Kay Payne
308.865.8199
The “Central Nebraska Capacity Building Project” received a $40,000 grant from the Department of Economic Development in late January for community planning. The project is a collaboration of the Center for Rural Research and Development at the University of Nebraska at Kearney, Central Nebraska Community Services, the Outback Initiative, and the communities of Ainsworth, Ashton, Farwell, Marquette, Clarks, Halsey, Springview, Johnstown, Long Pine, and other nearby rural areas.
“Half of the grant will be used by the CRRD to conduct community needs assessment surveys to find the needs of the community,” said Kay Payne, director of the CRRD and main author of the grant. “The other half of the grant will be used by the partners to implement the needed projects. This project is truly democracy in action where the people of the communities prioritize the needs of their community. We provide a network of service providers who can assist in meeting those needs.”
The total cost of the project is $53,000. The part of the project not funded by the grant comes from the project partners and from the community members who donate their time and money.
