSCDA)
National organization
Supports the common interest and goals of states, with major emphasis on community development, affordable housing, local economic development and state-local relations.
E-governance Institute
Academic/Research
Explores how the internet and other information technologies (IT) impact the productivity and performance of the public sector and how e-government fosters new and deeper citizen involvement within the governing process.
Economic Development Administration (EDA)
Federal government
EDA assistance is available to rural and urban areas of the Nation experiencing high unemployment, low income, or other severe economic distress. Established to generate jobs, help retain existing jobs, and stimulate industrial and commercial growth in economically-distressed areas of the United States.
Part of the U.S. Department of Commerce.
Employment and Training Administration (DOLETA)
Federal government
Directs business, adults, youth, dislocated workers, and workforce professionals to training and employment services. Administers federal government job training and worker dislocation programs, federal grants to states for public employment service programs, and unemployment insurance benefits.
Heartland Center for Leadership Development
Nonprofit/Foundation
Works to develop local leadership that responds to the challenges of the future. Focused on practical resources and public policies for rural community survival. Provides training and services in leadership, community development, strategic planning, evaluation, and energizing entrepreneurship.
Insight: Center for Community and Economic Development (CCED)
National organization
A national research, consulting, and legal organization dedicated to building economic health in vulnerable communities. Develops and promotes solutions that help people and communities become economically secure.
Institute for Rural Journalism & Community Issues (IRJCI)
National organization
A multi-disciplinary, multi-institutional, multi-state effort, based at the University of Kentucky to help non-metropolitan journalists define the public agenda for their communities, grasp the local impact of regional and national issues, and interpret rural issues for national media.
Local Government Environmental Assistance Network (LGEAN)
National organization
A "first-stop shop" providing environmental management, planning, funding, and regulatory information for local government elected and appointed officials, managers and staff. Manages a toll-free telephone service (877/865-4326).
Mid-South Delta Initiative (MSDI)
Nonprofit/Foundation
The Mid South Delta Initiative (MSDI) is a long-term economic, community and leadership development effort focused on 55 contiguous counties and parishes along the Mississippi River in rural Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi.
National Association for County and Community Development (NACCED)
National organization
National organization composed of county government agencies that administer community development, economic development, and affordable housing programs.
National Association for State Community Services Programs (NASCSP)
National organization
Works to assist states in responding to poverty issues. Provides training and technical assistance to state and local CSBG and WAP staff. NASCSP members are state administrators of the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) and the U.S. Department of Energy's Weatherization Assistance Program (DOE/WAP).
National Association of Community Development Extension Professionals (NACDEP)
National organization
Works to improve the visibility, coordination, professional status and resource base of community and economic development extension programs and professionals.
National Association of Development Organizations (NADO)
National organization
Advocates for a regional approach to community, economic and rural development. Provides a network for its members to share ideas and innovations.
National Center for Rural Health Works
National organization
Develops tools for local residents to measure the economic impact of their health care system and to identify new health care services needed by their community. Provides training workshops and technical assistance to help clients understand and use these tools.
National Community Action Foundation (NCAF)
National organization
Advocates for the nation's Community Action Agencies and the low-income Americans they serve.
National League of Cities (NLC)
National organization
The National League of Cities is the oldest and largest national organization representing municipal governments throughout the United States. Its mission is to strengthen and promote cities as centers of opportunity, leadership, and governance.
National Rural Water Association (NRWA)
National organization
The National Rural Water Association is a non-profit federation of State Rural Water Associations. Their mission is to provide support services to our State Associations who have more than 22,000 water and wastewater systems as members.
Office of Community Services (OCS)
Federal government
Works in partnership with states, communities, and other agencies to provide a range of human and economic development services and activities in order to reduce the causes and the characteristics of poverty and to assist persons in need.
Regional, Public and Community Affairs Division, Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City
Federal government
Studies the factors underlying growth and development in the regional economy, spanning rural, suburban, and urban places. Formerly named the Center for the Study of Rural America. Part of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City.
Rural Community Assistance Partnership (RCAP)
Nonprofit/Foundation
Provides technical assistance services and training related to rural solid waste programs, housing, economic development, comprehensive community assessment and planning, and environmental regulations.
Rural Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC)
Nonprofit/Foundation
Provides grants, loans and equity investments to community development corporations (CDCs) for neighborhood redevelopment.
Small Community Water Infrastructure Exchange (SCWIE)
National organization
A network of water funding officials, both public and non-profit environmental funding and technical assistance officials under the auspices of the Council of Infrastructure Financing Authorities (CIFA). Posted on the website are the names, telephone numbers and e-mail addresses for all the key small community contacts in each state.
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
Federal government
Responsible for national policy and programs that address America's housing needs, that improve and develop the Nation's communities, and enforce fair housing laws.
United Way of America
Nonprofit/Foundation
Works to improve people's lives by mobilizing the caring power of communities. Includes contact information and links for local United Way organizations.
United Way y la Comunidad Latina
Nonprofit/Foundation
La misión de United Way es mejorar la calidad de vida por medio de la movilización de la capacidad humanitaria y caritativa de las comunidades.
USDA Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES)
Federal government
Advances knowledge for agriculture, the environment, human health and well-being, and communities through national program leadership and federal assistance.
USDA Economic Research Service (USDA ERS)
Federal government
Provides economic analyses to support a competitive agricultural system, a safe food supply, a healthy, well-nourished population,
harmony between agriculture and the environment, and enhanced quality of life for rural Americans.
USDA Rural Development
Federal government
Helps improve the economy and quality of life in all of rural America through programs that support essential public facilities and services, encourage economic development and offer technical assistance and information.
USDA Rural Development's Office of Community Development
Federal government
Promotes self-sustaining, long-term economic and community development in areas of pervasive poverty, unemployment, and general distress.
Utility Wind Interest Group (UWIG)
Nonprofit/Foundation
A non-profit corporation whose mission is to accelerate the appropriate integration of wind power into the electric system through the coordinated efforts and actions of its members, in collaboration with wind industry stakeholders, including federal agencies, trade associations, and industry research organizations. Membership is open to utilities and other entities that have an interest in wind generation.
Terms & Acronyms
Block Grants Grants administered by the federal government to provide states with funding for a particular purpose, for example the delivery of maternal and child health services.
Brownfield Abandoned, idled, or underused industrial or commercial facilities where expansion or redevelopment is complicated by environmental contamination or the fear of such contamination.
Capacity building Efforts to develop human skills or society infrastructures with a community or organization.
Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) provides funding through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development that enables state and local governments to target their own economic development priorities. Although the rehabilitation of affordable housing has traditionally been the largest single use of the grants, the program is also an increasingly important catalyst for economic development activities that expand job and business opportunities for lower income families and neighborhoods.
Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) A federal anti-poverty block grant available through the Office of Community Services, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, (DHHS). It provides a range of services and activities to assist low-income individuals and families to promote self-sufficiency, family stability and community revitalization.
Community-Based Services Services, such as meals on wheels and adult day care, designed to help people remain independent and in their own homes.
E-Government (E-Gov) An abbreviated term to represent electronic government which uses improved Internet-based technology to make it easy for citizens and businesses to interact with the government, save taxpayer dollars, and streamline citizen-to-government communications.
Gentrification The process by which higher-income households displace lower-income residents, changing the essential character of the community.
Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP) A program funded by the Department of Energy that reduces heating and cooling costs for low-income families, particularly for the elderly, people with disabilities, and children, by improving the energy efficiency of their homes while ensuring their health and safety.
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