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 Colorado, we work with Hub partners that coordinate across sectors, align resources, and connect communities to advance long-term regional strategies:
Community Builders empower and enable local leaders—from community officials to citizen advocates and business leaders—with tools, information, and support to create more livable places. Through their Training & Assistance programs, they work shoulder-to-shoulder with community partners to craft practical solutions that fit their specific challenges and opportunities. Along the way, they work to build their civic capacity to better tackle new challenges down the road.
Community Builders is featured in these Aspen CSG resources: Measure Up: A Call to Action, Funding Rural Futures: A Call to Action, Four Principles for Fostering Community Well-Being with Asset-Based Development, and more
Oweesta is the longest-standing Native CDFI intermediary offering financial products and development services exclusively to Native CDFIs and Native communities. Specifically, Oweesta provides training, technical assistance, investments, research, and policy advocacy to help Native communities develop an integrated range of asset-building products and services, including financial education and financial products.
Oweesta is featured in these Aspen CSG resources: Funding Rural Futures: A Call to Action
Catholic Charities of Pueblo serve families regardless of religious, ethnic, social or economic backgrounds. Programs are often voluntary, with many having no required income guidelines. Families benefit from their 2Gen approach, which focuses on creating opportunities for and addressing needs of both children and the adults in their lives together. They utilize a strengths- based approach, and work with families to achieve their goals. Proudly, they serve over 12,000 individuals each year.
Valley Settlement began as a project of the Manaus Fund, a social justice organization serving Colorado’s Roaring Fork Valley, in 2011. The project was started in response to a challenge to identify and address the needs of the fast-growing Latina/o community in the Roaring Fork Valley. Valley Settlement created a pipeline of early childhood and parent engagement programs designed to eliminate barriers to participation. As trust grew, staff continued to listen, learning about additional unmet needs. Today, Valley Settlement serves hundreds of families annually with 2Gen programs that are consistently evaluated and evolving to respond to the community’s needs.
The Colorado River Valley Economic Development Partnership
The Colorado River Valley Economic Development Partnership convenes stakeholders across Western Garfield County, Colorado, to drive inclusive and sustainable regional growth. By collaborating with state agencies, local governments, and businesses, CRVEDP advances workforce training, supports the creation of quality jobs, and promotes community well-being—bringing “Better Jobs Closer to Home.” It also provides tailored data and resources—including asset inventories, market insights, and demographic trends—to help local businesses and leaders make informed, impact-driven decisions.
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.
The Northwest Colorado Innovation Center
The Northwest Colorado Innovation Center (NCIC) was launched by the Northwest Colorado Development Council to support entrepreneurial, small business, and workforce development. The program aims to co-locate resource partners in a single location, streamlining the delivery of transition services and resources to energy transition workers, small businesses, and entrepreneurs.
