Montana

MSU Extension's "Reimagining Rural": peer circles for towns of a few hundred to a few thousand

Problem

Rural communities reinvent the wheel because they don't know what's working elsewhere. Leaders feel isolated and lack peer support for shared challenges.

Solution

Reimagining Rural is a Montana State University Extension Community Vitality program, run with the Montana Community Foundation, in which small towns host local in-person gatherings to watch rural speakers over Zoom across three evening sessions and then hold a facilitated local discussion; the first series ran in 2020 with 24 communities, the fifth series in February 2025 had 13 or 14 communities, and MCF has funded small follow-on grants after each series, most recently $22,750 to 13 communities announced May 15, 2025. MSU's program page cites 60+ communities and 500+ Montanans; MCF cited 58 communities and $140,510 in grants since 2020 as of May 2025. An in-person Roadshow has run annually since September 2024.

Patterns used: Peer Exchange Network

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