Fahe Supports Partners for Rural Transformation’s Strategic Plan to Scale Investment and Opportunity in Rural America

Fahe is proud to stand alongside fellow coalition members in announcing a new strategic plan from the Partners for Rural Transformation (PRT), outlining a national, solutions-driven vision to mobilize capital, change systems, and strengthen rural communities experiencing persistent poverty.

The five-year plan reflects a growing national movement to ensure rural America is defined not by disinvestment, but by opportunity—so families can live, work, learn, and thrive in the communities they call home.

“This strategic plan reflects what Fahe and our coalition partners have long known — rural communities do not lack ideas or determination; they lack equitable access to capital and flexible systems that support local priorities. By working together, we are helping transform how investment reaches rural communities and ensuring those investments produce lasting opportunity,” said Fahe CEO Jim King.

A Coalition Built to Scale Impact

The Partners for Rural Transformation is a coalition of six community-rooted organizations with national reach and more than 250 years of combined experience advancing rural economic development. The coalition pools expertise, relationships, and capital strategies to deliver community-led solutions that are sustainable, replicable, and scalable across regions facing persistent poverty.

Fahe’s participation reflects our long-standing commitment to advancing housing, community development, and financial access across Appalachia while contributing to national solutions that transform how resources reach rural communities.

Together, coalition members are working to:

• Multiply the impact of investments in rural communities
• Influence how public and private capital reaches rural America
• Equip rural-serving organizations with tools, best practices, and innovative development solutions

A Strategic Vision Focused on Capital, Systems, and Community

The new strategic plan establishes three priorities designed to drive measurable change by 2030:

Capital Mobilization

PRT aims to deploy $10 billion in capital into rural regions experiencing persistent poverty—unlocking economic development, infrastructure investment, housing production, and community services.

Systems Change

The coalition will work to influence policies and financial practices across public, private, and philanthropic sectors to ensure capital flows more effectively, flexibly, and equitably into rural communities.

Community Empowerment

Investments will prioritize community-driven outcomes that support locally led development, strengthen capacity, and allow communities to shape their own economic futures.

Why This Work Matters

Persistent poverty continues to create barriers that limit economic opportunity and community stability across rural America. Communities facing chronic disinvestment often experience shortages of affordable housing, limited access to responsible financial services, constrained job opportunities, and reduced access to health and education resources.

Despite contributing approximately $2.7 trillion to the U.S. economy, rural communities receive a disproportionately small share of philanthropic investment, reinforcing long-standing inequities in capital access.

The PRT strategy seeks to reverse this pattern by elevating the national case for rural investment, reshaping funding practices, informing policy conversations, and translating ideas into real, community-based economic development solutions.

How This Aligns with Fahe’s Mission

Fahe’s work across Appalachia focuses on strengthening communities through housing, financial investment, and capacity building. Our involvement in the Partners for Rural Transformation coalition expands that impact by contributing regional expertise and helping scale proven solutions nationally.

Through collaborative partnerships like PRT, Fahe helps:

• Expand access to mission-aligned capital
• Advance policies that support rural housing and community development
• Strengthen Member organizations through shared innovation and capacity building
• Elevate rural voices and demonstrate scalable models that attract investment

PRT’s strategic priorities closely align with Fahe’s commitment to transforming systems that shape housing, community development, and economic opportunity across rural regions.

A Call to Partners and Investors

Ending persistent poverty requires collaboration across philanthropy, financial institutions, government, and community-based organizations. The Partners for Rural Transformation strategic plan invites stakeholders nationwide to join in expanding investment and opportunity across rural America.

As Fahe continues working with coalition partners, we remain focused on ensuring rural communities—including those across Appalachia—have the resources, capital, and leadership needed to build strong, resilient futures.

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Read the Partners for Rural Transformation press release.