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 encompasses a broad mix of talents and tasks, such as:
- Business development
- Infrastructure improvements
- City planning
- Environmental concerns
- Social institutions
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.
Related Guides
Frequently Asked Questions
Tools
A-Z Index of U.S. Government Departments and Agencies
Web site
A-Z list of government offices and services used to locate such services and offices by state or local area. Website is also available in many other languages.
Brownfields and Land Revitalization: State & Tribal Response Programs Publications
Web site
Provides a variety of publications looking at the components of state and tribal brownfields and their response programs.
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.
Champions of Change
Web site
Features a person each week who is doing something in their community regarding education, innovations, or competition. Week 14 highlights Rural America.
Community Connections (ComCon)
Web site
Clearinghouse of housing and community development information, including publications, events and other resources.
Community Development Resource Guide
Web site
A reference document that contains key resources - grants, foundation and low interest loans - that may assist with your community's projects. Emphasis is on Nebraska but also includes information for other locations.
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 and curriculum to support community health and community development. Provides training and tools to help build skills on topics that include: cultural competence, community assessment, leadership, and advocacy.
Connecting Rural Communities
Web site
Provides guidance on how community leaders and stake holders can bring broadband to their communities and to help their organizations use digital technology to achieve goals and improve their social and economic well-being.
Cooperative Extension System Offices
Web site
Lists contact information for all USDA Cooperative Extension System Offices in the U.S., which provide practical and research-based information to agricultural producers, small business owners, youth, consumers, and others in rural areas and communities of all sizes.
Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service - State & National Partners
Web site
A directory of colleges and universities that comprise the nation's Land-Grant University System and who partner with the USDA Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service.
Economic Impact Analysis Tool
Web site
Generates summary reports showing how grant spending can benefit a local, rural economy. Reports can reflect past, current and future grant spending.
Energizing Entrepreneurs: E Stories
Web site
Features stories about successful entrepreneurs, entrepreneurial communities, organizations and/or initiatives.
Find a Community Action Agency
Web site
Search for a community action agency (CAA) by state and county. CAAs work in communities to end poverty.
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. Departments of Agriculture (USDA), Commerce, Education (FSA), Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Veterans Affairs (VA), and the Small Business Administration (SBA).
HHS.gov/Recovery
Web site
Provides information and resources on the programs invested in improving health and human services supported by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
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.
Insight Center for Community Economic Development (CCED)
Web site
Offers resources and information to help support the development of individuals and communities through research, plus legal and consulting services.
Local Community Action Agency Directory
Web site
A directory of local community action agencies (CAAs) developed by VirtualCAP.org that provides contact information by either state or agency name.
Main Street Project
Web site
Works to document the strengths and challenges facing people in increasingly diverse rural communities, give voice to their hopes and aspirations, and provide creative and practical tools to turn possibilities into realities.
National Association for State Community Services Programs: State Contacts
Web site
Provides contacts for state community services programs funded through the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) and the U.S. Department of Energy's Weatherization Assistance Program (DOE/WAP). Implements services including weatherization, energy assistance, child care, nutrition, employment, state energy programs, job training, and housing in urban, suburban and rural communities.
National Rural Transit Assistance Programs (RTAP)
Technical assistance
Serves as a federal-state-local partnership providing training and technical assistance products and services for distribution and replication by the states' rural transit agencies and operators. Website offers access to information and expertise, including a 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.
NIFA Regional Rural Development Centers (RRDC)
Web site
A component of USDA. Links and collaborates research and educational outreach of public universities with communities, entrepreneurs, families, and farmers. Comprised of four centers including North Central, Southern, Northeast, and Western.
Renew Rural America
Web site
Resources, news and information that rural residents can access and utilize in providing leadership to their communities' revitalization efforts.
Renewing the Countryside
Web site
Success stories about rural entrepreneurs and communities. Features stories of everyday people making a difference in their rural communities. Organized by state and topic.
