Partners for Rural Impact

Funders make grants to help address community challenges like hunger, illiteracy and unemployment. But there are lots of ways to tackle those challenges. How do you decide which solution to put in your grant proposal?

That’s the question at the center of the next Rural Grants Workbench webinar, What’s Your "It"? Johna Rodgers, GPC, VP of Funding Infrastructure, will help you think through how to choose an approach — your "it" — that makes a compelling case for funders.

Whether you’re new to grant writing or an experienced grant professional, join us for practical guidance you can put to work in your next proposal.

📅 Wednesday, August 12
🕧 12:30 PM ET
🔗 Register: ruraltogether.circle.so/c/webinars/rural-grants-workbench-what-s-your-it

What's the best way to understand the progress a community is making?

A new article from ImpactAlpha argues that lasting, place-based change requires a different way of measuring success. Rather than focusing only on short-term outputs or individual programs, communities, funders and partners should look at the strength of local partnerships, the systems in place and the long-term conditions that help people and places thrive.

Place-based approaches recognize that every community is different. When local leaders, organizations and residents work toward a shared vision, and success is measured in ways that reflect that collective work, they are better positioned to create lasting opportunities for children, families and communities in communities across the country.

We are proud to have our Community Champions Strategy featured in the toolkit for place-based impact.

Read more: impactalpha.com/a-principled-approach-to-measurement-can-improve-place-based-impact-outcomes

A principled approach to measurement can improve place-based impact outcomes A new toolkit from NationSwell explores how to use impact measurement to enhance the impact of place based investments

📚 Registration is now open for the 2026 Rural Library Network eSummit!

Join rural library leaders, educators, advocates, partners and changemakers from across the country for this FREE virtual event on December 2, 2026, from 11:30 AM - 5:30 PM ET.

Rural libraries are more than places to borrow books. They are trusted community anchors that expand opportunity, strengthen partnerships and support thriving rural children, families and communities.

This year's eSummit is designed to equip you with practical ideas you can put into action right away. Explore proven program models, funding and grant opportunities, partnership strategies, advocacy resources and innovative approaches to challenges like digital inclusion, literacy, workforce development, community engagement and access to services.

Whether you're part of a one-person library or a larger system, you'll leave with new tools, new connections and renewed inspiration for your work, all while joining a growing national movement of rural leaders working together to strengthen opportunity in rural communities.

Registration is free. Reserve your spot today!

🔗 bit.ly/RLN2026

As the United States marks its 250th year, we have a chance to reflect on the promise of the American Dream and consider what it will take to ensure every child, family and community can thrive in the years ahead.

In a new collection of essays from the Harvard EdRedesign's By All Means Senior Fellows, leaders from across the country offer personal reflections on what the American Dream has meant in their own lives and work. Through stories shaped by lived experience, they explore both the promise of that ideal and the challenges that remain in making it a reality for future generations.

In her essay, Partners for Rural Impact President and CEO Dreama Gentry reminds us that all young people have dreams, but it is our responsibility to create a "nation where every young person gets to dream big."

Together, these essays reflect an ongoing conversation among rural and urban leaders who are learning from one another, challenging assumptions and shaping a shared vision for the future. The Harvard Education Redesign Lab creates the space for those conversations to happen.

Read the essays: https://edredesign.org/about/bam-senior-fellows/americas-250th-all-means-senior-fellows-essays

America's 250th: By All Means Senior Fellows' Essays The EdRedesign Lab serves as a catalyst advancing the cradle-to-career field by promoting cross-sector community-based systems of support and opportunity for all children, especially those affected by racism and poverty.

We're excited that PRI President and CEO Dreama Gentry will join leaders from across the country on July 16 at the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond's Catalyzing Capital Through Place-Based Investment convening. Dreama will speak on the Prosperity Starts with Place panel alongside Carol Naughton (Purpose Built Communities), Russell Booker (Spartanburg Academic Movement) and Sherri Chisholm (Leading On Opportunity).

The convening brings together business, civic and philanthropic leaders to explore how place-based investment strategies can help communities build stronger futures and expand economic opportunity.

We're proud to contribute a rural perspective to this important conversation and to highlight how locally rooted partnerships can help catalyze lasting change.

