Rural Community Assistance
ActiveCommunity Improvement
About Rural Community Assistance
We partner with underserved rural and Indigenous communities to achieve their vision and well-being through technical assistance, training, financial resources and advocacy.
Focus Areas
Rural community developmentIndigenous/tribal community supportWater, wastewater & solid wasteEnvironmental financeAffordable housingCommunity facilitiesSmall business loansTraining and technical assistanceAdvocacy and policy
Who They Fund
low-income homeowners/homebuyersrural communitieslocal educational agencies serving disadvantaged childrenborrowers lacking loan documentation or loan numbers
About Rural Community Assistance
Rural Community Assistance Corporation channels most of its grantmaking into rural water, housing, and community support work across the western United States, with California accounting for 44% of recipient locations. One of its clearest recent patterns is direct support for borrowers and community entities that lack standard loan documentation, shown by a $5,988,628 grant in 2025 to Various Others in West Sacramento for loan-number-related disbursements and a $1,714,617 grant in 2024 for the same purpose. The foundation also backs specific technical needs in rural infrastructure, including a $506,653 grant to Lake Morena Views Mut CO in Campo, CA, to improve a nitrate treatment system. Housing counseling is another recurring line of support, reaching community organizations in Fresno, Honolulu, San Bernardino, Oxnard, Flagstaff, and other western locations. Its public summary emphasizes partnerships with underserved rural and Indigenous communities through technical assistance, training, financial resources, and advocacy, and that mix shows up in the grants through both service delivery and capacity-building support. The organization’s work is regional rather than national, and its grant portfolio reflects a practical focus on infrastructure, housing stability, and rural community resilience.
What Rural Community Assistance Funds
Water and environmental health are central to the foundation’s portfolio. In 2025, it gave $506,653 to Lake Morena Views Mut CO in Campo, CA, to improve a nitrate treatment system, and earlier it funded the same recipient with $68,567 for the same purpose. It also supports school drinking-water access through Agua4All, which includes Bottled Water for Schools and Drinking Water for Schools in rural communities. Housing counseling is another major area: grants went to Community Housing Council of Fresno for housing counseling, Lutheran Social Services of Southern California in San Bernardino for housing counseling, and Housing Solutions of Northern Arizona in Flagstaff for the same purpose. The foundation also supports Indigenous community work through the Rooted Relative Fund, which is intended to strengthen local food systems, community resilience, and cultural continuity in Indigenous-led initiatives and tribal areas in Arizona, New Mexico, and California.
How Rural Community Assistance Gives
Typical grant size is modest relative to the foundation’s larger program awards: the 25th percentile is $13,037, the median is $29,930, and the 75th percentile is $64,963. The recent record also shows a few very large administrative or loan-distribution grants, alongside many smaller program grants. Some recipients recur across years, including Lake Morena Views Mut CO and Housing Solutions of Northern Arizona, which points to ongoing relationships rather than one-time awards. The foundation is a regional grantmaker, not an individual funder, and it does not make program-related investments. Several active programs also accept unsolicited requests, including Household Water Well Loans and Grants and the Yoneo Ono Outstanding Rural Volunteer Award, while others are nomination-based or do not accept unsolicited approaches.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$3.9M
Total Assets
$257.5M
Total Revenue
$90.8M
Total Expenses
$58.5M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $13K and $65K, with a median of $30K.
25th Percentile
$13K
Median
$30K
75th Percentile
$65K
Geographic Reach
Regional12 states funded
About 44% of grants go to recipients in CA.
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
Suzanne Anarde-Devenport
Accepts unsolicited proposals
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