Mendota, a ghost town in the Texas panhandle, paints a picture of small-town struggle. Founded in 1887, it failed to thrive despite efforts to attract farmers.
A lack of staff and know-how often means rural towns miss out on grants to improve their communities, and a Texas group is trying to balance the scales. Billions of dollars will soon be flowing from the federal government to states for broadband, water and energy upgrades, transportation infrastructure and other projects. To help rural towns and nonprofits secure the money, Texas Rural Funders has stepped in. .