RUPRI Center for Rural Entrepreneurship
Web site
Provides resources and training to help leaders and citizens in rural communities and regions across the U.S. embrace entrepreneurship as a core rural economic development strategy.
Rural & Small Libraries
Web site
Provides a variety of resources to support advocacy, sustainability and grantwriting for rural libraries including reports, training, and online discussion.
Rural Active Living Assessment (RALA) Tools
Web site
Offers the ability to assess the physical environment features and amenities, town characteristics, community programs, and policies that could potentially influence levels of physical activity among residents in rural communities.
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 Development Virtual Library
Web site
Contains resources to enhance development and asset-building strategies for rural communities and their residents.
Rural Development: Implementing the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act)
Web site
Describes grant and loan programs available through USDA Rural Development as part of the ARRA. Programs support community facilities, broadband initiatives, business and industry, and 502 home loans. Includes information on application procedures, eligibility requirements, and how to contact your State Rural Development Office.
Rural Futures Lab
Web site
Provides access to the products of the Rural Futures Lab, which aims to ensure a successful future for rural America through papers, profiles, and case studies focusing on food systems, renewable energy, entrepreneurship, disability, and health systems.
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.
Rural Renewal Monitor
Web site
Collects news articles about innovative rural development efforts, challenges faced by rural communities, and rural policy developments.
RuralTransportation.org
Web site
Designed to serve 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).
Small Towns, Big Ideas: Case Studies in Small Town Economic Community Development
Web site
Identifies and documents fifty small towns that were implementing successful or innovative approaches to community economic development. Includes a full report and a searchable database of case studies about planning and implementing economic development strategies in small towns with populations of fewer than 10,000 residents.
State Municipal League of Cities Directory
Web site
Lists all state municipal leagues and their contact information.
Transportation Toolbox for Rural Areas and Small Communities
Web site
A project through the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Transportation to address long term rural transportation needs by assisting public and private stakeholders in planning, developing, and improving rural areas and small communities.
USDA Recovery Act Information
Web site
A website that will allow people to learn about, share, and discuss American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funding in states and communities throughout the country.
USDA Rural Development Success Stories
Web site
Database of initiatives and projects made possible through USDA Rural Development funding.
USDA Rural Tour
Web site
Relays findings and comments from rural citizens on how to best rebuild and revitalize America as provided to federal officials while touring rural America.
USDA Service Centers
Web site
Provides contact information of the USDA Service Centers that are designed to be a single location in each state where customers can access the services provided by the Farm Service Agency, Natural Resources Conservation Service, and the Rural Development agencies.
VirtualCAP
Web site
Provides information and resources 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. Includes directory of local community action agencies by state or agency.
Funding
2012 Do Something Awards
This program honors and funds the efforts of dynamic leaders age 25 and under.
2012 MetLife Foundation Community-Police Partnership Awards
Recognizes innovative partnerships between community groups and police to promote neighborhood safety and revitalization.
Calvert Foundation Loan Program
Loans to community organizations that act as financial intermediaries, including loan funds, microfinance institutions, affordable housing developers and social enterprises.
Choice Neighborhood Implementation Grants
Choice Neighborhoods Implementation Grants support those communities that have undergone a comprehensive local planning process and are ready to implement their “Transformation Plan” to redevelop the neighborhood.
Community Development Transportation Lending Services (CDTLS, the Fund)
Provides loan funding to support transit services in rural areas.
Community Partners Small Grants Program
Funding to support community-based organizations in proven, effective research-to-practice, translation, education, outreach, and prevention-intervention activities.
Community Resource Group (CRG) Loan Fund
Loans to help small, rural communities and tribal nations, in select states, for water and wastewater projects.
Disney Friends for Change Grants
Offers young change-makers in the United States funding to help make a lasting, positive change in their communities and the world.
Do Something Disaster Grants
Grants to young people across the US and Canada with a project idea around the themes of disaster preparedness and emergency response.
