By Brenna Keller
NKyTribune associate editor
Interact for Health held the first Rural Community Connection event of 2026 on Thursday in Williamstown at Main Street Gardens.
(Photo by Brenna Keller/NKyTribune)
The Rural Community Connection is part of Interact for Health’s Rural Investment Strategy. Rural Investments in 2026 include two rounds of the Rural Changemaker Grant, rolling event sponsorship opportunities, and networking at Rural Community Connection events.
Fourteen of the 20 counties in Interact for Health’s service area are considered rural. In Kentucky, those counties are Bracken, Gallatin, Grant, and Pendleton.
Interact for Health hopes their Rural Investment Strategy will strengthen partnerships and improve health in local rural communities. The strategy launched in 2024. In 2025, there were 12 grant-funded projects with a total dollar-amount of $669,860. Additional event sponsorship money totaled $112,725.
There were about 30 registered attendees at the Rural Community Connection event in Williamstown.
The event began with Caitlin Bentley-Thayer, Senior Program Manager of Rural Community Engagement at Interact for Health, providing key information about the Rural Changemaker Grant.
The goal of the Rural Changemaker Grant is to fund work promoting health and well-being in the rural regions of Interact for Health’s service area. Grants will be awarded through two rounds of funding. They will range from $10,000 – $70,000 for 12 – 18 months. At least three organizations will be awarded per round.
The request for proposals is open for the first round of funding. The deadline for the first round is April 14. The deadline for the second round will be September 8. Additional information can be found on Interact for Health’s Open Funding page.
To be eligible for the Rural Changemaker Grant, a project must serve at least one rural community in Interact for Health’s service area. Applicants must be a public nonprofit or governmental organization. The project must be community-driven, and must touch on at least one of the Rippel Foundation’s Vital Conditions for Health and Well-Being:
- Thriving natural world
- Basic needs for health and safety
- Humane housing
- Meaningful work and wealth
- Lifelong learning
- Reliable transportation
- Belonging and civic muscle
Attendees received some clarification on the difference between the grant and event sponsorships. An organization can apply for both but can only apply for each once per year. The grant is to fund a larger, grass-roots project. The sponsorship is what Bentley-Thayer referred to as “hotdog and bouncy house dollars;” money to specifically enhance a community event.
Sponsorship decisions are made on a rolling basis at the end of each month, and funding must be requested prior to an event. Bentley-Thayer advised anyone wanting event sponsorship to apply early, as the pot of available money decreases toward the end of the year.
The event concluded with participant discussion about the following topics:
- Community progress and any shifts noticed
- Momentum building and any emerging opportunities
- What their community will look like in five years
- Resources and other support needed to move from ideas to implementation
Any organization interested in submitting for a Rural Changemaker Grant is invited to attend a Community Office Hours session on Thursday, March 26 from 1 – 4 pm at Opa’s Pizzeria (126 N Main Street, Williamstown, KY 41097). This is an opportunity to get answers to any questions about the grant process.
Future Rural Community Connection events will be held in Ohio and Indiana.