Describes rural revitalization efforts for small towns in central Washington. Planning analysis by Eastern Washington University faculty and students emphasizes community participation. Details revitalization of the town of Wilbur from planning stages to final outcomes. Describes overall project results. (KS)

In 1994, a multiagency service team, consisting of state and federal agencies, colleges, private consultants, and nonprofit organizations, was formed to coordinate delivery of technical assistance services to small manufacturers in Maine's wood products industry. Results were generally positive but showed the need to carefully match assistance…

Describes a project in Sri Lanka that used nonformal training to prepare development workers to help women's groups organize income-generating projects. The nonformal, participant-centered program reinforces individual and group consciousness and activities within a flexible framework. (CT)

Describes 1999 federal funding to large general-assistance programs affecting small towns and rural areas (including Housing and Urban Development, federal disaster relief, rural extension activities, and Bureau of Indian Affairs assistance programs); increased funding for Empowerment Zones/Enterprise Communities; reauthorization of the Economic…

To guide future work, to provide an overall view of the program of technical cooperation in regional planning, and to form a basis for a Conference Ministerial Resolution, the report outlines the activities of the Committee of Senior Officials (CSO) of the Council of Europe's Conference of Ministers Responsible for Regional Planning during…

An Appalachian Regional Commission-sponsored conference on entrepreneurship stressed that the availability of investment capital is important to economic development in Appalachia and other rural areas, but it is not enough. A local social and business culture that embraces entrepreneurship and risk-taking must be developed through…

Creating opportunities for high-growth entrepreneurs is becoming increasingly important in rural America. Rural policymakers, who once focused on recruiting manufacturers that export low-value products, have realized that entrepreneurs can generate new economic value for their communities. Entrepreneurs add jobs, raise incomes, create wealth,…

Directed at the chronically unemployed, poor single parents, and welfare recipients, microenterprise programs provide access to loans and technical training for the express purpose of creating small-scale self-sufficient entrepreneurs no longer dependent on public support. Lessons from international microenterprise programs, federal funding…

This report summarizes 1992 activities of the Inter-American Foundation (IAF), an independent agency of the U.S. government. The IAF promotes equitable, responsive, and participatory approaches to sustainable development in Latin America and the Caribbean by awarding grants directly to local organizations. Funding is provided to grassroots…

This report summarizes the 1991 activities of the Inter-American Foundation (IAF). The IAF is an independent agency of the U.S. Government created in 1969 as an experimental alternative to established U.S. foreign assistance programs benefiting Latin America and the Caribbean. The IAF works to promote equitable, responsive, and participatory…

Describes Tennessee Technology Foundation, a government-sponsored linking agent designed to assist new high-technology businesses. Describes foundation projects offering new high-tech businesses entrepreneurial assistance, administrative support, funding assistance, job networking, and institutional coordination services. Tells foundation…

Describes Kentucky Highlands Investment Corporation (KHIC), a nonprofit community development organization that creates jobs and helps small manufacturing businesses succeed in nine "perpetually poor" rural Kentucky counties. Outlines KHIC services: loans for both expansion and working capital; equity and real estate investments;…

This report summarizes 1993 activities of the Inter-American Foundation (IAF), an independent agency of the U.S. government. The IAF promotes equitable and participatory self-help development in the Caribbean and Latin America by awarding grants directly to local grassroots organizations and small enterprises, as well as to larger organizations…

The Northwest Pennsylvania Industrial Resource Center's "wood cluster initiative" illustrates the benefits of rural business clusters. The initiative is turning a loose grouping of timber and forest-product firms into a competitive system by providing technical assistance, helping businesses plan and conduct job training programs,…

The Inter-American Foundation (IAF), an independent agency created by Congress, funds local private organizations that support the self-help efforts of the poor in Latin America and the Caribbean. In fiscal year 1988, IAF approved 208 new grants, 173 grant supplements, and other program activities totaling nearly $25 million. The average grant…