Energy Audit and Renewable Energy Development Under the Rural Energy for America Program
Grants to provide energy audits and renewable energy development assistance for agricultural producers and rural small businesses.
Ethyl Grant Program
Funding for rural communities and schools.
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.
Jazz for Peace Empowerment Grant
Offers Empowerment Grants to a wide variety of communities and organizations.
Jenny's Heroes Community Grant Program
Grants to individuals who submit the best ideas for tangible, lasting community projects.
Kroger Company Foundation
Grants are made to feed the hungry, support breast cancer initiatives, provide disaster relief, and assist local grassroots organizations.
Midwest Assistance Program Revolving Loan Fund
Helps small communities and tribal nations jumpstart infrastructure, housing, technology, aging and economic development projects through low-cost, short-term loans.
National e-Commerce Extension Initiative: Program Implementation Mini-Grants
Funding to expand the adoption of e-commerce strategies by communities, small/micro businesses, and entrepreneurs across the country.
Otto Bremer Foundation Grants
Funding to help build healthy, vibrant communities.
Our Town Grants
Our Town supports creative placemaking projects that contribute toward the livability of communities and help transform them into lively, beautiful, and sustainable places with the arts at their core.
Renewable Energy Feasibility Studies Grants Under the Rural Energy for America Program
Funding to conduct feasibility studies for renewable energy systems for agriculture producers and rural small businesses.
RGK Foundation Grants
Grants that support projects in the broad areas of education, community, and medicine/health.
Ribbon of Hope Mini-Grants Program
Supports activities that establish or expand local programs in health, science, and education that serve identified needs of local communities.
Rural Business Enterprise Grant (RBEG)
Provides grants for the development of small and emerging rural businesses, distance learning networks, and employment related adult education programs.
Rural Microentrepreneur Assistance Program (RMAP)
Funding to provide direct loans, technical assistance grants, and technical assistance-only grants to microdevelopment organizations to support the development and ongoing success of rural microentrepreneurs and microenterprises.
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.
William T. Kemper Foundation Grants
Provides grants for education, health and human services, civic improvements, and the arts
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
2009 Report to the Secretary: Rural Health and Human Service Issues
Sponsoring organization: National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services
Report to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on issues related to rural America. Examines three key topics: workforce and community development, creating viable patient-centered medical homes, and serving at-risk children.
Date: 04 / 2009
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act: Working for Rural Communities
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Department of Agriculture
An overview of how Federal investments under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act) are helping rural communities across the United States win the future by out-innovating, out-educating, and out-building our global competition, as President Obama articulated in his 2011 State of the Union address.
Date: 02 / 2011
Art and Soul of the Community: How the Arts Transformed Starksboro, Vermont
Author(s): Paulette Beete
Sponsoring organization: National Endowment for the Arts
Discusses how a local rural initiative helped communities define aspects of their rural community such as the landscape or cultural heritage and use as a basis for planning decisions and community development.
Date: 2011
Baby Boom Migration and Its Impact on Rural America (Executive Summary)
Author(s): John Cromartie, Peter Nelson
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
An analysis of the migration shift of baby boomers that indicates a propensity to migrate to nonmetro counties as people reach their fifties and sixties and projects a shift in migration among boomers toward more isolated settings, especially those with high natural and urban amenities and lower housing costs.
Date: 08 / 2009
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
Breakthrough Performance: Ten Emerging Practices of Leading Intermediaries
Sponsoring organization: White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives
Highlights the outcomes from the Intermediary Summit held in February 2008. Presents ways in which grassroots faith-based and community organizations can collaborate to implement practices relevant to their communities.
Date: 06 / 2008
Burden of Poverty in Rural America
Author(s): Beth Landon
Sponsoring organization: American Public Human Services Association
Discusses how poverty impacts health. Identifies key rural economic development areas and how they may strengthen the health and wellness of rural communities.
