The fonds consists of the operational records of the Rural Development Council and the research materials compiled by Michael O'Grady for his book "From grassroots to grim reapings". It also contains two files concerning a proposed film about the Community Schools Program undertaken in 1979/1980 and audiocassettes of interviews with persons involved in the Rural Development Council and the events surrounding its existence and demise. As it was not possible to reconstruct the original order of the operational files nor to completely separate the two components of the fonds, the arrangement into the following nine series may reflect a combination of the two filing systems.

1. Administrative files
2. Minutes
3. Reports
4. Correspondence
5. Philosophy, role, strategy papers
6. Program/activity files
7. RDC newsletters
8. Research for "From grassroots to grim reapings"
9. Interview tapes and transcripts