Partners for Rural Impact

Partners for Rural Impact Accelerating educational outcomes in rural places from cradle to career 🎓

As a member of the NationSwell Place-Based Collaborative, we’re proud to be a part of two new Place-Based Resources that...
05/28/2026

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 Grad...
05/19/2026

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, GP...
05/08/2026

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

05/04/2026

Grants can open doors in rural communities, but getting started isn’t always easy.

Meet Jess, a nonprofit staff member trying to navigate the grant process and bring more resources to her community. If that sounds familiar, the Rural Grants Workbench, hosted in partnership with RuralTogether, is for you.

Join us as we kick off a free, monthly webinar series designed to help rural practitioners build practical grant skills, strengthen strategy and pursue funding with confidence.

In our first session, Johna Rodgers, GPC, VP of Funding Infrastructure, and Amanda Paveglio, GPC, Director of Development, 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

We’re proud to share that PRI President and CEO Dreama Gentry will be speaking at the 2026 National Summit on Youth Well...
05/01/2026

We’re proud to share that PRI President and CEO Dreama Gentry will be speaking at the 2026 National Summit on Youth Well-Being, hosted by Indiana Youth Institute on May 5.

She’ll lead Aligning Systems for Youth Success: Lessons from Rural Appalachia, exploring how rural communities align education, health, workforce and community partners to better support young people, and what others can learn from these efforts.

The Summit on Youth Well-Being emphasizes real-world applications—practical tools and strategies youth-serving professionals can use immediately to support youth, families and communities.

Register for just $20: https://bit.ly/4bVnoKy

We hope to see you there for a day of learning and collaboration.

Grants can be transformative in a rural community, but they're not "free money" — they take work to secure and manage. I...
04/27/2026

Grants can be transformative in a rural community, but they're not "free money" — they take work to secure and manage.

In this session, PRI's Johna Rodgers, GPC, VP of Funding Infrastructure, and Amanda Paveglio, GPC, Director of Development, will launch the monthly Rural Grants Workbench series with a discussion of what grants are — and are not. They'll also preview future RGW webinar topics for you and other rural folks looking to bring more grant funding to their communities.

We look forward to seeing you there!

📅 Wednesday, May 13
🕧 12:30 PM ET
🔗 Register: https://ow.ly/5s8b50YPw6k

As we reflect on the 2026 Rural Summit, we’re grateful for the time, ideas and energy that shaped our experience in Buff...
04/23/2026

As we reflect on the 2026 Rural Summit, we’re grateful for the time, ideas and energy that shaped our experience in Buffalo last week.

Rural leaders and partners came together to share insights, experiences and a deep commitment to rural people, places and each other. What stood out most was a sense of togetherness. Not just being in the same space, but building something shared across communities, roles and perspectives.

Throughout sessions and conversations, there was generosity in lifting up what’s working, with substantive examples of partnership and innovation. These were not presented as finished answers, but as ideas to be strengthened and carried forward in communities across the country.

To amplify the brilliance in rural communities, speakers brought a shared commitment to ensuring young people have both roots and wings, empowering them to be grounded in who they are and where they come from while also having access to choice and opportunity.

Thank you to everyone who helped make this year’s gathering possible.

We look forward to continuing this work together in Omaha, Nebraska for the 2027 Rural Summit.

04/16/2026

CEF Member Highlight: This week, Partners for Rural Impact hosted their annual Rural Summit in Buffalo, NY. The Summit brought together nearly 700 rural advocates from across the country to share expertise and make meaningful connections. Please consider joining PRI in Omaha next year!

04/16/2026

What happens when people from across rural communities come together with a shared purpose?

Over the past few days at hosted by PRI and the Tamarack Institute, we’ve seen it firsthand. Ideas were exchanged, partnerships were strengthened and new possibilities took shape, from youth-led change to community-driven approaches and emerging opportunities in technology.

This is more than a moment. It’s a movement, one that is built for rural communities, with rural communities, and carried forward by the people doing the work every day.

The Summit may be ending, but the connection and collective momentum built here will continue to shape what comes next.

Thank you for being part of it. We'll see you next year!

Belonging isn’t just a feeling. It’s a foundation for opportunity.At , Tamarack Institute leaders explored how belongin...
04/15/2026

Belonging isn’t just a feeling. It’s a foundation for opportunity.

At , Tamarack Institute leaders explored how belonging connects to educational success and economic opportunity. In a time of growing isolation, communities are demonstrating that connection can be built through intentional design, shared leadership and environments where young people feel they matter.

This session offered a powerful reminder that belonging isn’t just an outcome — it’s a strategy.

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Berea, KY
40403

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