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2014 RCAC Annual Report Page 1 As we develop new initiatives and expand existing programs we can look back on the past year with pride. RCAC received the prestigious Wells Fargo NEXT Award for Opportunity Finance which provided 2 million in grant and loan funds for our Devel- opment Solutions initiative. The initiative builds local nonprofit capacity to develop affordable multifamily housing in rural and Native communities. As part of this initiative we launched the Tribal Housing Excellence Academy which provides training and technical support to tribal housing organizations as they complete their housing projects. We collaborated with The California Endowment on an inno- vative pilot to install water bottle filling stations in schools and public places in two rural California areas where contaminated water and aging utility systems are commonplacethe eastern Coachella Valley and southern Kern County. The pilot expands access to safe drinking water and encourages youth to make water their beverage of choice. The Board of Directors adopted a new 20152019 Strategic Plan which incorporates a transition to an outcome-based frame- work to better measure our impact. It also includes several new strategic directions. We expect our partners to achieve the following outcomes Practice new capacitieswe will build rural development organizationsexisting skills and programs to help them achieve even greater impact in their communities. Complete community and economic development pro- jectswe will work with our local partners to complete more than 1 billion of community and economic develop- ment projects during the five-year planning period. Increase their impact through collaboration in local state and national networkswe will help partners build and support collaborations and networks that strengthen rural community development efforts. We are very concerned about the sustainability of rural communities and see re- gional collaborations as a critical element to achieve vibrant healthy and enduring rural communities. Strategic directions Form regional collaborations to achieve economies of scale and take advantage of new opportunities. Ensure communities especially children in schools have access to and increase consumption of safe drinking water. Expand the quantity and types of training available to rural communities and organizations. Diversify local nonprofit services to build more sustainable organizations. Enhance the skills of organizations that provide infrastruc- ture housing and other essential services in Indian Country. Provide development services to increase housing opportu- nities in rural communities. Increase access to affordable mortgages for rural organiza- tions and residents. Build partnerships with local economic development organ- izations to expand small business lending. Finally to emphasize our policy and advocacy works impor- tance our new mission statement includes advocacy in the list of services we provide. It now reads RCAC provides training technical and financial resources and advocacy so rural commu- nities can achieve their goals and visions. Looking ahead we are confident that RCAC can respond well to the challenges facing the rural western United States. Building on this past years work we look forward to continued success in cooperation with our partners in fiscal year 20152016. Stanley Keasling CEO Robert Rendon Board President Dear RCAC Friends