Aspen CSG partners with Rural Development Hubs across the country to strengthen local leadership, align funding, and build regional capacity. Through research and peer learning, we support Hub leaders to refine strategies and apply what works across regions.
In California, we work with Hub partners that coordinate across sectors, align resources, and connect communities to advance long-term regional strategies:
El Pajaro Community Development Corporation
Founded 45 years ago, El Pájaro CDC has successfully helped thousands of people start, maintain and expand their small business by offering technical assistance, help in acquiring loans, developing business plans and crafting marketing and promotion campaigns, managing employees, navigating the legal system, and more.
Fresno Economic Opportunities Commission
Fresno Economic Opportunities Commission (Fresno EOC) is one of the largest Community Action Agencies in the country. They employ over 1,200 full and part-time staff members committed to transforming lives. With over 30 programs to serve the community, they bridge gaps with almost every aspect of the underserved population.
Fresno EOC is featured in this Aspen CSG resource: Rural Development Hubs: Strengthening America’s Rural Innovation Infrastructure
California Center for Rural Policy at Cal Poly Humboldt State University
Cal Poly Humboldt’s California Center for Rural Policy (CCRP) is dedicated to improving the lives of rural people in California. Using methods tailored to the study of rural populations, environments, and their interactions, the CCRP researches a wide range of issues to inform policies and planning.
CCRP is featured in these Aspen CSG resources: Making Broadband Work for Rural Communities and Native Nations and The Power of Connection: Rural Development Hubs in Action
Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation
The Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation (TTCF), a place-rooted organization working to strengthen communities in California’s North Tahoe-Truckee region. Focusing on housing, mental health, and regional resilience, TTCF brings together public, private, and philanthropic partners to take on big, long-term challenges.
TTCF is featured in these Aspen CSG resources: Community-Centered Takeaways from Aspen Ideas, Stacy Caldwell on Representing Rural Interests in Tahoe-Truckee, Rural Development Hubs: Strengthening America’s Rural Innovation Infrastructure, and more.
California FarmLink creates equitable access to opportunity in support of healthy, local food systems. They help farmers, ranchers, and fishers to access affordable financing, learn how to create business resilience, and secure land for farming and ranching.
Santa Cruz Community Ventures partners with rural working-class families in California’s Central Coast to ensure a shared and equitable economic future for all. Their transformational programs make certain that individuals understand and use their economic and political power. From building their savings to advocating for a living wage, their approach builds community and connects financial stability, wealth building, and self-determination.
Humboldt Area Foundation and Wild Rivers Community Foundation
Thriving, Healthy, Just, Equitable. That’s the vision Humboldt Area Foundation and Wild Rivers Community Foundation have for their region. This vision is implemented through four decade-long goals of increasing racial equality, supporting thriving youth and families, growing healthy ecosystems and environments, and bolstering a just economy.
Humboldt Area Foundation and Wild Rivers Community Foundation are featured in these Aspen CSG resources: Four Principles for Fostering Community Well-Being with Asset-Based Development
Rural Community Assistance Corporation
The Rural Community Assistance Corporation (RCAC) is a nonprofit organization, founded in 1978, dedicated to supporting underserved rural and Indigenous communities across the Western US through technical assistance, training, financial resources, and advocacy. RCAC’s work spans environmental infrastructure, affordable housing, community resilience and disaster planning, economic and leadership development, and community finance. Serving communities in states such as Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, and Washington, RCAC acts as the Western hub for the national Rural Community Assistance Partnership (RCAP) network.