Date: 10 / 2009
Case Studies on Transit and Livable Communities in Rural and Small Town America
Author(s): Sean Barry
Sponsoring organization: Transportation for America
Collection of 12 case studies providing examples of how small cities, towns and rural regions across the country are transforming themselves into more livable communities.
Date: 09 / 2010
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
Collaboration Is Key For Rural Challenges
Author(s): Jocelyn Richgels, Kristine Sande
Sponsoring organization: American Public Human Services Association
Discusses how collaborative efforts can help mitigate the significant challenges rural communities face when providing health and human services with fewer and different kinds of resources than their urban counterparts.
Journal citation: Policy & Practice
Date: 10 / 2009
Collective Leadership Framework: A Workbook for Cultivating and Sustaining Community Change
Sponsoring organization: W.K. Kellogg Foundation
Helps organizations use community-based collective leadership as a tool for making community change.
Date: 2007
Comments on the National Broadband Plan, Rural Internet and Broadband Policy Group
Sponsoring organization: Rural Policy Research Institute
Comments and recommendations on the National Broadband Plan from the Rural Internet and Broadband Policy Group - organizations dedicated to rural broadband and rural development.
Date: 06 / 2009
Community Services Block Grant: Annual Report, 2010
Author(s): Tabitha Beck, Payten Carroll, Natalya Lozovaya, Mark Schmeissing, Eric Stam
Sponsoring organization: National Association for State Community Services Programs
Reviews how the Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) funded network of state and local agencies helped individuals and families overcome economic insecurity in FY 2010.
Date: 08 / 2011
Community Services Block Grant: State Fact Sheets
Sponsoring organization: National Association for State Community Services Programs
Highlights the results and outcomes produced by the CSBG Network in fiscal year 2010.
Date: 08 / 2011
Community Strength and Economic Challenge: Civic Attitudes and Community Involvement in Rural America
Author(s): Michele Dillon, Justin R. Young
Sponsoring organization: Carsey Institute
Examines community engagement in different types of rural communities. Residents in rural areas that are rich in amenities report a positive outlook about their community strength and civic engagement; however, residents in chronically poor rural communities may have a more negative view.
Date: 06 / 2011
Compass for Understanding and Using American Community Survey Data: What Users of Data for Rural Areas Need to Know
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Census Bureau
An introduction to the American Community Survey for those who use rural social, economic, and housing data.
Date: 08 / 2009
Creative Solutions: North Carolina's HandMade in America
Author(s): Christy Crytzer Pierce
Sponsoring organization: National Endowment for the Arts
Showcases a new approach to economic development that focuses on the craft-arts industry as a major economic player in a rural region of North Carolina.
Date: 2011
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
Entrepreneurship Development in Rural America: Insights into Triple Bottom Line and Wealth Creation Impacts of Entrepreneurship Strategies
Author(s): Deborah Markley, Nancy Stark
Sponsoring organization: RUPRI Center for Rural Entrepreneurship
Addresses rural entrepreneurship as an economic development strategy for achieving positive outcomes in the community's economy, environment and civic livelihood.
Date: 02 / 2009
Estimating Potential Changes to USDA RD's Eligible Area Designations
Sponsoring organization: Housing Assistance Council
Discusses the potential impacts to the current
USDA‐RD eligible area designations that could result from statutory changes linked to
population figures from the 2010 Decennial Census.
Date: 09 / 2011
Facing the New Reality: Preparing Poor America for Harder Times Ahead
Sponsoring organization: Community Action Partnership
Discusses how the combined effects of resource depletion, climate change, and economic turmoil are expected to impact low income families, their rural and urban communities, and the organizations working with this population.
Date: 2011
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
FY 09 CSBG Highlights
Sponsoring organization: National Association for State Community Services Programs
Highlights from the 2009 fiscal year Community Services Block Grant Information System (CSBG IS) Survey. CSBG grants provide funding to eliminate conditions of poverty. Survey measures outcomes such as: gaining employment, building assets, and improving child development.
