For decades, people in rural communities have suffered from a lack of investment in our communities. This year and last year, we had two historic federal funding programs: The American Rescue Plan (ARP) and Infrastructure and Investment Jobs Act. These will help us get the care we need and rebuild our economy. But for local and state governments to take advantage of this opportunity, rural leaders and organizations will need to help determine how to spend these funds and also help implement programs.

The Blueprint for Rural Policy Action in the States includes policy priorities, example legislation, and the context for how these issues impact people in rural communities.

In The Daily Yonder, RDI Executive Director Sarah Jaynes writes about the growing diversity or rural leadership and calls for more progressives to invest in their future.

The Heartland Fund, Rural Democracy Initiative’s nonpartisan 501(c)(3) organization, is launching an ambitious Rural Climate Partnership to mobilize rural-led solutions to climate change. This new initiative will help create lasting jobs and build rural communities strong enough for young people to want to make homes there, shifting the narrative about climate in rural America to one of opportunity. 

When regressive forces sought to create anger over COVID protections and curriculum that acknowledges the history of racism, the Wisconsin Public Education Network (WPEN) responded by supporting communities and school districts across the state.