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.  

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Smaller rural and Native communities also often lack the capacity to compete for federal funding, leading to public funding flowing away from areas of persistent poverty and into larger communities. This helps to create a system where even though about 20 percent of the population lives in rural and Native communities, these communities do not receive 20 percent of available public funding.  

By increasing public investment and working to ensure that rural and Native communities receive a proportionate share of available funding, we can begin to undo the history of chronic disinvestment and entrenched policy decisions that lead to persistent poverty.  

You can learn more about how we can create a future where rural and Native communities are not defined by persistent poverty but by opportunity by reading Partners for Rural Transformation’s Policy Framework. 

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DreamBuild has the potential to help address our country’s housing crisis, where recent estimates suggest our housing supply could be more than 5 million units short. In rural America, this crisis is often compounded by the challenges of persistent poverty and other barriers to opportunity often linked to historically extractive economies in rural communities.

DreamBuild is an affordable housing production solution that is adapting to meet the needs of unique rural communities. It’s a versatile approach to homeownership in rural America that honors autonomy and quality while building wealth for communities and families.

“We’re not talking about building a house,” said cdcb CEO Nick Mitchell Bennett. “We’re talking about building an industry in your community.”

As the conversation around affordable housing continues to highlight modular housing and innovative production models, DreamBuild is capturing interest within the sector. It deserves serious consideration as an adaptable, national model.

You can read “A Solution to America’s Housing Crisis: How DreamBuild is Expanding Homeownership Opportunities in Rural America” here.

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The partnership will strengthen the capacity of rural-serving Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) to better understand, adopt, and use FICO tools to reach low-credit and ‘credit invisible’ rural Americans. Millions of Americans are deemed “credit invisible,” meaning they have no credit history through borrowing or repaying money from loans, credit cards, or other types of consumer credit. Being credit invisible can make it impossible to get a credit score, secure a loan for a new opportunity, or even borrow money in an emergency.

Partners for Rural Transformation President Farah Ahmad said: “Access to credit is the foundation that our futures are built on. However, too many people living in rural communities, especially those facing persistent poverty, lack access to credit and need to turn to more expensive non-traditional forms of capital. This can lead to cycles of debt that our partnership with FICO is trying to break.”

“Access to credit begins with understanding,” said Rukiya Kelly, Global Head of Corporate Impact at FICO. “Through our partnership with Partners for Rural Transformation, we are delivering targeted credit education, including our FICO® Score A Better Future Ambassador workshop, to strengthen the capacity of rural-serving CDFIs and the communities they support. By increasing clarity around how credit decisions are made and what drives a FICO® Score, we are helping build the confidence and knowledge that enable more informed financial choices and more sustainable pathways to opportunity.”

According to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, people living in rural communities are more likely to lack a credit history, and as a result are often forced to turn to non-traditional sources of credit like payday lenders. This can lead to a cycle of increasing debt in rural communities.

FICO’s alternative credit scoring models incorporate non-traditional data, like utility payments, checking account history, and rental history, to provide access to credit for “credit invisible” borrowers. However, many rural lenders lack the resources to adopt these new credit tools.

PRT’s partnership with FICO will help rural-serving CDFIs understand, adopt, and apply FICO tools, all in an effort to break debt cycles and expand opportunities in communities that need it most. Through this partnership, FICO and PRT, through its coalition of six CDFIs, will reach more than 400 counties and millions of people in rural communities facing persistent poverty in the Mississippi Delta, Deep South, Native Lands, Border Colonias, and Appalachia.

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Partners for Rural Transformation is a coalition of six community-rooted organizations with national reach and more than 250 years of experience in rural development. We are working to build a future where rural America is no longer defined by persistent poverty, but by opportunity so people can live, work, learn, and raise a family in the communities they call home. Our Partnership spans some of the most diverse and underinvested regions in the country – from the Mississippi Delta to Appalachia to Native American Communities, the Deep South, The Rio Grade Valley, and beyond. We share a common history of chronic disinvestment that leads to persistent poverty and impacts health, education, and economic opportunity in the communities we call home. Learn more here.

