The following is a press release from Klamath IDEA / Ford Family Foundation.

The Ford Family Foundation is proud to announce the launch of a new framework for supporting rural entrepreneurs called Growing Rural Oregon — GRO. Four Oregon cities will participate in GRO’s first cohort: John Day, Independence, Klamath Falls and Florence. Community leaders will work with a coach to build a local entrepreneurial ecosystem, follow an evaluation plan and collaborate as a learning community for a five-year period.

GRO is an economic development framework that aims to foster more prosperous and resilient rural cities and towns across Oregon through entrepreneur-centered development. Starting with the recognition that every community already has entrepreneurial talent, GRO helps identify the tools needed to support and uplift rural entrepreneurs. GRO strategies aim to leverage unique community assets that can stimulate innovation and sustainable economic vitality.

“Klamath IDEA is proud to be a part of the first GRO cohort in partnership with The Ford Family Foundation,” shared Kat Rutledge, director of Klamath IDEA in Klamath Falls. “We’ve been working hard on our entrepreneurial ecosystem, and it’s exciting to have the Foundation come alongside us to demonstrate what entrepreneurship can do for our rural communities.”

“The Foundation is proud to catalyze GRO because it is a community-centered and community-driven framework,” said Kathleen Flanagan, director of Community Economic Development. “GRO is not a service provider or a stand-alone program — it is an intensive journey to jumpstart entrepreneurial behavior. This framework engages the broader community in growing prosperity together over time.”

The GRO framework’s approach is consistent with the Foundation’s community-led approach to supporting vital rural communities in Oregon and Siskiyou County, Calif. “This is a long-term investment in the health and livelihood of entrepreneurs in rural Oregon,” explained Foundation president, Anne Kubisch. “From lenders to economic development organizations to government officials and community residents — GRO takes all of us collaborating together.”

GRO has been developed in partnership with national experts from NetWork Kansas and e2 Entrepreneurial Ecosystems. Oregon-based partners include Oregon Economic Development Districts and Central Oregon Intergovernmental Council (COIC). COIC will manage GRO’s implementation, leveraging community building capacity and direct relationships with the community members in the four participating communities. The Foundation is grateful for COIC’s expertise and collaboration to engage community residents in the GRO framework.