Links
American Planning Association is a nonprofit public interest and research organization committed to urban, suburban, regional, and rural planning. APA and its professional institute, the American Institute of Certified Planners, advance the art and science of planning to meet the needs of people and society.
www.planning.org
Building Community Collaboration and Consensus contains extensive information on Collaboration and Public Participation with an emphasis on Youth Participation. This site is divided into informational sections and pages with links to additional information.
www.communitycollaboration.net
Communities by Choice is a national network of communities, organizations and individuals working to advance the practice of sustainable development. They define sustainable development as a process of making choices that consider the long-term economy, ecology and equity of all communities.
www.communitybuilders.nsw.gov.au
Community Development Society is a professional association for community development practitioners and citizen leaders around the world. CDS members represent a variety of fields: education, health care, social services, government, utilities, economic development practitioners, citizen groups, and more.
www.comm-dev.org
Center for Agricultural and Rural Development (CARD) addresses contemporary policy issues in multidisciplinary programs. CARD programs embody academic excellence and communication with policymakers, opinion leaders, farmers, business people, and agricultural commodity organization leaders.
www.card.iastate.edu/home.asp
Center for Community Change helps low-income people build powerful, effective organizations through which they can change their communities and public policies for the better.
www.communitychange.org/default.asp
Center for Rural Entrepreneurship aspires to be the focal point for efforts to stimulate and support private and public entrepreneurship development in communities throughout Rural America.
www.ruraleship.org
The City of Lincoln, Nebraska Urban Development Department, Community Development Division has worked with the Heartland Center on many community projects. Their scope includes, among many interests, neighborhood revitalization, economic development, housing improvement and home ownership programs, and relocation assistance.
www.lincoln.ne.gov/city/urban/comdev/
ERIC Clearinghouse on Rural Education and Small Schools is no longer available, but through the years have acquired and screened education related materials, conducted workshops, and developed and disseminated free and low-cost publications, as well as a free newsletter. You can still access its information and resources at the following website:
www.nais.org/resources
Center for Applied Rural Innovation develops community-driven and impact-oriented programs focusing on rural viability. The professionals who make up the CARI organization within the University of Nebraska system are located on the University campus as well as across the state.
cari.unl.edu/
HomeTown Competitveness
HomeTown Competitveness, a come-back/give-back approach to rural community building, is an initiative of the Heartland Center, the Nebraska Community Foundation and the Center for Rural Entrepreneruship, funded by a generous grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.
The Institute for Sustainable Communities (ISC) is an independent, nonprofit organization that helps communities in existing and emerging democracies solve problems while building a better future for themselves and the world. They give communities and the organizations that support them training, technical assistance, and grants needed to solve their own problems and shape their own destiny.
International Leadership Association (ILA) promotes a deeper understanding of leadership knowledge and practices for the greater good of individuals and communities worldwide. ILA is a global network for all those who practice study and teach leadership.
www.academy.umd.edu/ILA/index.htm
MDC Rural Community College Initiative represents a unique vision that focuses both on people and places-it helps struggling rural communities build a vital economy while also enhancing individual opportunity for the people who live there.
www.mdcinc.org/rcci/
National Association of Towns and Townships (NATaT) strengthens the effectiveness of town and township government. NATaT does this by educating lawmakers and public policy officials about how small town governments operate and by advocating policies on their behalf in Washington, D.C.
www.natat.org
National Civic League (NCL) advocates for the issues of community democracy. NCL envisions a country where citizens are actively engaged in the process of self-governance and work in partnership with the public, private and non-profit sectors of society.
www.ncl.org/
National Rural Development brings together partners from all levels of government as well as private for-profit and non-profit organizations to address the needs of rural America.
www.rurdev.usda.gov/nrdp/
National Rural Health Association improves the health and health care of rural Americans and provides leadership on rural issues through advocacy, communications, education and research.
www.nrharural.org/
The Nebraska Community Foundation is a nonprofit organization that has provided financial management, strategic development and education/training services to communities, organizations and donors throughout Nebraska since 1993. It gives Nebraskans and former Nebraskans an easy way to give back to the state and communities they love.
www.nebcommfound.org
Nebraska Department of Economic Development packs a wealth of information on economic development in Nebraska into this site. Sections include Business Expansion, Business Toolkit, Community and Housing, International Trade, Filming Nebraska, Travel and Tourism, Career and Workforce.
www.neded.org/
NeighborWorks®America is a national, nonprofit organization that was created by Congress to provide financial support, technical assistance, and training for community-based revitalization efforts. Partnering with national and local organizations, NeighborWorks seeks to create new opportunities for residents while improving communities.
www.nw.org/network/
NeighborWorks®Lincoln promotes homeownership and community revitalization through a non-profit partnership of neighborhood organizations, businesses and local government. NeighborWorks®Lincoln is a member of NeighborWorks®America, a national network of over 220 community-based housing corporations operating in over 2,100 communities and with headquarters in Washington, D.C.
www.nwlincoln.org
North Central Regional Center for Regional Development (NCRCRD) exists to strengthen the capacity of local citizens to be key players in guiding the future of their rural communities. The NCRCRD, located at Iowa State University, is one of four regional centers coordinating rural development research and education throughout the United States.
www.ncrcrd.iastate.edu/
Northeast Regional Center for Rural Development (NERCRD) focuses specifically on rural problems of the Northeast region.
www.cas.nercrd.psu.edu/
Office of Rural Health Policy promotes better health care service in rural America. Congress charged the Office with informing and advising the Department of Health and Human Services on matters affecting rural hospitals, and health care, coordinating activities within the department that relate to rural health care, and maintaining a national information clearinghouse.
www.ruralhealth.hrsa.gov/
Rural People, Rural Policy is a part of the W.K Kellogg Foundation. Its purpose is to improve the lives of rural people by building the capacity of rural networks and the organizations that serve those living in rural communities, and to raise the awareness of rural policy at local, state, regional, and federal levels, and mobilize like- minded rural constituency groups to have an impact on rural policy at the local, state, and national level.
http://www.wkkf.org/Programming/NewsList.aspx?CID=274
Rural LISC strives to build the capacity of resident-led rural community development corporations (CDCs), and make the resource and policy environment more supportive of rural CDCs and their work.
www.ruralisc.org/
Rural Policy and Research Institute (RUPRI) conducts policy-relevant research and facilitates public dialogue to assist policymakers in understanding the rural impacts of public policies and programs.
www.rupri.org/
Southern Rural Development Center seeks to strengthen the capacity of the region's 29 land-grant institutions to address critical contemporary rural development issues impacting the well being of people and communities in the rural South.
srdc.msstate.edu/#
USDA Rural Development Briefing Room explores how investments in rural people, businesses, and communities affect the capacity of rural economies to prosper in the new and changing global marketplace.
www.ers.usda.gov/emphases/rural/
Western Rural Development Center (WRDC) participates in rural development research and extension projects cooperatively with universities in the West. The WRDC can meaningfully contribute to the quality of life in the West as a catalyst, a convener, and a conduit.
extension.usu.edu/WRDC/