Creating vibrant, healthy and enduring rural communities

Our mission

RCAC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides training, technical and financial resources and advocacy so rural communities can achieve their goals and visions.

Our vision

RCAC envisions vibrant, healthy and enduring rural communities throughout the West.

Core Values

  • Leadership: identifies innovative strategies to further rural community and economic development and inspires partners to achieve great outcomes
  • Collaboration: achieves superior results by respectfully and inclusively identifying partners
  • Commitment: works with passion and dedication to improve rural communities and the lives of their low-income residents
  • Quality: produces exceptional work products to help our partners meet their goals
  • Integrity: practices the highest professional standards and cultural competency in our work

Field offices and Environmental Finance Center

Project highlights map

 

EFC logo

 

Loan Programs & Rates

Do you need financing for affordable housing, environmental infrastructure, community facilities or small businesses? RCAC’s Loan Fund could be a perfect fit! Our rates are competitive, our staff is easy to work with and they provide quick turnaround on applications. Give us a call to discuss your project in detail. RCAC is a certified Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), with an Aeris rating of 4 Stars AA plus Policy Plus.

Programs & Rates At-A-Glance

  • Recent News

    Jan 17, 2019

    New California governor dedicates attention to safe water

    California’s rural communities, which often rely on wells and increasingly must contend with contaminated water, are now at the forefront of the incoming governor’s budget.

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  • Upcoming Events

    January 29

    Drinking water workshop

    Public water system operators will learn how to take and label waypoints for key water infrastructure (gate valves, meters, PRVs, etc.) and how to create line files to map their piped networks. They also will have a practical hands-on session using an Emergency Response Plan template to begin or update an ERP for their system.

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  • Making an Impact

    Success Story Highlight

    Financial counseling is essential to students with debt

    In January, D. Nathan Cieszynski was teaching a course that he knew well and had offered so many times that there should have been few surprises. During his January workshop, however, a young man in the course gave him pause.

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    Video Highlight

    Arctic Box Repair

Programs & Services

RCAC works with low-income rural communities, where unemployment rates are high, housing is often sub-standard, and poverty is commonplace. Many of these communities also face daunting challenges to access affordable, safe drinking water and other vital infrastructure. Rural communities are often overlooked in the policy arena because they lack the resources, training or social network that larger communities have in place. RCAC includes Tribes and Native communities in all program areas.

Construction worker looking towards progress.

RCAC’s staff lives and works throughout the West. Our local presence allows us to develop partnerships with communities to identify needs, set goals, and select the best options to meet the goals. RCAC provides tools, through our programs and services, to create change and growth, but the communities chart their own course.

Irma Casteneda_Chaparral-web

  • Lending

    RCAC makes loans for affordable housing development, environmental infrastructure, community facilities and small businesses.

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  • Environmental

    RCAC works to make small community water, wastewater and solid waste systems sustainable.

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  • Housing

    RCAC partners with nonprofit housing organizations to develop, finance and operate affordable single- and multifamily housing.

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  • Native Communities

    RCAC works with Tribes and Native communities to maintain and develop drinking water, wastewater, solid waste and housing services.

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  • Community & Economic Development

    RCAC supports communities to create a vision, set goals and implement an action plan for community and economic development projects.

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    Programs & Services

  • Invest in & support RCAC

    We welcome donations and grants of any size for operating and program support. Help us meet the ever increasing demand for funds needed to sustain rural communities and small businesses. An investment in RCAC’s Loan Fund is an investment in your community.

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  • California Lenders License

    Licensed by the California Department of Business Oversight — #60DB0 83068

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  • How are we doing?

    Please take a few minutes and complete our customer satisfaction form to let us know how we’re doing. We are here for you.

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