Rural Welcoming Initiative 2027

Rural Welcoming Initiative 2027 Application -- Due by 11/24/2026 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern

Welcoming America is continuing its commitment to rural communities in 2027. The Rural Welcoming Initiative (RWI) will engage 10 rural communities in strengthening welcoming for all residents – including immigrants. Utilizing a combination of technical assistance; recurring peer learning sessions; rural local-to-local community partnerships; free Welcoming America membership; and access to ongoing learning opportunities such as our national conference and online resources; participating communities will build and strengthen inclusion as part of the welcoming movement.

A full program overview can be found HERE

Eligibility

In order to be eligible for the Rural Welcoming Initiative, organizations or localities should:

Be a local or regional non-profit or fiscally sponsored organization or a local governmental entity (city or county)
Operate in a community with a population less than 50,000 in a city that is not considered a suburb of a metropolitan area – OR – operate regionally in an area of low overall population density
Demonstrate evidence of a strong interest and readiness to join the Welcoming Network
Have a track record of working to advance inclusion in the community or a strong commitment to intentionally engaging in such efforts moving forward
Show evidence or potential of being able to convene and engage a diverse set of residents of different backgrounds
Have a commitment to advancing local welcoming work through community events or other forms of community engagement in 2027

To be considered for the Rural Welcoming Initiative (RWI) 2027, please complete and submit the application form below by 11:59 p.m. E.T. on November 24, 2026.

For more information on membership eligibility and options, please visit our website:

https://welcomingamerica.org/welcoming-network/

If you have any questions about RWI, please contact Sorayda Diaz Leon at sorayda@welcomingamerica.org.

It is not a requirement, but if you have any supplementary materials for your application that you would like us to consider (letters of support, media clippings, etc.) which you would like to submit as attachments, you can do so by emailing sorayda@welcomingamerica.org with the subject line "RWI 2027 Application Supplemental Materials."

Please indicate your organization or office name in the body of the email so we can match materials with your application during the review process.

All supplemental materials must be submitted by the application deadline (11:59 p.m. ET on November 24, 2026) in order to be considered as part of the application.

No, I don't have any supplemental materials to submitYes, I will email my supplemental materials to briana@welcomingamerica.org before the application deadline of 11:59 p.m. ET on November 24, 2026).

How did you hear about the Rural Welcoming Initiative opportunity?

Primary Contact's First Name	Primary Contact's Last Name
Primary Contact's Preferred Email Address	Primary Contact's Preferred Phone Number
Primary Contact's Job Title

1 - Not very connected	2
3	4
5	6
7	8
9	10 - Incredibly well connected

Rural Welcoming Initiative 2027

Additional Contact Information