Rural Democracy Initiative
Rural Democracy Initiative (RDI) supports “rural people working to transform their lives and communities in service of shared prosperity and democracy.” With both a 501(c)(3) and 501(4) arm, RDI funds organizations throughout the country that are working to catalyze civic engagement, win elections, and shift policies in places often forgotten by both progressive nonprofits and the Democratic Party.
Why This Work is Important
Rural areas have outsized power in American politics. For Democrats to win governing majorities, there is simply no path that ignores rural voters. Largely rural states with low populations hold disproportionate power in the Senate, while rural voters in swing states can decide the outcome of presidential elections. They can also decide competitive congressional races and which party controls the House. Currently, though, Democrats lose these voters by large margins.
Rural voters would benefit from progressive policies. Large swaths of rural America have been devastated by problems caused by conservative and neoliberal policies, including deindustrialization, the opioid epidemic and the crumbling healthcare system. These areas are in desperate need of more government attention and assistance. Progressives and the Democratic Party should be committed to this goal — and increasing are, with the Biden administration enacting a range of policies to improve life in rural America.
Why Donors Should Consider Rural Democracy Initiative
RDI makes giving to grassroots organizations easy. RDI primarily operates as an intermediary, making grants to dozens of nonprofit and electoral groups in a number of states. For donors interested in building progressive infrastructure in rural areas, this is a great option. RDI takes on the hard work of sorting through hundreds of potential grantees, research that would be all but impossible for the average donor.
RDI supports groups that work to persuade. RDI funds a number of organizations that engage in “deep canvassing,” which focuses on longer, in-depth conversations with potential voters with the aim of persuading them to change their minds. Compared to typical canvassing focused on identifying and organizing those voters most likely to share one’s point of view, deep canvassing is far more time-consuming and expensive. But progressives need to persuade new or existing voters to win in red places, and RDI is funding organizations committed to that goal.
RDI engages in policy and advocacy. To address the urgent needs of rural America, RDI offers detailed policy prescriptions and also seeks to draw attention to existing policies aimed at lifting up rural areas, such as those enacted by the Biden administration. These efforts engage a wide network of local groups, as well as experts in rural economic development.
RDI is focusing on longer-term opportunities. While RDI’ works in important battlegrounds like North Carolina and Georgia, the group has also invested serious money in states like Montana and Alaska. This reflects how RDI is working to create bigger political shifts down the road. If Democrats want to move on from little more than bare majorities, they must start investing and working now in red states with persuadable voters.
Conclusion
Progressives must invest more heavily in rural areas. The electoral system in many ways privileges rural states and rural voters, and the only path to major electoral gains at the federal and state levels is through improving engagement with rural voters. Even if efforts to organize rural voters in the short term only result in Democrats losing by smaller margins, that could still pay big electoral dividends, and create a path for winning in the future. RDI is the most effective option for donors who want to advance these goals.