Strategies for Funders: Community Colleges and Rural Development

MDC from 1994 through 2001 led a Ford Foundation-funded initiative to help 24 economically distressed sites across America tested a new concept in rural development.

The Rural Community College Initiative (RCCI) enhanced colleges’ capacity to equip people for productive, rewarding work while building their regions’ economic vitality.

A series of reports and videos documents the RCCI’s lessons and provides tools for community colleges, rural development practitioners, philanthropy, and state and federal policy makers.

This report  informs foundations and public agencies concerned with rural development about lessons from the RCCI experience. It highlights the potential for rural colleges to serve as catalysts for community renewal and offers insights about designing and managing effective rural development initiatives.