Date: 2009
Geographic Targeting Issues in the Delivery of Rural Development Assistance
Author(s): Richard Reeder, Fagir Bagi
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
Report uses analysis of the geographic distribution of Federal funding to discuss potential tradeoffs for distressed rural areas when shifting from one form of rural development assistance to another, particularly when shifting to greater use of government-guaranteed loans.
Journal citation: Amber Waves
Date: 04 / 2010
Grey Gold: Do Older In-Migrants Benefit Rural Communities?
Author(s): Nina Glasgow, David L. Brown
Sponsoring organization: Carsey Institute
Examines both the micro and macro aspects of rural retirement migration: the development and impact of rural retirement destinations; and the social and economic dynamics of older in-migration.
Date: 2008
Identifying Avenues to Build Community Strength
Sponsoring organization: Center for Rural Affairs
Describes seven strategies that can create a better future for rural communities and opportunity for its residents.
Date: 11 / 2009
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
Learning from Concentrated Poverty in America: A Synthesis of Themes from the Case Studies
Sponsoring organization: Federal Reserve System
A chapter from The Enduring Challenge of Concentrated Poverty in America that profiles 16 high-poverty communities from across the country, including immigrant gateway, Native American, urban, and rural communities. Highlights how place matters with multiple examples.
Date: 2008
Lessons & Concepts for Advancing Community Wind
Author(s): Morgan Winters, Ryan Stockwell, Dan Thiede
Sponsoring organization: Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services: Rural Community Health
Describes the concept and structure of "community wind" as well as the process involved in starting a wind energy program. Case studies explored include those in rural Minnesota and South Dakota.
Date: 12 / 2009
National Characteristics of Drinking Water Systems Serving 10,000 or Fewer People
Sponsoring organization: Environmental Protection Agency
Summarizes the characteristics of small drinking water systems serving 10,000 or fewer people and how these characteristics may impact their short-and long-term sustainability. Discusses infrastructure needs of small communities, financial stability, and compliances with regulations.
Date: 07 / 2011
No Place Like Home: Place and Community Identity Among North Country Youth
Author(s): Genevieve R. Coxan, Corinna Jenkins Tucker
Sponsoring organization: Carsey Institute
Explores the link between rural youths’ identification with their community, their self-esteem, and their future plans.
Date: 01 / 2011
Opportunities for Creating Livable Communities
Author(s): Mia R. Oberlink
Sponsoring organization: AARP Public Policy Institute
Provides a framework for understanding the most common barriers to implementing livable communities for older adults. Includes references to transportation barriers in rural communities.
Date: 2008
Parks, Playgrounds and Active Living
Sponsoring organization: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Summarizes the growing body of evidence concerning the role of urban and rural parks in shaping active lifestyles across a variety of study populations, including children, seniors, lower-income families, specific racial and ethnic groups and other populations at high risk of being inactive.
Date: 02 / 2010
Planning Complete Streets for an Aging America
Author(s): Jana Lynott, Jessica Haase, Kristin Nelson, et al.
Sponsoring organization: AARP Public Policy Institute
Reports on a study that encourages rural and urban transportation planners and decision makers to build upon the principles of Complete Streets to address the specific needs of older drivers and pedestrians. A Complete Street is safe, comfortable, and convenient for travel by automobile, foot, bicycle, and transit, regardless of age and ability.
Date: 05 / 2009
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
Poverty in Rural America
Sponsoring organization: Housing Assistance Council
An overview of rural poverty and income.
Date: 09 / 2011
Power of Trails for Promoting Physical Activity in Communities
Author(s): Philip J. Troped, Heather A. Whitcomb
Sponsoring organization: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Highlights findings about specific trail characteristics that appear to attract regular users and examines how trails influence physical activity among various populations. Includes evidence from two studies of adults living in rural Missouri.
