News Release – For Immediate Release                                                                       March 24, 2026

Contact: Megan Purtell | (608) 358-8458 | assist@wisruralpartner.org

Wisconsin Rural Partners Announces 2026 Top Rural Development Initiative Award Recipients

Madison, WI — Wisconsin Rural Partners (WRP) is proud to announce the recipients of the 2026 Top Rural Development Initiative (TRDI) Awards, recognizing innovative projects that strengthen and sustain rural communities across the state.

This year's honoree is the East End Revitalization Initiative | Village of Ellsworth

For more than 25 years, the TRDI program has celebrated the partnerships, creativity, and local leadership driving rural Wisconsin forward. Since its inception in 1998, over 150 initiatives have been recognized for their impact on economic development, community vitality, and quality of life.

East End Revitalization Initiative | Ellsworth, WI

The East End Revitalization Initiative represents a comprehensive, community-driven approach to rural economic development, focused on Ellsworth's eastern commercial corridor—home to the village's primary tourism district.

In 2025, the Village of Ellsworth secured a $1.57 million Agricultural Roads Improvement Program (ARIP) grant from the State of Wisconsin. This significant investment provides a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reconstruct a critical corridor that supports agricultural transportation, local businesses, and regional tourism.

The initiative is the result of years of intentional planning and public engagement. Foundational efforts—including Design Ellsworth (2018), the updated Comprehensive Plan (2022), and the Strategic and Redevelopment Plans (2025)—all identified the East End as a top priority. Through community input such as town halls, surveys, and listening sessions, residents consistently emphasized the need for reinvestment, connectivity, and place-based identity.

Award Presentation

The 2026 TRDI award recipients will be formally recognized at the Wisconsin Rural Partners Annual Rural Summit on April 30, 2026, in Prairie du Chien.

About Wisconsin Rural Partners

Wisconsin Rural Partners is the state's federally designated rural development council. Dedicated to enhancing the quality of life in rural Wisconsin, WRP serves as a nonpartisan forum for identifying key issues and advancing collaborative, locally driven solutions.

Through partnerships with local, county, state, tribal, and federal governments—as well as businesses, nonprofits, and community members—WRP supports innovative strategies that strengthen rural communities statewide.

This marks the 26th year Wisconsin Rural Partners has recognized Top Rural Development Initiatives.

Learn more: www.wiruralpartners.org

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