Community capacity is the collective ability of a community to draw on its people, institutions, relationships, and resources to thrive. In discussions with people from rural communities across the Midwest, the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago has heard repeatedly about the challenges they face in building and maintaining such capacity. Where capacity is strong, communities are well positioned to attract and leverage investment capital, navigate economic shifts, and pursue long-term goals. But in many rural places, local experts observe that the people and organizations that sustain this work are increasingly stretched.

This year’s Rural Futures Series event brought together community leaders, practitioners, and resource providers for in-depth conversations about how communities can strengthen capacity while focusing on four key areas: leadership, healthcare investment, succession planning, and external resources. We learned how communities are sustaining rural leadership across civic, public, and business sectors. Together we discovered collaborative approaches to healthcare investments that address overlapping access barriers through cross-sector partnerships and alternative delivery models. Our participants explored succession planning strategies to learn how communities are preparing for transitions before they become crises. We heard directly from funding and technical assistance providers about how they are adapting their programs and outreach to better serve communities with limited staff.