USDA's Rural Partners Network: Removing Barriers to Help Communities Thrive

Farah Ahmad, Deputy Under Secretary for USDA Rural Development

Rural America is hometown America. It’s more than a great place to live. Its people make up America’s spirit and character and they provide the everyday essentials our country depends on.

No rural community is alike. Each has its own unique set of needs and opportunities.

The Biden-Harris Administration knows this and that’s why it is making sure rural voices are reflected in national policies that will benefit all people in rural communities. This is especially important for communities that have been marginalized, disenfranchised or overlooked in the past.

For these reasons, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), in collaboration with the White House Domestic Policy Council (DPC) and partners from across the federal spectrum, created the Rural Partners Network (RPN) to improve access to government resources, staffing and tools in rural areas. It is an all-of-government program that helps rural communities identify opportunities to create jobs, build infrastructure and support long-term economic stability on their own terms.

Through RPN, USDA works with over 800 partners at the federal, state and local levels to address specific needs in rural and tribal communities. The department has also hired full-time employees in the field, dedicated to providing on-the-ground assistance for participating communities.

The staff helps people and organizations navigate federal programs, build relationships and prepare successful applications for funding that will advance locally driven plans and projects.

How RPN is Delivering Results

RPN is focused on removing barriers and opening a direct line to people in rural communities that will help them build stronger, more resilient and inclusive communities through investment strategies that will pay dividends over generations. 

“RPN is focused on removing barriers and opening a direct line to people in rural communities that will help them build stronger, more resilient and inclusive communities through investment strategies that will pay dividends over generations.”

Since its launch, RPN has helped bring over $600 million of new investments from USDA alone into rural communities across the country. It has also brought together over 24 federal agencies and regional commissions to collaborate on solutions and policy.

I recently visited Wisconsin to hear from people in RPN communities and was really struck by what I learned there. Someone said to me that rural communities are a good litmus test for what can work, and sometimes what doesn’t work so well, especially when it comes to federal programs.

We know there’s more we can do to make the process of navigating and applying for programs easier. Sometimes the hardest step is finding the right information.

We can learn so much from rural communities about what we’re doing right and what needs to be improved. This is why RPN is so important. It gives rural people a voice and a chance to improve government programs and make those programs fit their needs, not the other way around.

In New Mexico, RPN leveraged partnerships with local organizations and businesses following destructive wildfires in San Miguel County last spring. Through strategic alliances, the community moved swiftly to start the process of removing charred bark from trees with the assistance of local funding sources. The project will add 15 jobs to the community, mitigate future disaster risks and generate $1.2 million in additional revenue.  

When historic flooding devastated communities in Kentucky last summer, RPN staff worked alongside the community to identify federal and local resources to serve the community’s most pressing needs. Through direct communication with impacted families and on-the-ground support, RPN’s work led to sweeping changes to USDA’s Home Loan Repair Program and increased the maximum loan amount for borrowers so they could repair and rebuild their homes in the aftermath of a presidentially declared disaster. While this effort was initiated in Kentucky, these changes ultimately benefit any rural community faced with disaster recovery challenges.

The administration knows that a stronger, more successful community doesn’t effortlessly appear after one federal award. It’s a year long process of planning and investing. That’s why RPN prioritizes helping communities plan to meet their long-term goals and visions.

RPN’s goal has always been to build stronger, more resilient communities through investment strategies that will create opportunities for generations to come. Please join us in this exciting work at Rural.gov where you can find resources, information and more.

How Communities Can Get Involved

RPN was designed with the knowledge that rural communities are full of dedicated people striving to make their communities even better places to live and work.

It was made for the local official working two jobs and needs help finding the right federal program to meet a particular community need. It was also made for the nonprofit with limited staff with no way to access capital needed to apply for programs.

Since 2022, USDA has helped communities in Alaska, Arizona, Georgia, Kentucky, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Mississippi, Wisconsin and Puerto Rico.

USDA selected these communities to participate in the network based on their levels of economic distress, participation in federal programs, local capacity and readiness to participate. The department also conducted engagement sessions with local leaders in these communities to identify local interests and opportunities for USDA to provide assistance through RPN.

This is just the beginning, and we are excited to see the network expand in the future.

 

Disaster Recovery

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