NRDP Structure
The National Rural Development Partnership (NRDP) works to strengthen rural America through collaboration and cooperation among its partners. The NRDP brings together partners from local, state, tribal, and federal governments, as well as from the for-profit and nonprofit private sector. The NRDP has three main components:
State Rural Development Councils
There are currently 37
State Rural Development Councils (SRDCs). The State Councils form the primary components of the Partnership and bring together key rural players in their states to address critical community concerns and to respond to fast-breaking opportunities. State Councils are responsible for creating their own mission, structure, operating guidelines, and action plan. Each Council hires a senior-level executive director who works with the Council leadership.
In addition to facilitating coordination and collaboration on a state level, SRDCs also work through a national network to affect major change on a regional, and oftentimes national level. SRDCs are a strong, vibrant connection between the government and the population and has been utilized to both spread new and updated information on government and private sector programs and opportunities. In addition to information dissemination, SRDCs through their success stories and other publications and work are also ideal vehicles for feedback to the national office. Although the oldest component of the Partnership, SRDCs are still performing terrific work and delivering the results that has garnered NRDP praise from its partners.
National Rural Development Council
The
National Rural Development Council (NRDC) consists of senior program managers representing over 40 Federal agencies as well as national representatives of public interest, community based, and private sector organizations. The NRDC provides guidance for the Partnership and works on behalf of the State Councils at the national level. The NRDC offers on a national level what SRDCs offer at the state level: a neutral forum for discussion and work on pressing rural issues and national rural policy. The membership of the NRDC provides several key opportunities for networking and collaboration between separate agencies as well as the public and private sectors that may not have occurred in different circumstances.