About FICO: FICO (NYSE: FICO) powers decisions that help people and businesses around the world prosper. Founded in 1956, the company is a pioneer in the use of predictive analytics and data science to improve operational decisions. FICO holds more than 200 US and foreign patents on technologies that increase profitability, customer satisfaction and growth for businesses in financial services, insurance, telecommunications, health care, retail and many other industries. Using FICO solutions, businesses in more than 80 countries do everything from protecting 4 billion payment cards from fraud, to improving financial inclusion, to increasing supply chain resiliency. The FICO® Score, used by 90% of top US lenders, is the standard measure of consumer credit risk in the US and has been made available in over 40 other countries, improving risk management, credit access and transparency.

Learn more at https://www.fico.com  

Join the conversation at https://x.com/FICO_corp & https://www.fico.com/blogs

For FICO news and media resources, visit https://www.fico.com/en/newsroom

FICO is a registered trademark of Fair Isaac Corporation in the U.S. and other countries

Contact: press@fico.com

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PRT President Farah Ahmad said: “Opportunity Zones hold tremendous potential to drive investment into rural communities facing persistent poverty across the country – if they are done correctly. This guide offers a framework for state policymakers and local practitioners to ensure that this once-in-a-decade opportunity is not missed in the rural communities millions of people call home.”

HAC President and CEO David Lipsetz said: “Investment in persistently poor rural places is an essential step to address our nation’s affordable housing crisis. State officials have an important opening this year to identify the right places for this investment. This guide explains what’s at stake and how they can take action.”

HOPE Senior Advisor for Policy and Advocacy Diane Standaert said: “With this upcoming round of Opportunity Zone selections, states have a once-in-decade chance to get it right for rural places. HOPE’s experience demonstrates how it’s possible to align community-driven solutions, private investors, and public policy to drive transformative change in rural communities, including those experiencing persistent poverty. With advance planning as recommended in this guide, states can ensure they do not overlook solutions for economic opportunity in the rural areas that need it most.”

Created by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, Opportunity Zones spur economic growth and job creation in low-income communities while providing tax benefits to investors. The first round of Opportunity Zones generated $120 billion in new investments across the country. However, only a fraction of that, about $6 billion, flowed into rural communities by 2022, and even less reached areas experiencing persistent poverty.

The program was amended in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) and added new incentives for rural communities, including a 30% step-up in basis points for investments and a 50% threshold for showing substantial improvement to rehabilitation projects. However, an overly broad definition of “rural” risks funding being diverted away from targeted rural and Native communities. For example, Atlantic City meets the definition of a “rural Opportunity Zone” under the OBBBA.

Activating Rural Investments in the Next Round of Opportunity Zones: Recommendations for States  can be found here. The recommendations follow four guidelines:

• Engage Rural Communities, Native Communities, and Practitioners: Hearing directly from rural communities through organizations like Community Development Financial Institutions and non-profit developers will help state and local leaders designate Opportunity Zones that will have the greatest impact.

• Create a Map that Targets Unique Rural Needs and Development Goals: Mapping tools can assist state and local leaders in designating rural areas where investment is needed most and illuminate the opportunities to leverage additional investment incentives.

• Create Priorities in State Funding Programs: States can take a more active role in driving investment into rural communities facing persistent poverty by prioritizing projects within preexisting state programs to attract additional resources and investors.  
• Create an Assessment Tool: Establishing a clear decision-making rubric can ensure high-impact selections are made in a transparent manner.

PRT, HAC, and HOPE hosted a webinar on the guide for state policymakers, regional development hubs, and local non-profits. You can watch the webinar here.   

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the main takeaway from the guide?

• Opportunity Zones (OZ) 2.0 presents a major opportunity to direct private investment into rural communities, but outcomes will be based on the designations states choose. The time is now to influence this once-in-a-decade opportunity to shape private investment into Native and rural community development projects through 2036. Follow the Guide’s four recommendations to ensure your state’s rural and Native communities benefit from OZ 2.0

Why is it urgent to take the recommended actions now?