Date: 01 / 2011
Preparing for the Future: A Guide to Community-Based Planning
Author(s): Gene Theodori
Sponsoring organization: Southern Rural Development Center
Describes the social and economic status of rural areas and offers a model for facilitating a community-based planning process.
Date: 05 / 2009
Putting Smart Growth to Work in Rural Communities
Author(s): Nadejda Mishkovsky, Matthew Dalbey, Stephanie Bertaina, Anna Read, Tad McGalliard
Sponsoring organization: International City/County Management Association
Report focuses on smart growth strategies that can help guide growth in rural areas while protecting natural and working lands and preserving the rural character of existing communities.
Date: 2010
Regional Approaches to Sustainable Development: Linking Economic, Transportation, and Environmental Infrastructure in Rural and Small Metropolitan America
Sponsoring organization: National Association of Development Organizations
Explores regional sustainable development initiatives in rural and small metropolitan America.
Date: 09 / 2011
Regionalism, Assets, and Entrepreneurship: The Future of Rural Economies
Author(s): Brian Dabson
Sponsoring organization: Rural Policy Research Institute
Discusses how rural people and places have an important role in applying resources that will lead to economic prosperity, environmental sustainability, and social equity for all Americans.
Date: 04 / 2009
Renewable Power Opportunities for Rural Communities
Author(s): Samuel V. Brown, David G. Nderitu, Paul V. Preckel, Douglas J. Gotham, Benjamin W. Allen
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Department of Agriculture
Summary and guide to assist rural utilities investing in a renewable electricity generation project and for policymakers considering how to encourage such investments.
Date: 04 / 2011
Rural Amenities
Sponsoring organization: USDA Economic Research Service
This brief identifies the appeal of rural landscapes, the importance of forest landscape preferences, and the role of scenic amenities in rural development and sustainability.
Date: 10 / 2009
Rural Connections: Climate Change Adaptations in the Rural West
Sponsoring organization: Western Rural Development Center
Journal issue includes articles that address climate change in the West and the adverse consequences that may and do occur because of the region’s severe water shortages. Climate change is expected to increase the frequency and severity of droughts, reduce mountain snowpack, and induce the need for food security adaptation plans.
Date: 06 / 2011
Rural Development and the Recovery Act: Working For Rural Communities
Sponsoring organization: USDA Rural Development
Reports on how the USDA Rural Development distribution of loan and grant funds provided to the agency through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 has helped the Nation's rural residents.
Date: 10 / 2010
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 Health and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Rural Health Provisions Booklet or Full Summary)
Sponsoring organization: National Rural Health Association
Summarizes the funding available for rural communities through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Full Summary includes a table of contents.
Date: 2009
Rural Renewal – As Near as Your Own Young People
Sponsoring organization: RUPRI Center for Rural Entrepreneurship
An executive summary of detailed surveys completed by high school and middle school youth in 39 rural communities in Nebraska, Missouri, and Kansas highlighting how broadly communities are missing out on their very best asset - youth.
Date: 2009
Small Towns Big Ideas: Case Studies in Small Town Community Economic Development (Report only)
Author(s): Will Lambe
Sponsoring organization: North Carolina Rural Economic Development Center
Identifies and documents fifty small towns that were implementing successful or innovative approaches to community economic development.
Date: 12 / 2008
Southern Rural Development Center: 2000 Annual Report: From Blueprint to Action
Sponsoring organization: Southern Rural Development Center
Discusses that the Southern Rural Development Center is one of four regional centers coordinating rural development research and extension education programs.
Date: 01 / 2010
Supporting Sustainable Rural Communities
Sponsoring organization: U.S. Department of Agriculture
Identifies how the federal government can help rural areas to be economically vibrant and environmentally sustainable.
