Rural Investment Collaborative
Small towns, big opportunities™
The Rural Investment Collaborative™ seeks to improve economic investment in small towns and rural communities. We collaborate with rural hubs and funding sources to help communities develop project proposals and make access to funding easier.
The Richmond Fed's Rural Investment Collaborative™ is addressing a basic problem of supply and demand that keeps small towns from accessing available capital. On the demand side, rural regions have fewer people who can develop strong project proposals. On the supply side, some sources of funding are missing or are not well coordinated. By working together to address the supply and demand challenges, we are creating a future in which small towns and rural communities achieve economic resilience and prosperity.
Our Approach
The Rural Investment Collaborative™ is a community of practice that is working together to help small towns and rural communities thrive by improving their access to capital. The Collaborative convenes rural leaders and local community champions from South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia and Washington DC. to participate in shared learning and programming that facilitates improvements.
A signature focus of the Collaborative is to routinely provide training that can help more communities develop viable proposals. The Richmond Fed is partnering with rural hubs to make this happen. Simultaneously, we are working with national and regional funding organizations to help them increase the availability of and access to the funds needed to bring projects to life.
The Rural Investment Collaborative™ provides Community Investment Training to selected organizations from small towns and rural communities. The training assists participants with developing investment-ready proposals and connects them with potential capital providers.
The application period for the 2025 Community Investment Training cohort is now closed. Please check back here later for updates on the program.
Hear from a 2024 Community Investment Training participant below:
The Rural Investment Collaborative Team
The Rural Investment Collaborative Team is made up of a diverse group of leaders from across the Richmond Fed's region.
Our Rural Collaborative Efforts
Applications are now being accepted for the 2025 Community Investment Training program, a 16-week opportunity offered through the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond’s Rural Investment Collaborative.
* Richmond Fed staff do not participate in fundraising, selection of grantees or selection of communities receiving training or technical assistance.