• States must submit their designation choices before September 29, 2026. To implement the recommendations made in the Guide, rural advocates, practitioners, and community leaders need to act now. These designations will be in effect until Dec 2036, so missing this opportunity means missing out on a decade of incentivized private investment into rural and Native communities.

Why did PRT, HAC and the HOPE Policy Institute create these recommendations to help with rural OZ 2.0 designations?

• The statutory definition of “rural” is too broad and includes places like Atlantic City, NJ. To help ensure OZ designations reach high impact rural areas, PRT, HAC, and Hope Policy Institute created the Guide with four recommendations to help states select zones where opportunity, rurality, and impact intersect for the most advantageous OZ designations.

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Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026 – The Partners for Rural Transformation Thursday applauded the release of the bipartisan Access to Fair Financing for Opportunity and Resilient Development (AFFORD Act).

PRT President Farah Ahmad said: “Rural communities, especially rural communities facing persistent poverty like those served by PRT, need investments that understands local realities, deploys resources efficiently, and delivers measurable results. Rural CDFIs serve this need, and the AFFORD Act will strengthen our ability reach communities that traditional financing leaves behind.”

Specifically, the AFFORD Act would strengthen rural CDFIs by:

• Providing greater oversight of the CDFI Fund and ensuring accountability and transparency.

• Jumpstarting economic development and increasing access to capital for more rural Americans.
• Unlocking more sources of liquidity and support for CDFIs to scale their activities and lending in rural communities.

Partners for Rural Transformation is a coalition of six community-rooted organizations with national reach and more than 250 years of experience in rural development. We are working to build a future where rural America is no longer defined by persistent poverty, but by opportunity so people can live, work, learn, and raise a family in the communities they call home.

Our Partnership spans some of the most diverse and underinvested regions in the country – from the Mississippi Delta to Appalachia to Native American Communities, the Deep South, The Rio Grade Valley, and beyond. We share a common history of chronic disinvestment that leads to persistent poverty and impacts health, education, and economic opportunity in the communities we call home. Learn more here.

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The post Partners for Rural Transformation Statement on the AFFORD Act appeared first on Partners for Rural Transformation.

Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026 – The Partners for Rural Transformation (PRT) Thursday released its annual Year in Review, where we reflect on 2025 and look forward to what the Partnership will accomplish in the new year.  

Across our Partners in 2025, we provided more than $809 million in loans to rural communities across the country, and nearly 75 percent of all loans went to low-income borrowers. This included more than $290 million into persistent poverty communities that face discrimination, extractive economies, and chronic disinvestment. 

You can read our annual Year in Review here.  

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Partners for Rural Transformation is a coalition of six community-rooted organizations with national reach and more than 250 years of experience in rural development. We are working to build a future where rural America is no longer defined by persistent poverty, but by opportunity so people can live, work, learn, and raise a family in the communities they call home. Our Partnership spans some of the most diverse and underinvested regions in the country – from the Mississippi Delta to Appalachia to Native American Communities, the Deep South, The Rio Grade Valley, and beyond. We share a common history of chronic disinvestment that leads to persistent poverty and impacts health, education, and economic opportunity in the communities we call home. Learn more here.    

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Monday, Feb. 9, 2026 – The Partners for Rural Transformation (PRT) Monday announced its five-year strategic plan, outlining a bold, solutions-based vision to mobilize capital, change systems, and empower communities so that rural America is no longer defined by persistent poverty, but by opportunity. The plan charts a path for people to live, work, learn, and raise families in the rural communities they call home.   

PRT President Farah Ahmad said: “In rural spaces across the country, people are working together to build, to support, and to strengthen their communities. Partners for Rural Transformation is scaling that effort up, securing capital, and building capacity as these communities chart their own futures. Today, we are announcing our vision for mobilizing capital, changing systems, and empowering rural communities as we work to bring an end to persistent poverty. This is what partnership looks like, and we invite the broader community of practitioners, funders, and policymakers to be a part of it.” 

The strategic plan is based on three pillars to drive real change in rural communities experiencing persistent poverty: 

• Capital Mobilization: $10 billion in capital deployed through our Partners in rural regions of persistent poverty by 2030.  

