In healthy communities, people experience belonging, feel empowered to participate, and have the opportunity, support, and resources to thrive. For some Wisconsin residents these opportunities remain limited. Native Americans and people of color live and work across rural Wisconsin but their presence in and contributions to rural communities are largely ignored, according to the Governor’s […]

Cooperatives are member-based organizations that differ substantially from investor-owned, for-profit corporations. Cooperative businesses are owned by their members, who can be consumers, producers, employees, or groups of other enterprises. Cooperatives play an important role in urban and rural economies throughout the United States. They are a key driver of wealth creation and personal well-being, and […]

Every other April, local elections are held for local government officials in every town, village, and city in Wisconsin. On average, over 20% of elected officials are new every election cycle. This creates a near continuous group of elected officials beginning their initial term as a local elected official. In this environment, elected officials need […]

Community Food Systems integrate food production, processing, distribution, consumption, and disposal to enhance the environmental, economic, social, and nutritional health of a particular place. As such, community food systems offer an alternative vision to the dominant food system by shortening the length and increasing the transparency of food supply chains while emphasizing links between food, […]

Wisconsin is committed to ensuring access to broadband service for all its residents. Recognizing the necessity of high-speed internet in today’s digital society, Wisconsin aims to address gaps in internet access, adoption, and affordability by outlining strategies to achieve universal service by 2030, with goals to enhance broadband deployment and adoption and to improve the […]

Business ownership is an important vehicle for wealth creation, especially for members of economically disadvantaged communities. UW–Madison Extension’s Community Food Systems Program serves food business entrepreneurs through direct education, networking, and evaluation to improve entrepreneurs’ readiness and increase their access to licensing and regulatory information and other entrepreneurs. The Food Entrepreneurship Ecosystem Development (FEED) Initiative […]

Wisconsin’s communities face complex challenges such as access to broadband and child care, which require effective leadership at the organizational level. However, communities face a leadership void. UW–Madison Extension’s Organizational and Leadership Development Program fosters leadership that is rooted in inclusive processes and drives purposeful action to benefit Wisconsin’s communities. Extension delivers leadership development programs […]

An increasingly polarized political environment has inspired new candidates to seek elected office — over 20 percent of municipal and county officials on average are newly elected during any particular two-year period. Newly elected officials need a trustworthy source of information in order to understand their duties and responsibilities. UW–Madison Extension’s Local Government Education Program […]

Entrepreneurship brings many benefits to Wisconsin communities, including job and income growth and overall economic stability. Additionally, it supports the development of a community identity and improves residents’ quality of life. However, the success of entrepreneurs is hindered by a lack of business development assistance and weakened entrepreneurial ecosystems. UW–Madison Extension’s Community Economic Development Program […]

Wisconsin’s 72 counties, 604 cities and villages, and 1,250 towns are tasked with delivering services that support individuals, families, organizations, and businesses. In many cases, the demand for services is greater than the available resources requiring local governments to find innovative solutions to better serve their citizenry. In an effort to build toward innovative solutions, […]