(KAIR)--Special honors for Locally Atchison Main Street, selected to participate in what's known as Main Street America's Equitable Entrepreneurial Ecosystems in Rural Communities Pilot Program.

According to a release from Locally Atchison, the City's selection is among one of 30 communities nationwide, including Puerto Rico, chosen to participate in the program, which is supported by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, and "aims to engage, activate, and empower entrepreneurial talent in rural communities so that everyone sees themselves reflected on their Main Street." Participants will identify barriers preventing entrepreneurs from starting or growing local businesses and develop action items to address them.

Along with joining a cohort of national thought leaders and partners, communities will receive a $5,000 seed grant and $1,500 toward professional development certification with the International Economic Development Council. There is also an opportunity for communities to receive additional funding as the program expands.

The release explains that the Main Street approach is centered around Transformation Strategies, with the program organized around four points: economic vitality, design, promotion, and organization.

The release notes that Locally Atchison Main Street, over the next few months, "will be working to collect feedback from local entrepreneurs and small business owners through an anonymous survey," with the feedback collected to "help inform the growth and expansion of support for local entrepreneurs in Atchison."