In 1994, more than 220 rural communities organized and completed the valuable strategic planning process as part of their application for Round I of the EZ/EC Initiative. To assure that their important work produced continuing benefits to these communities, USDA designated them as "Champion Communities" and provided assistance to them. During Round II, 160 communities submitted applications and 15 of the 25 newly designated rural Empowerment Zone and Enterprise Communities were Champion Communities from Round I. Since 1999, USDA has formalized the Champion Communities program by inviting all the communities who submitted strategic plans to continue implementing their plans by signing agreements with USDA.
Key Features:
- USDA Rural Development has funded more than $167 million in development projects in Champion Communities since 1998;
- Other agencies have targeted funds and other initiatives to Champions;
- USDA Rural Development has sponsored conferences to train community leaders and promote networking among communities;
- USDA provides targeted technical assistance to Champions and gives them preference points in decisions on project funding.
The following is a current list of states with Rural Champion Communities (47). Click on the Community Community, that is hyper-linked, to visit their own homepage.
California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, New Mexico, New York, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas.
Community Name | State | |
Tulare County Champion Community | CA | |
Madison County | FL | |
Glades Communities | FL | |
Desoto County | FL | |
Highlands Community | FL | |
Gadsden County | FL | |
City of Palatka and Putnam County | FL | |
Hamilton County | FL | |
Hardee | FL | |
Southern Lower Chattahoochee Region COG | GA | |
Kauai Rural Champion Community | HI | |
Southern Illinois Coal Belt | IL | |
Shawnee Hills Initiative Champion Community | IL | |
Warren County Champion Community | IL | |
Buffalo Trace | KY | |
Knox County | KY | |
Kittson-Marshall Champion Community | MN | |
Ripley County | MO | |
City of Salem | MO | |
Dunklin County | MO | |
Natchez-Adams County Champion Community | MS | |
Holly Springs-Marshall County CC | MS | |
Rolette County Empowerment Board- Rolla & Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians | ND | |
Burke/Divide - Northwest Area Jobs Development Authority | ND | |
Cavalier Champion Community | ND | |
Dakota Heartland Champion Community | ND | |
Dakota Partners - Bowman and Hettinger | ND | |
Dakota Partners - Rugby | ND | |
Dakota State Line Champion Community | ND | |
Pembina County Champion Community | ND | |
Renville County Champion Community | ND | |
Cities of Clovis/Portales | NM | |
Golden Spread Rural/Frontier Coalition Champion Community | NM | |
Western New Mexico Champion Community | NM | |
Buffalo Millennium Enterprise Community Inc. CC | OK | |
Logan County CC Connection | OK | |
City of Muskogee Champion Community | OK | |
Great Pee Dee Champion Community | SC | |
Johnson County Champion Community (County's Home Page) | TN | |
Children and Family Services | TN | |
City of Palacios | TX | |
City of Burnet Champion Community | TX | |
Wharton Economic Development Corporation Champion Community | TX | |
Last Updated: 10/07/08 |
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