Making rural voices heard: Marcia Erickson receives Founders Award

Marcia Erickson grew up on a cattle farm in rural South Dakota where neighbors knew and took care of one another. If one neighbor fell ill or got hurt when it was time to bring in the corn, the others were ready to help. “The crops can’t wait,” Erickson said.  

That spirit of helping her rural community stayed with her and made a career in affordable housing and community development a natural fit. Erickson has worked in the field for 38 years and counting, coming up with fresh ideas, strategizing and giving voice to rural concerns. Her work as a co-founder and co-CEO of GROW South Dakota, a statewide nonprofit that advances housing, community and economic development, led NeighborWorks® America to choose Erickson as the recipient of the 2026Marcia Erickson grew up on rural farmland in South Dakota. Photo of farmland courtesy of Marcia Erickson. NeighborWorks Founders Award. Lori Finnesand, Erickson’s co-CEO, nominated her for the award, which is presented each year to a current or former leader from NeighborWorks or its network who has greatly improved the affordable housing and community development field. Recipients are chosen for their enduring legacies, their innovation and their dedication to the values that contributed to the formation of NeighborWorks America, a Congressionally chartered nonprofit that creates opportunities for people to live in affordable homes, improve their lives and strengthen their communities.

Growing with GROW SD

Erickson had been working on advertising design for a local newspaper when she came across a job at what was then known as Northeast South Dakota Community Action Program. “This job found me,” she said. “This career found me. And I settled into it and grew up with GROW South Dakota.”

It was when she was out on an assignment with her weatherization team, she said, that she knew for sure she was in the right place: She had an up-close view of the difference her organization was making in people’s lives every day. “The homeowners save energy, their home lasts longer and they’re warmer, they’re healthier. That was a turning point for me,” she said.

In a number of communities in South Dakota, Erickson can see businesses that would not be there without GROW South Dakota’s help. Main Streets have stabilized and businesses have expanded from one town to the next because GROW provided them with that first seed money to get things going.Marcia Erickson against a backdrop of corn.

Drive into a neighborhood, and Erickson can find families living in their own homes where they are building generational wealth because of her nonprofit. “Seeing the smiles on their faces when they were able to open the door for the first time as a first-time homeowner – it’s been amazing. I love seeing the difference we make. I like visiting with our customers and seeing how they’re doing when they start a new business or expand a new business. There’s meaning in my job and that’s what brings the passion.”

Erickson credits her team, her board of directors, and Finnesand with helping her do her job. Her husband has been a huge support, too, she added – and she supports him on the family farm.  “I’ve got two passions in my life that I’m able to be a part of,” she said. “Who could ask for anything more than that?”

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