Rural Renaissance Roadshow to Connect Rural Leaders to Resources for Economic Development
Three-Day Conference to Feature Rural Funding Opportunities, Resilience Strategies, and Ways to Improve Quality of Life in Rural Communities
Bentonville, AR, Oct. 13, 2023 – Rural communities are often left out of conversations about economic growth and funding opportunities, but on October 25-27, federal officials, financiers, researchers, and experts on key areas of opportunity will gather in the home of rural economic innovation to change that at the Rural Renaissance Roadshow hosted by Groundswell.
The Roadshow comes at a crucial time for rural American communities. For decades, rural downtowns and the surrounding communities across the country have struggled to navigate market shifts and rising inflation. Recently announced resources and opportunities are now available to help communities move forward, including the largest investment in rural power in more than 100 years. The Roadshow will equip rural leaders with the information and practical technical support communities need to get local projects funded and built.
“Providing clean, reliable, and affordable electric service to our rural citizens matters. Today, electric utilities are experiencing a unique combination of both market forces and federal policy driving us towards cleaner and more technologically advanced energy delivery. As rural electric cooperative leaders, we owe it to our rural member-consumers to make sure they are not left behind as the industry experiences imminent transition,” said Curtis Wynn, SECO Energy CEO, who will deliver a keynote address at the Roadshow.
The Roadshow will feature practical hands-on workshops on topics including opportunities to improve community resilience; how to work with impact investors committed to rural communities; and how to fund clean energy programs that reduce clean energy burdens and improve quality of life.
While the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) included billions of dollars for rural resilience, clean power, and other infrastructure projects, rural communities and the small utilities and municipal governments that serve them often lack the staff and technical capacity to fill out the funding applications. Additionally, decades of out-migration and persistent poverty create additional barriers to project implementation, though these same characteristics make rural communities a priority for federal investment.
“More people may live in urban centers because that’s where the jobs have been, but when you ask, most people will tell you they'd rather live in a small town,” said Michelle Moore, Groundswell CEO and author of Rural Renaissance. “Between BIL and IRA — our nation’s dual investment in infrastructure and energy — we can deploy those dollars into rural communities to help create places where families can thrive again. The Rural Renaissance Roadshow is bringing people together to do just that.”
Registration for the Rural Renaissance Roadshow is $75 and includes all meals. Travel scholarships are available for attendees representing communities with a population of less than 20,000 residents.
Check out the full conference agenda at RuralRenaissance.com/program-schedule. For more information or to register, please visit RuralRenaissance.com.
Rural communities are often left out of conversations about economic growth and funding opportunities, but on October 25-27, federal officials, financiers, researchers, and experts on key areas of opportunity will gather in the home of rural economic innovation to change that at the Rural Renaissance Roadshow hosted by Groundswell.
About Michelle Moore
Michelle Moore is author of “Rural Renaissance” and CEO of Groundswell, a 501(c)(3) that builds community power by eliminating energy burdens and increasing economic opportunity with community solar, resilience centers, residential energy efficiency, and pioneering research. A social entrepreneur and former White House official with roots in rural Georgia, Michelle is a relentless agent for change. Her accomplishments range from cutting the government’s energy bill by $11 billion and deploying 3.2 Gigawatts of new renewable energy for President Obama, to developing LEED into a globally recognized brand for USGBC.
Michelle also serves as a Senate-confirmed member of the Tennessee Valley Authority Board of Directors and as Secretary of the Board for the Interdenominational Theological Center. Her work is rooted in her faith and the commandment to “love your neighbor as yourself.”
The Rural Renaissance Roadshow will bring together rural leaders from across the US and equip them to build thriving local clean energy futures through inspiration, education, partnerships, and practical technical and funding support. The roadshow will focus on energy innovations designed to serve rural communities and will take place in Bentonville, Arkansas, (above) where one such innovation was born.
The Rural Renaissance Roadshow will take place from October 25-27 in Bentonville, Arkansas. Summer Wood – a graphic designer with a heart for “all of those who work to make this Earth a more beautiful and sustainable place to call home” – created the designs for the event.