Learn more and register: web.cvent.com/event/295f5d9a-062a-4a3c-83f1-2c8e3ee751ee/summary

Where can I find grants?

It's one of the most common questions nonprofit organizations ask. But the key isn't just finding grants, it's finding the right grants for your organization.

Join us for the next session in the Rural Grants Workbench series, Finding Funding That Fits, where Johna Rodgers, GPC, VP of Funding Infrastructure, and Amanda Paveglio, GPC, Director of Development, will share practical tips and resources for identifying grant opportunities and evaluating whether they're a good fit for your organization.

Whether you're new to grant writing or have years of experience, you'll leave with strategies to help you pursue funding more effectively.

📅 Wednesday, July 8
🕧 12:30 PM ET
🔗 Register: ruraltogether.circle.so/c/webinars/rural-grants-workbench-finding-funding-that-fits

Every grant proposal starts with a need. But how you describe that need can make all the difference.

In the next session of the Rural Grants Workbench, Articulating Your Need, Johna and Amanda will share tips for describing your community's needs in ways that motivate funders to act. They'll also discuss common pitfalls that can make a need seem too vague, too narrow, or too "needy."

If you're looking to strengthen your grant proposals and make a more compelling case for support, you won't want to miss this session.

📅 Wednesday, June 10
🕧 12:30 PM ET
🔗 Register: ruraltogether.circle.so/c/webinars/rural-grants-workbench-articulating-your-need

As a member of the NationSwell Place-Based Collaborative, we’re proud to be a part of two new Place-Based Resources that will help increase visibility of incredible place-based work across the US and guide a community-led approach to measuring the impact of place-based initiatives.

The Place-Based Action Map shows where momentum is building, and who’s leading the work. Check out the work in Union County, SC, where The BlackRock Foundation and our partners are bridging the skills gap by strengthening the local pipeline from classrooms to careers and driving long-term socioeconomic change rooted in community leadership.

The Principled Approach Measurement Guide reveals the transformative power of putting community first when defining success and shows you what that looks like with practical case studies from leaders like the United Way of the Piedmont, Union County Schools and Spartanburg Academic Movement.

Explore the Action Map:
https://www.placebasedimpact.nationswell.com/action-map?utm_source=social&utm_medium=partner

Explore the Measurement Guide:
https://library.nationswell.com/the-principled-approach-place-based-toolkit?utm_source=social&utm_medium=partner

We’re proud to share the release of Building Evidence for an Emerging Field, a new white paper developed by Harvard Graduate School of Education’s EdRedesign in collaboration with Partners for Rural Impact, Purpose Built Communities, StriveTogether and the William Julius Wilson Institute at Harlem Children's Zone, alongside a national Place-based Partnerships Data and Evaluation Working Group.

The white paper reflects insights from leaders representing more than 100 place-based initiatives across 35+ states and explores an important question: how can cradle-to-career place-based partnerships better measure and demonstrate long-term impact for children, families and communities?

As communities across the country work to improve economic and social mobility, this resource outlines strategies to strengthen data practices, evaluation and evidence-building across the field, helping move promising work toward proven impact.

At PRI, we believe strong place-based partnerships, grounded in local context and powered by collaboration, can help ensure rural children and families have the support, connections and opportunities needed to thrive.

Read the white paper: edredesign.org/resources/building-evidence-emerging-field-white-paper-place-based-partnerships-data-and-evaluation

Building stronger grant strategies takes the right tools. And the right team!

At the 2026 Rural Summit, Johna Rodgers, GPC, VP of Funding Infrastructure, and Amanda Paveglio, GPC, Director of Development, showed up ready to help rural practitioners strengthen grant strategies and build practical proposal-writing skills to support thriving rural communities.

Join them on May 13 as they bring that work online and kick off the Rural Grants Workbench, in partnership with RuralTogether, with the first session in a free, monthly webinar series designed to help rural practitioners strengthen their approach to grant writing and funding.

In the first webinar, What Are Grants, Actually, Johna and Amanda will break down what grants are — and what they aren’t — while previewing what’s ahead in the series.

📅 Wednesday, May 13
🕧 12:30 PM ET
🔗 Register: ruraltogether.circle.so/c/webinars/rural-grants-workbench-what-are-grants-actually