KY RUX selected for the New Pluralists Breakthrough Fund
We’re honored to be one of seven teams across the country working to bridge class divides and help communities solve shared problems.
Big news, Kentuckians! We are so excited and deeply grateful to announce that Art of the Rural has received a $600,000 grant from New Pluralists to support the expansion of the Kentucky Rural-Urban Exchange (RUX) statewide network and programs.
KY RUX in Morehead, Rowan County, July 2025. Photo by M. Tyler McDaniel.
RUX has invested in Kentuckians to build a more connected and collaborative Kentucky since 2014. Guided by a network of leaders from across the state, our work connects Kentuckians at cultural events and through microgrant projects that connect unlikely collaborators. We’ve graduated 10 cohorts from our leadership program, and made 67 grants to support work on conservation, opioid recovery, arts and heritage, transportation, data center policy, and more.
“This funding will help RUX members bring more people into civic life, and build their ability to work across differences on issues that affect their communities,” said Savannah Barrett, co-founder of the Kentucky Rural-Urban Exchange (RUX). “We’re grateful for this opportunity to further invest in Kentuckians to influence the future of their communities.”
The three-year grant is part of the New Pluralists Breakthrough Fund, a $5 million investment in seven projects working to bridge class divides across the United States. We’ll use these resources to train and financially support Kentuckians to work with their neighbors to address shared concerns. We’ll also train and support Kentuckians to bring their neighbors together to share stories, meals, and experiences that encourage a deeper sense of community. We’re excited to share a glimpse of our programs in the years ahead:
“New Pluralists is excited to support and learn from the Kentucky Rural-Urban Exchange,” said Liz Vogel, executive director of New Pluralists. “They’re showing us how to make collaborating across our differences practical, powerful, and deeply joyful, so that we can adapt those lessons at a larger scale.”
The New Pluralists Breakthrough Fund supports local efforts that bring people from different economic and educational backgrounds together to solve shared problems. Learn more and meet our fellow Breakthrough Fund grantees here.
About Art of the Rural & the Kentucky Rural-Urban Exchange
Founded in 2010, Art of the Rural is a collaborative arts and culture non-profit organization that works to resource artists and culture bearers across the country to build the field, change the narrative, and bridge divides across rural America and Indian Country.
Founded in 2014 as an initiative of Art of the Rural, the Kentucky Rural-Urban Exchange (RUX) includes hundreds of members and partners from more than 80 of the Commonwealth’s 120 counties. Its flagship program has trained more than 400 alumni, and its microgrant program supports projects that strengthen civic participation and pride of place. The new funding will help more RUX members become local facilitators that can expand participation and turn shared concerns into community-led action.
About New Pluralists
New Pluralists is a cross-ideological funder collaborative investing together in a culture of respect and belonging in the United States. Through grantmaking, convening, and storytelling, New Pluralists supports a growing ecosystem of organizations working to connect people across lines of difference and solve problems together. New Pluralists invests in the relationships, practices, and tools we need to create a thriving democracy. Founded in 2021 by Einhorn Collaborative, Fetzer Institute, Hewlett Foundation, and Stand Together Trust, the collaborative has engaged 30 funding partners, many of whom have gone on to integrate pluralism approaches into their own strategies and practice.