I took the bus to and from school until I was old enough to drive. When the bell rang, and we’d pour out of school, dozens of yellow school buses would be lined up waiting for us with their engines idling. Particularly on hot and humid days, the diesel fumes would be suffocating, and I’d often end up with a headache by the time we pulled out of the school’s drive. If you rode the bus, you may have similar memories, too.

At last year’s Roadshow, I missed a very wonderful connection thanks to the somewhat enigmatically labeled “XNA” airport code for the Northwest Arkansas Airport – which you can and should read all about in this month’s article from Bill Brown.

Join Groundswell and Pastor Billy Humphrey, Founder and Executive Director of City of Refuge, on February 7th at noon ET for an online discussion about Direct Pay's impact on non-profits. Pastor Humphrey has seen firsthand what the "Direct Pay" provisions of the IRA can mean for non-profits. He will share examples of the impact of direct pay on his community, and we'll answer questions about what this could mean for your community.

Santa came early last year when the U.S. Department of the Treasury and the IRS launched the “Direct/Elective” Pay Pre-Filing Tool, which enables nonprofits, including rural electric cooperative utilities, municipal governments, and other qualifying organizations to “pre-file” for solar and other clean energy tax credits. This game-changing new policy was a major topic of conversation at the Roadshow, so we wanted to share a few resources to help you go after the value of these tax credits.

This month, we hosted the first Rural Renaissance Roadshow in Bentonville, Arkansas. Leaders in clean energy, agriculture, government, media, and more joined us for three days focused on learning, strategizing, sharing resources, and building community.