Program areas at Center on Rural Innovation
Rural america has undergone seismic changes in the last 20 years and we are committed to using data to ensure there is available research that reflects this evolution and the opportunities that accompany it. Our team of software developers, data engineers, and data scientists build data-driven maps, tools, and other resources that highlight Rural america's opportunities and challenges. In developing these resources, we make data about Rural communities accessible, and also look to broaden the conversation and change the narrative about what's possible in Rural america.
The Rural Innovation network is a national community of practice working to advance the economic future of Rural america. Through this network, the Center on Rural Innovation brings together diverse leaders from communities advancing their tech economies and provides them with a range of customized solutions to pressing challenges.
Community consulting: we've identified the necessary infrastructure communities need to participate in the tech economy, which include broadband infrastructure, coworking and entrepreneurship spaces, and local leadership capacity. We provide critical support to enable communities to secure funding, develop infrastructure and implement the programs necessary to unlock the potential of Rural america.
Through our Rural Innovation initiative, our team works with cohorts of Rural communities to create place-based tech economy strategies, an economic development model that aims to educate and train local residents in digital skills, employ them in tech jobs, and empower them to launch the startups that will drive their local economy. Since launching in 2019, we've helped our communities raise more than $33 million in federal funding and matching dollars through the u.s. economic development administration's highly competitive build to scale venture challenge grant.
Our thought leadership efforts focus on shifting the narrative about what is possible in Rural america. We publish case studies, blog posts, and op-eds, as well as produce videos and host webinars to highlight positive examples and impact of the tech sector and entrepreneurship in action in small towns across the country.
We launched the cori Innovation fund (cif) in 2020, a seed fund, to invest in tech-enabled startups located in Rural opportunity zones. Cif seeks attractive technology-enabled operating startups in Rural geographies, which are under-served by traditional venture capital institutions. We identify, fund, and support the best and most innovative tech entrepreneurs in Rural america, enhancing economic growth and tech job creation in small communities across the united states.