• Systems Change: Adoption of policies and practices by private, public, and philanthropic sectors that more agilely deploy capital in rural communities.  

• Community Empowerment: Investments that deliver community-driven outcomes and empower communities to be self-led and independent. 

People living in regions of persistent poverty face significant barriers to well-being. The longer these barriers exist, the more likely communities lack adequate infrastructure and support services. These gaps contribute to limited employment opportunities, reduced access to responsible financial services, shortages of affordable housing, and poorer health and education outcomes, all exacerbated by decades of disinvestment.   

Although rural communities contribute $2.7 trillion to the national GDP, they receive only around 6 percent of philanthropic dollars. In the Alabama Black Belt and the Mississippi Delta, this means there was just $41 in foundation funding per person compared to the national average of $451 and the average for New York state of $995 per person.  

Rural bank consolidations have also reduced access to relationship-based lending typical of small community banks in rural areas. In fact, the number of rural community banks has declined by nearly 50 percent in the last 30 years.  

PRT aims to reverse this trend of disinvestment by:  

• Elevating the case for rural investment and challenging outdated narratives;  

• Transforming how capital reaches communities by advancing proven rural funding practices; 

• Informing policy conversations to strengthen public investments rural communities rely on; 

• Reshaping practices through its “do-tank” that turns ideas into on-the-ground action; and  

•  Building connections with local leaders through a national network of rural development experts.  

PRT invites partners across philanthropy, private financial institutions, and local, state, and federal government to join in eliminating chronic disinvestment and ending persistent poverty in rural communities across the country. You can learn more about PRT here.  

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Partners for Rural Transformation is a coalition of six community-rooted organizations with national reach and more than 250 years of experience in rural development. We are working to build a future where rural America is no longer defined by persistent poverty, but by opportunity so people can live, work, learn, and raise a family in the communities they call home. Our Partnership spans some of the most diverse and underinvested regions in the country – from the Mississippi Delta to Appalachia to Native American Communities, the Deep South, The Rio Grade Valley, and beyond. We share a common history of chronic disinvestment that leads to persistent poverty and impacts health, education, and economic opportunity in the communities we call home. Learn more here.    

The post PRT Announces Solutions-Based Strategy to Drive Rural Investment appeared first on Partners for Rural Transformation.

MONDAY, Nov. 3, 2025 – The Partners for Rural Transformation (PRT) released the following statement urging the Administration to continue to support the Treasury Department’s Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund.

The CDFI Fund has a long tradition of bipartisan support for its work driving economic opportunity across the country,  including the more than 100 Republicans, led by Senator Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) and Congresswoman Young Kim (CA-40), and the more than 100 Democrats, led by Congresswoman Maxine Waters (CA-43) and Congressman Bill Foster (IL-11), urging the Administration to continue carrying out the statutory obligations of the Fund. PRT stands ready to work with federal policymakers to ensure that capital flows into the hardest to reach rural communities in the country.

“Rural and native communities already face barriers to accessing the tools and resources they need to thrive, and the CDFI Fund’s certification and funding is critical to overcoming those barriers. Without the CDFI Fund and its staff, investments that would be building affordable housing and new infrastructure, increasing access to health care, or helping a new small business open among many other community-driven investments have ground to a halt.

“Without continued support for this important work, rural communities will be left behind. Partners for Rural Transformation is urging the Administration to restore the CDFI Fund to spur investments in our rural and native communities.”

CDFIs, with the support of the CDFI Fund and its staff, bring reliable capital access to rural and unserved communities without access to traditional banking services. Since 1994, the CDFI Fund has granted over $8 billion and provided $81 billion in tax credits, planting the seed for strong local economies that can scale economic development solutions in rural and native communities and support their goals and visions.

The Partners for Rural Transformation is a coalition of six community-rooted CDFIs with national reach and more than 250 years of combined experience in rural development. Guided by the voices of local people, PRT pools resources, shares innovations, and deploys capital at scale to deliver community-led solutions that are sustainable, replicable, and cost-effective across regions facing persistent poverty.

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