Aspen Institute Community Strategies Group

For years, Rural Development Hubs have been strengthening rural regions, but the field itself has remained difficult to see. Our new Rural Development Hubs webpage helps make the field more visible. It brings together Aspen CSG's research on the Hub model, examples from across the country, and the first public map of Rural Development Hubs. The map is designed to help funders, policymakers, and community leaders: 🔹 Discover Rural Development Hubs across the country 🔹Learn how different regions put the model into practice 🔹Better understand the range of regional approaches to long-term community development This is the first version of a growing resource, and we'll continue expanding it as we learn alongside the field. Explore the map and learn how Rural Development Hubs are supporting regions across the country. https://lnkd.in/dMrfCvhr

This is what place-based strategy can look like. Aspen Institute Community Strategies Group just released a case study well worth your time:  Building Rural Capacity to Navigate Population and Economic Change. It explores how Rural Development Hubs and regional partners strengthen community capacity by backing local vision, building shared infrastructure, and aligning flexible capital. We’re especially thrilled to see Hazard, Kentucky featured as a real-world example of community capacity in practice. What’s happened there over the last five years is a story of sustained collaboration among local partners—including the Foundation for Appalachian Kentucky, Mountain Association, InVision Hazard, Housing Development Alliance, Invest Appalachia, and city leaders. The results speak for themselves: ✨ 75 new small businesses launched ✨ 250 local jobs created ✨ Expanded arts, culture, and local food enterprises rooted in regional traditions A big thank you to our own Baylen Campbell and the 27 other rural leaders across the country who shared their practitioner insights for this project. 👉 Read the full publication: Building Rural Capacity to Navigate Population and Economic Change https://lnkd.in/dUWKQ4ZQ

Large-scale investments can create new opportunities. Whether those opportunities strengthen community well-being over the long term depends on how development builds on the assets, relationships, and leadership already present in a place. As communities navigate new opportunities, our report offers practical guidance for ensuring new investments strengthen, rather than replace, existing assets. https://lnkd.in/eTs-PByz

What becomes possible when a national funder recognizes regional coordination as its own form of infrastructure? CoBank recently awarded $1.9 million in unrestricted grants to nine Rural Development Hubs. Aspen CSG worked with CoBank to help identify these organizations based on CoBank’s priority areas: 🔹 Appalachian Center for Economic Networks (ACEnet) 🔹 Center for Rural Affairs 🔹 Communities Unlimited 🔹 Kansas Health Foundation 🔹 Local First Arizona 🔹 Northern Forest Center 🔹 Rural Community Assistance Corporation (RCAC) 🔹 Rural Development Initiatives, Inc. 🔹 Southwest Initiative Foundation As Jenna Rowell of Local First Arizona put it: "It's really important to organizations like us when we can get flexible funding. You know—it needs to have impact, but it doesn't need to get extremely prescriptive on exactly how it can be spent or put a lot of restrictions on it." That flexibility is a hallmark of the Rural Development Hub model: trusting regional organizations to direct resources where they're needed most, rather than tying support to a single project or outcome. We look forward to learning more about the transformative impact these nine Hubs can have as they put flexible funding to work strengthening entrepreneurship, civic leadership, infrastructure, and rural health across their regions.

Preparing for major regional investment starts with understanding the questions to ask. The Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation's recorded Data Center Basics 101 series explores many of the questions communities ask as they prepare for major investment. Topics include: • How data centers operate • Water and energy demands • Policy and planning considerations • Tools communities can use to negotiate local benefits The series also features lessons and perspectives from rural communities that already host data centers, illustrating how different places have approached planning, decision-making, and implementation. Thank you Benya Kraus and team for these resources! https://lnkd.in/gv8wPe-E

Many of today's biggest challenges, from workforce and housing to infrastructure, innovation, and economic opportunity, are often discussed as national issues. This essay from Siegel Family Endowment offers a reminder that many of those conversations already have a rural dimension. It explores why rural perspectives matter across philanthropy, technology, and other sectors, and why place should be part of how we design and implement solutions. Thanks to Amanda A. and Kyla Kasharian for this thoughtful piece highlighting insights from rural leaders (including Aspen CSG's Bonita Robertson-Hardy). https://lnkd.in/gesaQ34s

As regions consider major investments, one question often follows: How can local priorities be reflected in development agreements? One tool is a community benefits agreement (CBA). When thoughtfully negotiated and implemented, CBAs can help address priorities such as workforce development, infrastructure improvements, environmental protections, and accountability. For those interested in learning more, these resources provide practical examples from across the country and offer useful context for preparing for major investment decisions: 🔹 The World Resources Institute's Community Benefits Frameworks Database, featuring examples of community benefit frameworks and agreements: https://lnkd.in/gJpk4jXU 🔹 The Economic Policy Institute's report on community benefits agreements, which explores how CBAs have been used, what they've accomplished, and the conditions that influence their effectiveness: https://lnkd.in/d5hbNsnZ

A map can do more than show where organizations are located. It can make an emerging field visible. Our new Rural Development Hubs map is the first public effort to highlight organizations that convene partners, align resources, coordinate strategy, and strengthen long-term regional capacity. As you explore the map, you'll see that there is no single blueprint for working as a Rural Development Hub. Each reflects the history, assets, and priorities of its region. The map will continue to evolve as additional Rural Development Hubs are identified and the field continues to grow. Explore the map and tell us what you'd like to see included as the resource grows. https://lnkd.in/dMrfCvhr

As large-scale investments expand across rural communities and Native nations, local leaders are asking a fundamental question: What produces balanced and accountable development? The need to answer that question is growing. According to Pew Research Center, 67% of planned US data centers are located in rural areas, and nearly four in ten are planned in counties that do not currently have one. Our latest blog draws on a conversation with Rural Development Hub leaders from across the country. While the discussion focused on data centers, the lessons apply to many forms of major community investment. Three lessons stood out: 🔹 Build capacity before decisions are made. Early engagement, transparent information, and access to independent technical expertise help regions evaluate opportunities before negotiations begin. 🔹 Preparation creates leverage. Communities that define their own conditions for success are better positioned to shape long-term outcomes. 🔹 Infrastructure ownership matters. Decisions about who owns critical infrastructure, and how its benefits are governed, can influence affordability, resilience, and local decision-making for decades. The blog also explores how Rural Development Hubs help convene partners, coordinate technical expertise, and strengthen regional capacity to navigate complex development decisions, whether opportunities emerge gradually or with little advance notice. How is your community preparing to navigate large-scale investment while maintaining local priorities and decision-making? https://lnkd.in/dzVGRaq3

What does it take to build trust in a time of polarization? In a new reflection, Katie Loudin of the West Virginia Community Development Hub shares lessons from the Aspen Institute's 2026 Trust in Practice Summit and reflects on how trust is built through relationships, local leadership, and shared ownership. The post also highlights the Hub's recent $1 million Trust in Practice Award, which will support partners across 18 flood-impacted Appalachian communities as they strengthen civic leadership and long-term resilience. The reflection reinforces a principle at the heart of Rural Development Hubs: trust is not a byproduct of community development. It is essential infrastructure for lasting regional prosperity. https://lnkd.in/eaaFpYps