Partnering for Rural Progress: GoWest Foundation Rural Access Grants Brings Ideas to Life

Posted by Alyse Knudsen on July 2, 2025

Across the GoWest region, rural communities are as diverse as the landscapes they occupy — each with its own rich history, distinct geography, and unique demographics. Credit unions, with their longstanding commitment to people over profits, have been essential in increasing financial access for individuals and small businesses in these often-underserved areas.

The GoWest Foundation’s Rural Access to Financial Services Grants are designed to empower credit unions to better understand the needs, opportunities, and challenges within rural populations. These grants support tailored community-driven solutions that expand access to financial services for rural households and small businesses.

To date, the GoWest Foundation has awarded more than $170,000 in Rural Access grants, helping credit unions expand their reach through mobile branches, financial education initiatives, and community outreach programs — all aimed at narrowing the financial access gap in rural areas.

“The impact credit unions have on rural communities is often life-changing,” said Sharee Adkins, Executive Director of the GoWest Foundation. “These grants help credit unions deepen their relationships with rural members and develop innovative, tailored solutions that reflect the needs and aspirations of the people they serve. Credit unions are stepping up to make meaningful, lasting change.”

Through the Rural Access to Financial Services Grants, credit unions can launch initiatives that respond to specific community needs. Whether through planning or implementation funding, these grants enable the development of new products, services, and pilot programs that improve financial access and expand economic opportunities for rural residents.

Planning Grants
Planning grants provide a unique funding opportunity for researching and developing a project. Grants can be used to fund feasibility studies, financial analysis and modeling, policy research and development, project management expenses, and any other expenses necessary to fully develop a rural access project plan. Awards for planning grants are up to $20,000 depending on the scope and scale of the project.

Project Implementation Grants
If a credit union is already engaged in helping a rural community access financial services and has a product or solution it would like to launch, a project grant may be a good option. The purpose of the project grant is to pilot or implement a product or program that expands services to underserved areas. Each project plan should be comprehensive, well-researched, and designed to address the needs of a specific rural community. Awards for project implementation grants for individual credit unions range up to $100,000, depending on the scope and scale of the project.

Learn more about some of the Foundation’s Rural Access Grants:

• Frontier Credit Union Makes an Impact on Idaho Small Businesses
• Old West Federal’s Farm to Table Loan Meets Unique Need in Rural Oregon Community
• Connections Credit Union Connect Rural Idaho Communities with a Mobile Banking Unit
• Central Willamette Credit Union’s Commitment to Rural Communities

From offering innovative products to providing mobile banking services and building strategic partnerships, credit unions help rural communities not only survive but thrive.

Credit unions are encouraged to reach out to the Foundation if they have a project or idea in mind. Individual credit unions as well as collaborations among multiple credit unions are welcome to apply for grant funding.

Learn more about Rural Access Financial Services Grants here or reach out to the GoWest Foundation Team at [email protected].

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