From the beginning, the Heartland Summit has been built around a simple idea: Meet in the Middle. Progress happens when we bring people together across industries, geographies and perspectives around a shared belief that a stronger heartland means a stronger America.

The middle of the country has always helped power America forward. As the country competes for talent, investment and economic opportunity, the heartland has an opportunity to lead. And that’s why we’ve set a goal to generate $500 million in economic impact across the heartland by 2030. The partnerships formed, investments announced and ideas advanced at the Summit are how we turn that ambition into action.

Angie Cooper, president of Heartland Forward, emphasized that the Summit is about more than bringing people together—it’s about turning ideas into action. “The heartland has incredible talent, strong industries and real momentum. Our opportunity is to build on those strengths, bring the right people and partners together, and turn bold ideas into meaningful action that drives lasting economic growth across the region.”

And this year, we saw that momentum firsthand.

2026 Heartland Summit Announcements:

• A new partnership with The BlackRock Foundation to expand skilled workforce access: An initiative to connect more students across the heartland to high-demand careers, training and employers — creating stronger pathways for young people while building the skilled workforce America needs to compete. 
• rootEd Alliance expansion: rootEd is expanding into Oklahoma, bringing dedicated college and career advising to more rural students. In Arkansas, rootEd Alliance has set a goal of reaching 100 schools by 2030, significantly expanding access to college and career advising across the state.
• HMHBA Announces $20M in State Grants: Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies America committed its first state-level investments — $10 million each to Arkansas and Kentucky over five years, which will expand maternal care workforce, data systems, home visiting and postpartum support in two states hit hard by maternity care deserts.
• Maternal Resiliency Index: We launched the beta version of a first-of-its-kind tool to give policymakers and community leaders better data to understand maternal health needs and target solutions where they can have the greatest impact.
• AI on Main Street: New research was unveiled examining how small businesses across the heartland are adopting AI and what they need to compete, grow and lead in an economy being transformed by technology.
• Investment-ready communities: We announced the first state partnership for the Center for Investment Readiness designed to help communities compete for investment, create jobs and bring more economic opportunity to the middle of the country.
• Secret Sauce Communities: We recognized Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Grand Rapids, Michigan; and Huntsville, Alabama, three communities proving that some of the best ideas for American growth are already taking shape in the heartland.

These announcements are important markers of what comes next for Heartland Forward, but some of the Summit’s biggest impact happens in the conversations between sessions, around salon dinner tables and through introductions between people who may not otherwise have met.

“The Heartland Summit has always been about what happens when we meet in the middle, not just geographically, but around the ideas that will shape America’s future,” said Krista Cupp, executive vice president for partnerships and events at Heartland Forward.

If you’re interested in partnering with us on any of this work, or the many other initiatives creating impact across the heartland, reach out to heartlandsummit@heartlandforward.org.