Community Benefit Ideas for Rural Co-ops

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

Why This Matters for Rural Electric Co-ops

For co-ops looking for ways to give back to the communities they serve, this list offers practical ideas, from bill credits and local funds to support for schools, fire departments, and trails. Co-op leaders can use it when planning a new project, building a Community Benefits Plan, or looking for fresh ways to put Concern for Community into practice.

RMI compiled these ideas from real benefits that developers and investor-owned utilities have offered rural communities, but they also translate well to co-ops. This list is built for quick inspiration. For a deeper look, RMI's Community Benefits Catalog details about 50 real benefits, roughly a fifth of them from co-ops, organized by stakeholder priority and project stage.

Community Benefit Ideas

Financial Support

• One-time upfront payments, annual payments, or both
• Power purchase agreement with the host town for a 10% to 20% discount on residents' electricity bills
• Bill credits for residential customers in host towns (example: New York's Host Community Benefit Program)
• Community leases that share revenue directly with participating organizations and residents
• A percentage of project revenue placed in a trust for public infrastructure
• A fund nearby property owners can claim from to offset property value reductions
• Financing for rooftop solar in the community
• An energy conservation fund for property owners' efficiency projects

Conservation

• Wildlife habitat easements and funding for land conservation groups
• Improved public access to waterways and water quality projects

Community Infrastructure

• Park improvements
• Local museum and building improvements

Community Programs

• Meal delivery for seniors
• Community health clinics
• Youth program funding
• Funding for local nonprofits
• A community-led donation fund for civic groups, nonprofits, and local projects, with recipients chosen and the fund managed by community representatives

Education and Emergency Services

• School district funding
• Fire district funding, including a new fire truck
• Funding for sheriff and emergency services, such as purchasing an ambulance
• Emergency alert systems for remote areas

Recreation

• Outdoor recreation trail repair
• Stormwater management
• Snowmobile and ATV trail repair and maintenance
• Recreation district funding for facilities and activities

Other

• A bond to cover project decommissioning
• Net metering credits purchased by local universities
• Brownfield reclamation and tax lien abatement, which forgives back taxes so contaminated land can be redeveloped (resource: EPA's RE-Powering America's Land)