Heartland Forward announced at this year's Summit that it is expanding its Center for Investment Readiness (CIR) to the state level for the first time, partnering with Tennessee to help more communities compete for capital and turn local strengths into economic growth.

The goal: Build on CIR's initial 10-community pilot by giving more local leaders the data, tools and connections they need to attract investment and position their communities for long-term growth.

Why it's important: The heartland is home to 39% of the U.S. population and generates roughly 35% of the country's GDP, according to new research from Heartland Forward and the McKinsey Institute for Economic Mobility.

💵 But investment hasn't followed at the same scale.

• Heartland communities receive about 10% of total U.S. venture capital investment and 29% of fixed-capital lending.
• And just 3% to 7% of philanthropic foundation funding goes to rural communities.

Next steps: "How do we accelerate economic growth and change the narrative about the middle of the country?" said Heartland Forward president Angie Cooper.

• One approach: Make sure communities have the right data and resources to identify their strengths and make the case for investment.

How it works: The Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development will help identify participating communities and connect local leaders with CIR's economic development support.

• Tennessee and Heartland Forward also plan to host a 2027 event bringing investors directly to heartland communities positioned for economic development opportunities.

The statewide model builds on CIR's work in Lawrenceburg and Chattanooga.

• In Lawrenceburg, the program helped surface strong startup job creation as an area of opportunity.
• In Chattanooga, leaders have built on assets like the city's municipal utility and high-speed internet to support new investment and emerging technologies.

Michael Hendrix, policy director for Gov. Bill Lee of Tennessee, who joined Cooper onstage, described the opportunity as connecting communities with the capital that can help them grow.

• "We need to connect the building in the heartland with the backers of that opportunity," said Hendrix. "We need to connect the dots between local knowledge and global capital."

📖 A new Investment Readiness Community Guidebook from Heartland Forward and the McKinsey Institute for Economic Mobility gives communities a framework for doing just that.

The guidebook focuses on three factors that shape a community's ability to attract, deploy and sustain investment:

• Economy: The industries and economic base that drive growth and resilience.
• Community: Local assets, demographics, identity and quality of life.
• Coordination: Whether government, investors and community organizations can align around priorities and follow through.

Rather than ranking communities, the framework is designed to help local leaders identify their strengths, spot constraints and determine where to act first.

Looking ahead: The program was piloted in 10 communities across the heartland: Chattanooga, Tenn.; Enid, Okla.; Hutchinson, Kan.; Iowa City, Iowa; Joplin, Mo.; Lawrenceburg, Tenn.; Mt. Sterling, Ill.; Perry, Okla.; Rockford, Ill. and Wausau, Wis. Heartland Forward aims to expand CIR to 30 communities and generate more than $100 million in economic impact by 2030.

The takeaway: Attracting investment starts with showing investors where opportunity already exists. By pairing local knowledge with data, coordination and access to capital, Heartland Forward is betting more heartland communities can compete for the country's next wave of growth.