Community Development: Resource Guide

Center for Community Development - University of Wisconsin Extension

The Center for Community Economic Development Web site includes extensive resources for a variety of community development and economic development topics, including community, leadership and economic development tools, economic data resources and funding and grant-writing links.

Community Vitality Center

The mission of the Iowa Community Vitality Center (CVC) is to serve as a catalyst for innovative projects and initiatives designed to improve the vitality of Iowa communities. The CVC facilitates networking among small and medium size rural communities, sponsors policy analyses, engages communities in dialogue and fosters discussion among rural and urban interests. The CVC Web site is designed for users with an interest in policy topics, ideas, demonstrations and resources for stimulating and sustaining community vitality. Current Web site topics include community philanthropy, entrepreneurial communities, wealth transfer and rural growth indicators.

Corporation for Enterprise Development

CFED publishes the annual Development Report Card for the States, a broad-based report that uses multiple indicators to rate the economies of all 50 states.

Heartland Center for Leadership Development

Heartland Center activities focus on leadership training, citizen participation, community planning, facilitation, evaluation and curriculum development. The Center publishes a newsletter, booklets and guides on effective strategies for community and economic development, renewing community leadership and community survival including Ten Ideas for Recruiting New Leaders and

Institute for Decision Making - University of Northern Iowa

The Institute for Decision Making (IDM) is a unit of the University of Northern Iowa's Business and Community Services Division, which is included in the College of Business Administration. IDM guides organizations and community-based groups to help ease their way as they make decisions and take organized action toward economic-and-community-development results. The IDM team typically serves and advises economic development corporations, chambers of commerce, convention and visitors bureaus, community planning groups and other similar groups and organizations.

Local Initiatives Support Corporation

extensive resources on community development and related topics. The Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) combines corporate, government and philanthropic resources to help community-based organizations revitalize underserved neighborhoods. Since 1980, LISC has raised more than $7.2 billion to build or rehabilitate more than 196,000 affordable homes and develop 27 million square feet of retail, community and educational space nationwide. LISC's online resource library provides

Minnesota Design Team

The Minnesota Design team (MDT) is a volunteer group of architects, landscape architects, urban designers, planners and other experts in design and community development that helps communities in Minnesota develop shared visions for improving their physical and environmental designs. MDT works not only with design issues like main street improvements, but also with the fundamental planning process that allows communities to take the initiative in continuing to plan a future that reflects the dreams and interests of the community.

Minnesota Rural Partners

Minnesota Rural Partners (MRP) works with organizations throughout Minnesota and beyond to create, promote and sustain initiatives to help rural communities thrive by building upon four basic community cornerstones: 1) Access to Financial Capital, 2) Healthcare, 3) Creative Capital (Education and Culture) and 4) Community Design.

National Development Council

The National Development Council (NDC) is a non-profit community development organization that provides a combination of economic and housing development services, including technical assistance and financing to create jobs, develop affordable housing and generate investment in underserved urban and rural communities. Project financing and direct developer services are provided by the NDC Housing and Economic Development Corporation (HEDC), NDC's development arm. HEDC develops affordable housing and other community development projects that cannot feasibly be carried out by private, for-profit developers, as well as public facilities using innovative financing and development techniques.

Rural Assistance Center

A product of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Rural Initiative, the Rural Assistance Center (RAC) was established as a rural health and human services information portal. RAC helps rural communities and other rural stakeholders access the full range of available programs, funding and research that can enable them to provide quality health and human services to rural residents.The RAC Web site includes publications, success stories, programs and funding resources relating to rural health and human services by state.

Rural Policy Research Institute

The Rural Policy Research Institute (RUPRI) provides analysis and facilitates public dialogue concerning the impacts of public policy on rural people and places. Rural health care, entrepreneurship, telecommunications and other topics are included on the RUPRI Web site. Features of the Web site include state profiles, interactive mapping capabilities and directories of rural programs and resources by state.

Smart Solutions Group, Inc.

Smart Solutions Group is a Midwest consulting firm specializing in the business of economic development for community, county, regional and state development organizations. It offers a variety of economic development consulting services to help clients organize, focus, innovate and implement to achieve greater success. Smart Solutions Group's Economic Development Roadmap to Success is designed as a process to build consensus on the direction and focus of economic development marketing programs. Other products and services offered include assistance with creating or revising brand positioning statements, development of fundraising strategies and action plans and creating or updating strategic plans.