The guide's major target audiences are local officials and leaders of community organizations; the major purposes are to introduce rural leaders to a wide range of assistance possibilities, to inform leaders of the processes involved in obtaining assistance from these various resources, and to encourage greater involvement on the part of rural leaders in obtaining assistance. The beginning section deals with federal programs and is broken down by such departments as: agriculture; commerce; health, education, and welfare; and a number of independent agencies. Section II emphasizes that state governments are important resources for furthering rural development activities, indicates where to go for support, and lists areas of involvement. Section III discusses foundation assistance (when to seek, what to expect, and where to find) and provides a listing of foundations that fund rural programs. Section IV is concerned with church resources; considerations to take into account before seeking church funding are provided as well as a list of major programs. Section V deals with other private sector resources such as corporate and union resources. Section VI is concerned with agencies that can provide assistance in capacity building for rural development--federal, state, educational, multicounty planning organizations, membership associations, nonprofit organizations, and private consultants. The directory concludes with a functional cross reference section. (BR)