West Sacramento, Calif. — A $50,000 American Express grant will support economic development through Rural Community Assistance Corporation’s (RCAC) Building Rural Economies (BRE) program in San Juan and Grand Counties in Utah and Loan County in Colorado.
The BRE program builds low- to moderate-income rural and Indigenous communities’ capacity to use local assets and resources to create lasting economic change. Additionally, BRE provides entrepreneurship training, technical assistance and coaching to small business owners who receive financing through RCAC’s Loan Fund. Designed to meet each community’s unique needs, the program nurtures catalytic projects that trigger further investment and cultivates entrepreneurial environments that allow economies to thrive.
The American Express grant will support 20 new small businesses and address unmet needs of underrepresented racially and ethnically diverse communities in rural regions.
“American Express is an important partner, and we are grateful for its continued support,” said Suzanne Anarde, RCAC Chief Executive Officer. “This grant enables us to continue creating catalytic projects and cultivating a sustainable economic development environment in disadvantaged communities.”
Founded in 1978, RCAC seeks to collaboratively build the capacity of organizations that serve low-income people living in the rural West (13 states including Alaska and Hawaii). RCAC works in partnership with small rural and Indigenous communities and other local agencies to provide tools and resources necessary to improve their quality of life. RCAC offers a wide range of services to communities with fewer than 50,000 people including technical assistance and training for environmental infrastructure; affordable housing development; economic and leadership development; and financing to support community development. Since its inception, RCAC’s dedicated staff and active board have helped affect positive change in rural and Indigenous communities across the West.
To learn more about RCAC, visit http://www.rcac.org
Media contact:
Julia Helmreich, director
Communications and Development
(916) 529-7563 (Cell)
jhelmreich@rcac.org
