2008 Rural Alabama Initiative Grant Recipients

Grant Priorities

Grant proposals submitted to ECDI had to meet the following criteria in order to be considered for funding:

• The target audience had to be located in rural Alabama.
• There had to be at least one clearly-defined educational objective.
• The project had to support community and economic development in one or more of the following areas:
  • Community Leadership Development (including youth leadership)
  • Citizen Engagement
  • Stakeholder Connections and Networking
  • Workforce Preparation and Development
  • Communications Technology
  • Strategic Planning for Economic and Community Development
  • Tourism and Retiree Attraction
  • Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development
    (including youth entrepreneurship)
  • Community Events and Festivals
  • Business Retention and Expansion
  • Community Amenities and Aesthetics
  • Economic Development Organization and Strategy
  • Economic Development Information and Marketing
  • Commercial & Retail Development
  • Natural Resources Utilization and Sustainable Development
    (including youth programs)

ECDI gave priority to educational projects that featured collaborations among organizations and jurisdictions in rural Alabama.

Projects Funded

• Statewide Economic and Community Development
  • Alabama Communities of Excellence, Inc.
  • Your Town Alabama 2008 Workshop
• Leadership
  • Bullock County Youth Leadership (Bullock County Extension)
  • Collective Leadership Initiative 2008
    (Leadership Selma-Dallas County)
  • Greater Valley Project Leadership (Chambers County Extension)
  • Junior Leadership Lake Martin (Tallapoosa County Extension)
  • Leaders for Pike Road (Town of Pike Road)
  • Leadership Barbour County
  • Leadership Greene County
  • Leadership Hale County
    (Moundville Community Development Corporation)
  • Leadership Wilcox County (Wilcox County Extension)
  • Monroe County Youth Leadership (Monroe County Extension)
  • Montgomery County Youth Leadership
    (Montgomery County Extension)
  • Perry County Youth and Adult Leadership Programs
    (Perry County Extension)
  • Value-Added Leadership for Empowering Citizens
    (Leadership Macon County)
  • Youth and Adult Conecuh County Leadership Programs
    (Conecuh County Extension)
  • Youth Leadership Autauga County (Autauga County Extension)
  • Youth Leadership Clarke County (Leadership Clarke County)
  • Youth Leadership Elmore County (Elmore County Extension)
  • Youth Leadership Washington (Leadership Washington County)
• Workforce Development
  • Career Quest - Winston County
    Winston County School
  • Cullman Area Workforce Solutions (Wallace State Community College)
  • Enhancement of Henry County Leadership
    (Headland Industrial Development Board)
  • Escambia County Computer Literacy Project
    (Escambia County Extension)
  • Future Leaders Applying Technology (FLAT) Program
    (Community Action Agency for Northeast Alabama, Inc.)
  • IMPACT - Career Transition (Jackson County 21st Century Council)
  • Leadership and Vocational Career Development
    (Limestone County Extension)
  • Lovelady Center Workforce Preparation and Development Program
    (Freedom Rain, Inc.)
  • Shoals Summer Technology Institute
    Shoals Chamber of Commerce
  • Town of Emelle Learning Center
  • Work Experience Program for Deaf Teens
    (Alabama Institute for the Deaf and Blind)
• Arts-Based Community and Economic Development
  • Art Camp 2008 - Clay County
    Clay County Arts League
  • Teen Arts Collaborative Drug Awareness Program
    Heflin Arts Council
• Other Economic Development Projects
  • Establishment of Blount Co. Local Economic Development Program
    St. Clair County Economic Development Council
  • Peach Jam Jubilee - Chilton County
    Chilton County Chamber of Commerce

Last Updated: July 5, 2012