A history of extractive economies and entrenched policy decisions, which do not fit rural and Native needs or capacity, can stifle innovation and economic opportunity in the communities Partners for Rural Transformation serves. This is what creates the cycle of persistent poverty, which shrinks the local tax base and leaves these communities without the resources to grow vibrant regional economies and attract new investment.
Over time, existing infrastructure needs can go unaddressed, people with the resources to do so move can away, and rural and Native innovation lacks the capital to get off the ground. The local tax base and available resources continue to shrink, and the cycle continues.
We can disrupt this cycle by catalyzing the flow of private capital into rural and Native Communities facing persistent poverty.
Tools like Opportunity Zones , tax credits, and other incentives build the foundation of moving private capital into the communities we serve. However, these tools are built on a system that can struggle to serve rural and Native communities that lack local financial infrastructure. The benefits of these systems also tend to flow toward wealthier communities that have capital to invest in projects that are ready to get off the ground, which can leave the most economically distressed populations these tools are meant to serve behind.
We can improve this system to better serve rural and Native communities facing persistent poverty. By incentivizing the flow of capital, we can enable projects that attract new businesses, more people, and increase the local tax base and available resources over time.
This is how rural and Native communities facing persistent poverty can drive their own path to financial stability and empower the local leaders and innovation that is abundant in rural and Native places across the country.
This is how we can disrupt the cycle of persistent poverty.