Rural Prosperity

Through the Rural Prosperity strategy, the CRO envisions economically resilient futures for rural communities, which are centered around the people, places, and values that make Colorado communities unique.

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Rural prosperity is a key focus of the CRO’s core mission. The Rural Prosperity strategy supports economic resilience and diversification in rural communities and helps communities navigate change and economic transitions, disruptions, and recovery. The CRO collaborates with several State agencies, including the Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) Regional Managers, the Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT), the Department of Labor and Employment (CDLE), and the Energy Office (CEO). The Rural Prosperity strategy has four key goals:

  1. Rural communities are responsive and adaptive to change and empowered to take action.

  2. Rural communities work regionally or collectively to accelerate solutions to economic challenges and transitions.

  3. Rural communities develop successful community/economic development and diversification models into roadmaps that are then scaled.

  4. The State provides a unified front in providing communities with resources and creating clear pathways for resilience in rural communities facing disruptions or chronic stressors.

There are several resources that the CRO offers to help communities across Colorado achieve rural prosperity and economic resilience including:

  • Rural Economic Development Initiative (REDI): This program helps rural communities comprehensively diversify their local economy and create a more resilient Colorado. Through REDI, CRO provides grants to communities to support the development of plans, infrastructure development, program implementation, and capacity building. Successful applications for this program must result in the direct or indirect creation and retention of jobs in the community. 

  • Local Community Transition Plans: The CRO’s Rural Prosperity Manager partners with the Just Transition Office to support communities in planning for the transition away from coal. These efforts are a part of the State’s Just Transition Action Plan. 

  • Camp Resilience: The Rural Prosperity Manager hosts regional workshops to help communities integrate resilience into their operations and programs. Camp Resilience will support communities in building a framework to be adaptive to change and positioned for the future. If you are interested, we welcome you to read our Camp overview. For more information, contact Kate Guibert.

For more information on these programs or for more information about Rural Prosperity, contact Kate Guibert, Rural Prosperity Manager, by email, or by phone at (720)-822-7803.