Community Futures Centre West

Community Economic Development (CED)

About CED
Rural Diversification Initiative Program
Rural Alberta's Development Fund
Alberta Youth Entrepreneurship Camp

About CED

Community economic development (CED) is based on a philosophy that people in communities can best make decisions about local opportunities and challenges. Community Futures Centre West helps communities take a leadership role in defining their futures and achieving sustainable development.

Community Futures Centre West services are available to a wide range of organizations, including:

Municipal councils, boards and committees
Regional and community non-profit organizations
Service clubs and other special interest groups

These services are provided to assist stakeholders build skills and knowledge to create efficient and effective methods of group organization and planning.

Specific facilitation and training services include:

Strategic planning
Project development
Board governance
How to conduct effective meetings
Moderating public meetings
Volunteerism recruiting and training
Researching and applying for funding

Community Futures Centre West will also research new training opportunities to meet the demand for specific skills development for regional municipalities and community organizations in areas related to Community Economic Development.

Please contact us if you would like more information about any of our services.

Rural Diversification Initiative (RDI)

What is rural diversification, and why does it matter?

In the simplest terms, rural diversification involves changing and growing local economies so that they no longer rely completely on one particular industry. In Alberta, rural economies have traditionally been based on primary activities such as farming, oil and gas extraction, mining and forestry. If one of these industries experiences a slump, or even collapses, the local economy suffers extreme consequences.

Since diversified economies produce revenues from a variety of sources, they are far more resilient during economic downturns. Marketing to local, domestic and international markets means that sales will be less affected by any regional crises. When a primary industry, such as forestry, goes into a slump, secondary industries in the same field, such as wood manufacturing, may still be viable. And if there are several sources of jobs in a region, then having one industry fail doesn’t create such dire economic repercussions.

What types of projects get funded?

	Cluster Development A cluster is a geographic grouping of linked companies that benefit both from working together collaboratively and from competing against each other. They can be joined horizontally – meaning similar firms in the same location, like antique dealers all on the same street. Or, they can be joined vertically, meaning firms in different stages of one industry grouped together – like hay compression plants set up near hay producers. Finally, they can be joined diagonally, where businesses offer distinct services but add value to each other – like the many activities available in a tourism area.
	Productivity Enhancement Productivity enhancement is linked to innovation. It could mean increasing productivity in a cluster by adopting new technology, using new materials or new processes, introducing lean manufacturing or industry training, or creating a business incubator project that allows different firms to share ideas, skills, equipment or services.
	Import Replacement Import replacement involves replacing imported goods or services with locally made goods or services. It could include “buy local” campaigns, creating connections between local suppliers and local businesses, or attracting new businesses to fill gaps in local manufacturing or food production.
	Development of New Markets The development of new markets could include working with a cluster either to develop new export markets or to develop new markets in targeted sectors.
	Innovative Access to Capital Creating innovative ways to access capital could include the development of angel investor networks, creating programs that encourage innovative funding for business, or providing innovative access to growth capital.

Want to learn more? Visit ruraldiversification.com

All projects must be submitted through a Community Futures office. If you have a project that you feel could be eligible for RDI funding, please contact us. We look forward to hearing about your ideas!

Rural Alberta's Development Fund

Rural Alberta's Development Fund is an independent not-for-profit company that wants to work with groups, organizations and communities that care about growing rural Alberta. The Fund's Board of Directors are looking for new or innovative projects that are community-supported, collaborative, and will have a positive, sustained impact on rural Alberta.

Alberta Youth Entrepreneurship Camp

Click here to visit the camp page.