Description:  The Center for Rural Development provides a linkage between rural residents in Louisiana and experts at Louisiana Tech University in areas that are important to rural development. These include education, nutrition, technology, small business development, community design and planning, agriculture and forestry, folklife and the arts. The Center helps rural community leaders access the data, research, and technical assistance that is available at the University. The Center’s staff also works with Louisiana Tech faculty who wish to do research that pertains to rural development by helping to identify possible community partners for their work. In addition, the Center seeks to work on rural development projects and research in collaboration with programs at other agencies, non-profits and universities – both in the State of Louisiana and throughout the country. The Center is also a source of information about funding opportunities in areas relating to rural development and can assist community leaders and Louisiana Tech faculty and staff in identifying potential sources of funding for specific projects. On this website we list current funding opportunities and grants. The Center issues a quarterly publication – Rural Louisiana, sponsors an annual conference on rural development at Louisiana Tech, and conducts research on topics of interest to those working in rural development in Louisiana. The Center is entirely supported by external funding sources. The main support for the Center is provided through a special grant from USDA’s Cooperative State Research Education and Extension Service (CSREES). In addition, the Center has received a USDA-NRI research grant, a grant from the Southern Region SARE Program, and a contract from the State of Louisiana to support its research and technical assistance projects.

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Web Site:  http://www.latech.edu/tech/rural/