Aspen is a place for leaders to lift their sights above the possessions which possess them. To confront their own nature as human beings, to regain control over their own humanity by becoming more self-aware, more self-correcting, and hence more self-fulfilling.
The Aspen Institute Community Strategies Group (Aspen CSG) partners with the field of rural community development practitioners and funders to build a future where every person and place thrives, especially in communities long overlooked by philanthropy and policy investments. For 40 years, we’ve worked across the country to strengthen rural development systems to reflect local priorities, build regional collaboration, and center equity.
Why Rural Matters
Rural is where innovation happens. From climate resilience and food systems to democracy and health equity, rural America holds the key to national well-being. Funders who invest in rural development are building a more just, resilient, and prosperous future for all communities.
Doing Development Differently
Aspen CSG’s work is distinguished by its focus on how development and investment are designed and focused. Typical economic development efforts orient toward attracting other people and capital to a region to extract workers or resources. Our Theory of Change, represented by the Thrive Rural Framework, emphasizes the need for investments in rural regions that are community-led and focused on the development and protection of the people in that region. Aspen CSG’s 40 years of learning from practitioners and communities have shown that this is path to transformation and sustainable community development for historically underserved and underinvested regions.
Why Aspen CSG Is Unique
We are a trusted national partner that connects grassroots wisdom with national investment. Aspen CSG doesn’t run programs or provide direct funding. We listen to rural leaders, uplift their solutions, and connect them with the partners, practices, and policies that help communities move forward.
How We Work
Community-Centered Federal Response: We call for coordinated, consistent federal policy that listens to rural communities and invests in what they need to thrive.
Practitioner-Led, Systems-Building Development: We support strategies that strengthen entire regions, led by the people who live and lead there.
Cross-Sector Convening for Scaled Impact: We bring together diverse leaders across geographies, sectors, and communities to solve shared challenges like workforce, broadband, and climate resilience.
Narrative Change that Reflects Interdependence: We work to shift how the nation sees rural America, from isolated to essential. Rural and urban places are interconnected, and rural prosperity strengthens the country as a whole.
Respectful Integration of Indigenous Priorities: We partner with Indigenous leaders to ensure rural development strategies align with sovereignty, culture, and community vision.
