About the Center

The Center for Rural Entrepreneurship is a Rural Policy Research Institute (RUPRI) national research and policy center.�The primary goal of the Center is to be the focal point for efforts to stimulate and support private and public entrepreneurship development in communities throughout rural America.�Created in 2001 with founding support from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and RUPRI, the Center is an outgrowth of the Rural Entrepreneurship Initiative (REI) supported by the Kauffman Foundation, the National Rural Development Partnership, Partners for Rural America, and the Nebraska Community Foundation. In creating the Center, we sought the input of a group of national leaders in rural economic development policy and practice who helped us articulate the mission for the Center � to enable every rural resident to achieve his or her full entrepreneurial potential. This mission is achieved by collaborating with individuals and organizations engaged in the study, practice and policy of rural entrepreneurship. Working with economic development practitioners and researchers, the Center conducts practice-driven research and evaluation that serves as the basis for developing insights into model practices and other learning. The Center then shares this learning within both the practitioner and policymaker communities as a way of fostering new approaches to rural economic development.

Agenda

The Center, through active collaborations with other organizations, rural communities, researchers, and practitioners, supports a four-part rural entrepreneurship development agenda including practice, research, outreach and policy.

Practice

The Center has discovered a rich and growing field of practice related to entrepreneurship development throughout rural America. Central to the Center's mission is learning from the field and sharing this learning with others.

  • The Center is actively engaged in selected rural landscapes throughout the United Sates. These living learning laboratories provide insights into some of the most exciting entrepreneurship development work taking place in rural America today. The Center is engaged in these sites in one of four ways: evaluation and documentation, technical assistance, strategic planning and training support.
  • We have connected with a growing network of practitioners throughout rural America who are engaging in entrepreneur-focused development. A key role of the Center is to foster learning within this network to advance our knowledge and practice in rural entrepreneurship development. 
  • Based on our learning from the field, the Center has developed insights into model practices based on regional economic/social differences and the type of entrepreneurial talent being supported. This learning is central to the work we undertake as part of our Outreach agenda.

Research

The Center focuses on practice-driven research activities. Through engagement in the field, the Center gathers information about successful practice and shares that learning through our outreach activities.

  • Case Studies. The Center has initiated a series of Research Case Studies focusing on those programs and regions actively implementing innovative entrepreneur strategies.  Our current library contains research case studies on the Kentucky Highland Investment Corporation, the Appalachian Ohio Regional Investment Coalition and the State of Maine.
  • Evaluation. An important component of the Center’s mission is to identify the elements of successful practice that support regional and community entrepreneurship development systems. The Center has developed an evaluation framework as a tool to gather information in a systematic way so that the elements of successful practice can be discerned across a variety of implementation forms. Current evaluations, including the Kansas Sirolli Initiative and Minnesota BizPathways, are published as part of our Evaluation Case Studies series and can be found in our library.

Outreach

The Center strives to be a focal point for rural entrepreneurship information. Toward this objective, the Center supports the following outreach activities.

  • The Center hosts www.energizingentrepreneurs.org – a website dedicated to sharing rural entrepreneurship work, research and policy information.
  • The Center, in partnership with the Heartland Center for Leadership Development, has produced, E2 Energizing Entrepreneurs: Charting a Course for Rural Communities. This guide draws upon what we have learned from practitioners throughout rural America and provides a context, tools and resources for communities that are committed to creating a culture that supports entrepreneurs as a key part of their economic development strategy.
  • The Center offers a wide range of training opportunities.  From half-day in-service trainings to full week-long institutes, E2 Energizing Entrepreneurs in Rural America provides community leaders, economic development practitioners and policymakers with a variety of professional development opportunities. In addition, the Center has conducted statewide academies in a number of states.  The academy process enables states or regions to explore and create entrepreneurship development strategies.
  • The Center publishes a free monthly electronic newsletter highlighting recent developments in the field of rural entrepreneurship. To subscribe to Rural Entrepreneurship News,contact Taina at taina@e2mail.org.   

 Policy

Policy can be critically important in shaping economic development practices. The Center is now engaged in supporting policy development, particularly at the state level, that is aimed at positioning entrepreneurship as a core rural development strategy.

    • Policy Briefs. The Center has prepared updated policy briefs for counties, states and the federal government.  These policy guides are available through the Center’s library.  They provide policymakers with specific ideas on how to craft policies and programs in support of rural entrepreneurship as a development strategy.
    • Policymaker Briefings. The Center is increasing the number and range of policy maker briefings through the leadership of Brian Dabson and RUPRI. We are currently working with state administrations, legislatures and federal policymakers on a wide range of entrepreneurship related topics.
    • Jurisdictional Groups. The Center through its relationship with RUPRI is working with a number of jurisdictional groups ranging from the National Governors Association to the National Conference of State Legislatures. These groups are keenly interested in entrepreneurship-based economic development and the Center is serving as a resource supporting this exploratory work.

 

RUPRI Center for Rural Entrepreneurship - P.O. Box 83107 - Lincoln, NE 68501 - 402-323-7339 - taina@e2mail.org

The RUPRI Center for Rural Entrepreneurship

The RUPRI Center for Rural Entrepreneurship strives to be the focal point for efforts to stimulate and support private and public entrepreneurship development in communities throughout rural America.  By supporting practice-driven research and evaluation and facilitating shared learning among practitioners, researchers and policy makers, the Center works to encourage entrepreneurship development as an effective route to building prosperous, dynamic, and sustainable rural economies. The Center is part of the Rural Policy Research Institute, an organization dedicated to providing unbiased analysis and information on the challenges, needs, and opportunities facing rural America. To learn more about RUPRI, go to www.rupri.org.

 

 

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