Date: 2011
Sustainable Infrastructure for Small System Public Services: A Planning and Resource Guide
Author(s): Jay Mashburn, Olga Morales
Sponsoring organization: Rural Community Assistance Corporation
Guides very small (fewer than 1,000 connections) to medium communities (up to 5,000 connections) in integrating and initiating green elements into their facilities and projects. Includes informational material, worksheets, examples, case studies and resources on water
conservation, energy efficiency and renewable energy for small utilities.
Date: 11 / 2009
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
USDA Rural Development 2010 Progress Report
Sponsoring organization: USDA Rural Development
Reports on the investments - including funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Recovery Act) - made by USDA Rural Development intended to have a lasting, sustainable impact on rural American by supporting job creation, housing programs, broadband implementation, public utilities and economic activity.
Date: 03 / 2011
White House Rural Council: Feedback from Rural America
Sponsoring organization: White House
Overview of the challenges and the opportunities rural Americans have voiced during the White House Rural Council's visits to rural communities.
Date: 2011
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
Journals
Center for Rural Affairs Newsletter
Monthly publication that surveys national events affecting rural America.
Community Connections
Published quarterly, Community Connections reports on research, programs, and emerging issues affecting low and moderate-income and small business communities. As a regional headquarters of the central bank, the Kansas City Fed seeks to link the communities of the seven-state region to the work of the Federal Reserve, including Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Wyoming, and portions of western Missouri and northern New Mexico.
Main Street Economist
Each issue focuses on one economic topic facing rural America. Discusses major economic issues and opportunities for agriculture and rural America.
Online Journal of Rural Research and Policy
Publishes academic and community-based research, commentary, and policy articles focused on the Great Plains.
Rural Entrepreneurship News
Summarizes developments in the field of rural entrepreneurship.
Rural Voices
Covers rural housing and development topics, published quarterly.
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. Foundation is based in Nebraska.
Center for Rural Design (CRD)
Academic/Research
A multi-disciplinary research and design studio that helps communities find innovative solutions to problems in rural areas in Minnesota, the Midwest, and globally.
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
Nonprofit/Foundation
Mission is to develop a diverse group of public health leaders, foster and support leadership strategies, and influence policies and practices toward the reduction and elimination of disparities in health with the focus on neglected diseases and underserved populations, while giving priority to health promotion and disease prevention.
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
Works to generate jobs, retain existing jobs, and stimulate industrial and commercial growth in economically-distressed rural and urban areas of the United States. Part of the U.S. Department of Commerce.
Employment and Training Administration (DOLETA)
Federal government
Directs businesses, 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. Also includes support and resources for rural areas.
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.
Federal Reserve System's Community Affairs Program
Federal government
Engages in outreach, educational and technical assistance activities to help financial institutions, community-based organizations, government entities and the public understand and address financial services issues affecting low and moderate income persons and communities.
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).
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 Assembly
National organization
Through a series of activities and partnerships, they aim at building better policies and more opportunities that may help build a stronger, more vibrant and sustainable rural America.
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.
Partners for Rural America (PRA)
National organization
Serves as the national association of State Rural Development Councils (SRDC’s.) Operates in 37 states. Works to expand economic and social opportunities in rural communities, promote equal treatment by government agencies and the private sector, and provide a collective voice for rural America.
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 addressing America's housing needs, that improve and develop the Nation's communities, and enforce fair housing laws.
United Way Worldwide
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.
USDA Economic Research Service (USDA ERS)
Federal government
Provides economic analyses to support a competitive agricultural system, safe food supply, a healthy, well-nourished population,
harmony between agriculture and the environment, and enhanced quality of life for rural Americans.
USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA)
Federal government
Supports research, education, and extension programs in land-grant university systems. Collaborates with state, regional, and county extension offices regarding agriculture, the environment, human health and well-being, and communities.
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.
World Education
International organization
Works internationally in environmental education, community development, maternal and child health, school governance, integrated literacy, small enterprise development, HIV/AIDS education and prevention and care, and refugee training. Also works to strengthen literacy and adult basic education programs in the United States.
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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