Our Story
The Backroads Initiative is a grassroots, nonpartisan effort to rebuild civic life in rural communities. Our mission is to support local leadership, rebuild trusted community networks, and help rural neighbors connect, learn, and solve problems together. This work starts with relationships, grows through shared experience, and creates space for neighbors to build understanding and work together on what matters locally, building stronger, more connected communities.
What we’re working toward
Rebuild Local Connection
01
Create space for neighbors to meet, build relationships, and strengthen the social fabric of their communities by building on shared experiences and common ground.
Support Community-Led Action
02
Empower neighbors to organize around local issues, share knowledge, and take action on what matters in their communities, rooted in shared priorities.
Grow Local Leadership
03
Equip community members with the tools and confidence to step into leadership roles and work with others to shape the future of their communities.
How This Started
Backroads began in early 2025, when a few neighbors in one community started looking for connection. What started online quickly moved offline. Someone asked if anyone wanted to meet for coffee. A small group showed up, then kept coming back.
At the time, many people were feeling isolated and disconnected—from their neighbors, their communities, and the conversations happening around them. That first group created something simple but powerful: a place to show up, talk, and start building relationships again.
From Connection to Action
As relationships formed, neighbors began to take action.
Conversations turned into organizing. Neighbors shared knowledge, supported one another, and stepped up around issues affecting their communities. Some worked together to influence local decisions, while others launched new efforts to meet community needs.
What started as a place to connect became a place to learn, organize, and lead in their communities.
Building What’s Next
What began as a small group has grown into something larger.
In communities where this work is happening, people are building relationships, organizing around local issues, launching new initiatives, and stepping into leadership roles. What started with a few neighbors meeting for coffee is now a model for how communities can reconnect and move forward together.
Backroads exists to bring this work to more communities—so more people have the tools, relationships, and support to shape their own future.
The Approach
The Backroads Initiative provides resources, tools, training, and support for community leaders in rural spaces to reinvest in their community, organize their neighbors, and increase civic engagement. The approaches build off each other to build community and support neighbors.
Peer-to-Peer Training
Amber was struggling to feel connected in her community. She knew her own values, but wasn’t sure if anyone nearby felt the same. She reached out online, asking if anyone else wanted to meet for coffee and talk. A small group showed up, then kept coming back, inviting others along the way. Over time, leaders naturally emerged to guide conversations around civic engagement, local issues, and organizing. BRI provides the tools and structure to help communities start and sustain their own groups.
Regional Networking
As local groups formed, leaders began connecting across communities to share resources, information, and support. What started as informal introductions grew into a broader network of people navigating similar challenges in different places. These connections reduce isolation and make it easier to learn from one another. BRI helps facilitate this by convening leaders, supporting communication, and creating opportunities for regional collaboration through gatherings, trainings, and shared learning.
Leadership Development
As local leaders take on more responsibility, new challenges emerge—sustaining engagement, navigating conflict, and organizing effectively over time. This work highlights the need for ongoing support, not just initial connection. BRI is developing leadership resources, training opportunities, and small cohort learning spaces to help leaders grow in their roles. The goal is to provide practical tools and support that strengthen leadership from within communities.
Media & Storytelling
As communities grow more connected and active, access to reliable local information becomes critical. Many rural areas have lost local news, leaving people to rely on fragmented or incomplete information. BRI is developing tools and training to support local storytelling, including how to write letters to the editor, cover local meetings, and share community updates. Over time, this work will help strengthen local information networks and support community-based journalism rooted in trust and shared understanding.
Community Reinvestment
In one community, a group outgrew the living room where they first met and began looking for a more permanent space. A vacant building on Main Street sparked an idea: what if it could become a place for neighbors to gather again? Many rural communities face similar challenges as local spaces disappear. BRI is building a Community Reinvestment Fund to support small, practical projects that make it easier for people to come together, from improving existing spaces to helping bring new ones to life.