IEI is one of four organizations now receiving grant funding from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation to complete the final three years of a groundbreaking initiative to bring new voices to rural policy making at the local, state, tribal and national levels.

The Rural People, Rural Policy initiative brings together as many as 500 highly connected and remarkably diverse rural organizations, linked together as a “network of networks.” Individually and collectively, they share a common goal of promoting policy changes that improve the well being of rural children, families and their communities.

Through a specially designed Internet communication and social networking platform, organizations will be able to engage in shared learning and mobilize for policy changes to benefit rural children and families.

The project is being managed by a partnership of four organizations: IEI, the Center for Rural Strategies (KY and TN), Innovation Network for Communities (MI and MA), and MDC, Inc (NC). Working with its partners, IEI will provide research and technical assistance related to the policy making process, identification of emerging policy opportunities, stakeholder identification and recruitment, and design of action plans.

By assuming a leadership role in the Rural People, Rural Policy initiative, IEI is able to promote North Carolina throughout the nation as an innovative leader responding to the rapidly changing environment through collaborative civic engagement and problem solving. This project also provides IEI with the opportunity to learn from the regional and national conversations occurring across the country on a wide range of policy issues affecting rural communities. IEI is already capitalizing on this knowledge to enhance current initiatives around the state and to take advantage of new policy opportunities in an effort to improve the vitality of North Carolina’s rural communities.