The RCAP national office, located in Washington, D.C.:
- manages the network’s national programs [1] (see below)
- represents the RCAP network before federal agencies and Congress
- collaborates with other organizations and associations [2] on issues of concern to rural communities
- develops policy and position papers [3] for the RCAP network
- coordinates other networks in support of RCAP’s mission and programs
In addition, the national office carries out:
- policy development and advocacy [4] on rural issues, especially with respect to community infrastructure
- applied research [5]
- sharing of knowledge and best practices across the network
- promoting dialog to help communities understand the relationship between the environment, public health, and economic viability
- visibility-raising activities for RCAP both within the network to promote common work and outside the network with various audiences
- representing the RCAP network (and coordinating representatives from RCAP regions) on governmental and nongovernmental committees and workgroups, including issue-focused groups managed by funding agencies
- organizing national conferences that offer training and continuing education for staff
RCAP’s programs
The RCAP national office, in addition to managing the national programs of the RCAP network, secures funding for them and coordinates the regular reporting on the use of the funds (with the exception of number 4 below). These programs are:
- the Technitrain Program [6] (funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development [7])
- a program that provides training and technical assistance for small, publicly owned wastewater systems, onsite/decentralized wastewater systems and private well owners to improve water quality (funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency [8])
- the Tribal Utility Governance Program [9], which provides assistance primarily to develop the capacity of personnel and decision makers of tribally operated systems in EPA Regions 6, 8 and 9 [10] (funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency [8])
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With direct funding from the Office of Community Services of the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services [11], each RCAP region has a water and wastewater program that provides technical, managerial and financial assistance to small communities and their water and wastewater systems. Many times communities receive assistance under this funding source to extend or establish new service to parts of communities that previously did not have it.