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 Iowa, we work with Hub partners that coordinate across sectors, align resources, and connect communities to advance long-term regional strategies.
Center for Rural Affairs
Service area: Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, and South Dakota.
The Center for Rural Affairs is a nonprofit, mission-driven lender focusing on underserved communities, primarily rural, Latino, Native, and other communities that mainstream finance doesn’t traditionally reach. They are a Community Development Financial Institution established in 1973.
Visit organization: cfra.org
Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque
Service area: Iowa.
The Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque (CF Greater Dubuque) is a nonprofit organization that empowers communities and ignites generosity throughout the Dubuque region. Since the early 2000s, it has mobilized local philanthropic efforts to strengthen communities by serving donors, supporting nonprofits, and launching collaborative community initiatives across eastern Iowa.
Visit organization: dbqfoundation.org
Featured in Aspen CSG resources: Thrive Rural Theory of Change Working Group (2019–2021), Collaborative Strategies for Rural Health & Economic Prosperity, Funding Rural Futures: A Call to Action, and more.
Mid-Iowa Community Action, Inc.
Service area: Iowa.
Mid-Iowa Community Action, Inc. (MICA) is a private, nonprofit organization serving children and families in central Iowa. Established in 1965, it serves families in Hardin, Marshall, Poweshiek, Story, and Tama counties.
Visit organization: micaonline.org
