CoBank has awarded $1.9 million in unrestricted grants to nine nonprofit organizations through its Rural Prosperity Grant Program, continuing an initiative designed to strengthen economic development across rural America.
The cooperative bank, which serves agribusinesses, rural infrastructure providers and Farm Credit associations throughout the United States, established the grant program in 2025 to support organizations that serve as regional development hubs.
The grants support organizations working in entrepreneurship and business development, leadership and civic engagement, economic development and rural infrastructure, and rural health and well-being. The program is intended to promote long-term economic resilience in rural communities.
The 2026 grant recipients include the Appalachian Center for Economic Networks, serving Central Appalachia in Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia; the Center for Rural Affairs, serving Nebraska with a regional presence in Iowa, Minnesota and South Dakota; and Communities Unlimited, which serves rural communities across Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Texas.
Additional recipients are the Kansas Health Foundation, serving rural Kansas; Local First Arizona, serving rural communities in 13 of Arizona's 15 counties, including Tribal Nations; and the Northern Forest Center, serving parts of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and New York.
The Rural Community Assistance Corp., which supports rural communities across 13 western states, also received funding, along with Rural Development Initiatives, serving rural communities in Oregon, Washington and Idaho, and the Southwest Initiative Foundation, serving 18 counties and two Tribal Nations in southwest Minnesota.
According to CoBank, the Rural Prosperity Grant Program has attracted growing interest from rural development organizations and philanthropic partners since its launch. The bank said it plans to continue supporting the network of grant recipients while sharing program insights and outcomes that can help strengthen rural communities across the country.
Source: CoBank, "CoBank awards $1.9 million in grants to support economic development in rural America"