The Rural Visibility Project is a yearlong campaign designed to center rural priorities through community-driven dialogue between local, state, and regional entities.
This organizing strategy, powered by rural people and structured around monthly themes, shifts public attention to the realities, concerns, and possibilities that matter in the places we call home.
How YOU Can Participate in the Rural Visibility Project
Issue Leaders: Issue Leaders are individuals and representatives of organizations that have knowledge and expertise on a monthly topic. They will:
- Co-host the culminating virtual conversation event (including design and implementation)
- Decide what topics and focuses we will highlight
- Help identify what key questions or needs exist
- Provide data and share information on key events related to the monthly topic
- Showcase success stories and discuss solutions that have worked and failed
- Support RDI in identifying and engaging local storytellers, key players, and policy makers
- Lead information sharing on social media – posting 2 times a week on the monthly topic
- Co-host the culminating virtual conversation event (including design and implementation)
Rural Champions: A rural champion is anyone who lives, serves, or supports rural areas and is interested in learning more about a specific monthly topic while helping spread related information online to others in their network. They also have opportunities to engage with others who care about the same topics throughout the year. Rural Champions are highly encouraged to attend informational sessions for their topic month of choice: these virtual sessions will be scheduled three weeks prior to the start of each month.
Monthly Themes and Timelines
Starting in 2026 (with a soft launch in October of 2025), each month will focus on a specific rural priority. See the monthly topics below:
January – Rural Health Access and Affordability
February – Rural Capacity, Leadership, and Information
March – Infrastructure, Energy, and Broadband
April – Rural Economic Models and Industry Sectors
May – Wildfire Response, Resiliency, and Public Safety
June – Housing Access and Affordability
July – Small Business, Downtowns, Arts, and Recreation
August – Education, Labor, and Workforce
September – Mental Health, Caregiving, and Family Services
October – Access to Capital, Funding, and Rural Philanthropy
November – Rural and Tribal Heritage, Arts, and Culture
December – Conservation, Land Use, and Water