By pairing national initiatives with local investments, Rural 1st is supporting rural growth by showing up where traditional corporate philanthropy rarely looks.
As the consumer lending division of Farm Credit Mid-America, a cooperative committed to securing the future of rural communities and agriculture®, Rural 1st operates under seven core cooperative principles. Chief among these is Care for Community.
When it comes to community investments, the Rural 1st team focuses on fostering prosperity and sustainability throughout rural America and targeting community support initiatives that create tangible, quality-of-life improvements.
The National Impact: Empowering Future Leaders
At the highest level, Rural 1st looks toward the future of the agricultural and rural leader workforce. The leader is rural lending is furthering its commitment with a $250,000 national-level investment in Ignite by 4-H, a four-day annual summit held in Washington, D.C.
Rural communities face distinct economic and workforce challenges. Equipping the next generation with modern skills keeps rural economies competitive. The goal is to empower 10 million youth with leadership and workforce skills necessary to thrive in rural America. Teen participants immerse themselves in hands-on workshops ranging from AgriScience and STEM to Community Accelerators.
Claire West, customer education manager for Farm Credit Mid-America and Rural 1st, led a workshop titled “You are the Solution for Rural America” at the 2026 summit in Washington D.C. The session challenged members to step into the roles of community professionals to solve real-world rural issues.
“The experience allowed students at Ignite to exercise their innovative mindset and envision how they can address challenges in their own communities,” Claire said.
The State Impact: Strengthening Rural Healthcare
Moving from the national stage down to individual states, Rural 1st targets regional hubs that serve expansive, multi-state rural territories. In Indiana, this strategy is anchored by a $10,000 lifetime investment to aid in the construction of the Granted House of Hope in Evansville.
Families raising a child with a fatal or life-threatening illness face immense emotional and financial strain, especially when living far from urban medical centers. Granted provides critical support and resources to families navigating these medical crises across a 100-mile radius. While the new campus is located in Evansville, its reach is overwhelmingly rural.
“If you look at the map in a 100-mile radius, the vast majority of the surrounding area is rural communities,” said Hannah Walker, community investment manager for Farm Credit Mid-America and Rural 1st. “This campus will care for the rural communities Rural 1st supports.”
The facility acts as a centralized lifeline for underserved families across southern Indiana, western Kentucky and southern Illinois, offering specialized care, financial and vocational assistance and a dedicated family resource center.
The Local Impact: Meeting Unspoken Needs
While national and state programs build long-term leadership, Rural 1st utilizes its cooperative model to step into the quiet, often forgotten gaps within local communities. Traditional corporate giving often focuses on high-profile funding, but Rural 1st targets essential, everyday hardships that are easily overlooked.
In the first quarter of 2026, funding was directed to various food banks, providing toiletries and essential goods. While food banks excel at providing nutrition, families visiting them frequently lack access to basic personal care items like soap, toothpaste and hygiene products — necessities that aren't covered by traditional food assistance programs.
Local investments, like ones made to the Wabash County Habitat for Humanity program in Indiana, providing direct capital to boost local affordable housing programs where rural resources are stretched thin.
More Than a Lender
By balancing macro-level funding with micro-level community grants, Rural 1st is putting its cooperative principles into action. The strategy creates a dual-impact approach, addressing both systemic, long-term development and the immediate, unseen daily struggles in the rural communities it serves across their territory.
Learn more about Rural 1st’s Community Investment program and the many ways we’re giving back to secure the future of rural communities and agriculture® across our territory.
