Economic Development Strategy Planning: Insights from Interviews with Five Rural Oregon Communities

Background

As a rural, place-based funder interested in the vitality of communities across Oregon’s diverse landscape, The Ford Family Foundation knows that large-scale investments in infrastructure are needed for next-generation economic development and opportunity. Research resulting from the report, Pathways to Securing Rural Federal Funding, demonstrates that communities with economic development plans are better positioned to apply for large public funding opportunities and are more competitive in securing those investments. Yet most rural communities do not have an economic development plan in place, which is an investment in time and resources itself.

To learn more about how to mitigate some of these resource challenges, the Foundation provided grant funding to five rural Oregon communities and solicited their reflections on the strategy planning process. Their reflections as grant recipients reveal how dedicated funding supports community efforts and the challenges that remain.

RESEARCH PROJECT

The goals of this research project were to gain new insights and to better understand the following:

1. The conditions that create readiness for economic development planning
2. Common challenges rural communities experience in the planning process
3. The benefits communities experience as a result of undertaking this planning process

DOWNLOADABLE MATERIALS

» Full report PDF
» Funding opportunity handout PDF