Pilot for Perservation-Based Economic Development in Rural Regions

The National Trust for Historic Preservation is seeking two rural regions to implement preservation-based economic development strategies as part of a pilot effort under its new Rural Heritage Development Initiative.

The National Trust will work intensively with partners in the pilot regions over a three-year period to help implement strategies such as heritage tourism, local entrepreneurial and business development, barn preservation, rural land-use planning, and neighborhood housing revitalization.

The new initiative is funded in significant part through a $745,000 three-year grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. Proposals are being solicited from regions that have the capacity to work collaboratively to develop cultural and heritage assets for economic benefit.

Proposals are due June 30, 2005.

For more information, see http://www.nationaltrust.org/news/docs/20050316_kellogg.html.

(Many thanks to Southern Compass for passing this along- Russ)