Heartland Fund / Rural Democracy Initiative

The Heartland Fund connects rural leaders with national and regional funders to build permanent civic engagement, issue advocacy, communications and organizing infrastructure in rural areas of the United States, including small cities and towns. We achieve our mission through grant making, convening, and large-scale narrative change. We define “rural areas” as those without a central urbanized area of at least 50,000 people.

In addition to supporting infrastructure, Heartland Fund invests in research and field experiments that help us develop an in-depth understanding of rural issues, tactics, voters, and public opinion. Our goal is to use this information to change the narrative among philanthropy, policy influencers and the media at the national and local level about what’s possible in small cities and rural communities.