More than 67 years ago, parents came together to advocate for their children living with intellectual and development disabilities (IDD) who were not welcome in public schools. The Arc was born out of this effort, becoming a nonprofit dedicated to supporting individuals living with IDD in Connecticut.

Today the nonprofit’s work spans beyond traditional advocacy, which they still provide in the form of housing, education, and outreach. But it is their self-sustaining microenterprises run by individuals with IDD that are making an impact in the local community.

The Yellowstone Valley Food Hub (YVFH) is a cooperative of farmers and ranchers that came together three years ago to increase the community's access to local food. It started as an online ordering platform and quickly grew into an enduring business. Today it provides the communities of central and eastern Montana with quality food with delivery and pickup options.  

Fulton is a small town in Missouri and the largest city in Callaway County, with a population of about 13,000 people. But for many rural towns, identifying and securing solar incentives can be a challenge.

The Luther College’s Center for Sustainable Communities is working to improve local economies in the Midwest with the help of a Rural Energy for America Program Renewable Energy Systems & Energy Efficiency Improvement Guaranteed Grant 

Homegrown HideAways is more than just a farm. Located in the Appalachians of Berea, Kentucky, the 100-acre holler welcomes more than 2,000 guests per year and has more than a dozen listings on Airbnb. When Jessa Turner and her partner opened the center, they had plans of adding a solar panel to their community facility but the price of making their farm sustainable was a barrier they needed assistance to overcome. 

Shaniko Wool Company and its partners have been raising sheep for 128 years. Over the last several years, the company has emerged as a leader in the wool textile industry, becoming the first RWS-certified company in North America in 2018. 

“We felt this was an opportunity to showcase good practices, earn a premium for the wool, and draw apparel brand partners to us for U.S. manufacturing,” founder and owner Jeanne Carver said.  

Agriculture innovation has changed over the years and one organization is using technology to educate and spark interest in the farming community.  

“Discovery Park of America is a world class museum and heritage park located in a very rural area of Tennessee,” said Director of Development Mary Nita Bondurant. “Its founder, Robert Kirkland, wanted to bring experiences to the people in this region that they might not otherwise have since this is an economically suppressed region.” 

Geoff Marietta found out just how expensive it can be to heat a 12,000-square-foot, 100-plus-year-old building.

The building, located on the corner of 2nd and Main streets in downtown Corbin, Kentucky, sat vacant from 2005 until Marietta bought it in 2017. He immediately started renovating it in order to turn the building into an event space, and part of that renovation included adding an electric furnace.