This study surveyed 1,029 residents across 24 rural communities participating in Trust for Civic Life’s grantee network (up from 8 the prior year), using questions adapted from established instruments like the Cooperative Election Study and World Values Survey to measure trust, agency, and belonging. It found that while trust in national institutions fell sharply year-over-year, trust in local institutions such as libraries, nonprofits, and community foundations stayed strong and stable, and roughly half of respondents reported actively working to build common ground with people of different political backgrounds in their own communities. The research, conducted with SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University, links this local bridging behavior to stronger social trust across political lines.