Former President Bill Clinton Calls for Grantmaker Commitment to Rural Philanthropy
posted on: Thursday, July 23, 2009
Speaking at the Council on Foundations conference on rural philanthropy, former president Bill Clinton told attendees, “The foundation activity in rural America has been woefully inadequate.” The conference was held at Clinton’s presidential library in Little Rock, Ark.
While he challenged grantmakers to do more in rural America, he also challenged rural charities to be more creative in their work and create hope for their constituencies. According to Business Week, Clinton said, “Why do you think people in rural America are so dismal? Because they think that tomorrow is going to be just like yesterday. It's not because they're poor, but because they're stuck in a rut they can't get out of.”
Rural areas often experience the same marginalized status as the urban poor. In 2006, the Metropolitan Policy Program at the Brookings Institution collaborated with the Community Affairs Offices of the Federal Reserve System to examine concentrated poverty in America. Concentrated poverty refers to an area in which 40 percent or more of the population is living at or below the poverty line. Their study, “The Enduring Challenge of Concentrated Poverty in America,” found rural poverty rates as high as 45.6 percent (in McKinley County, NM) and led to a policy forum in 2008 that produced an agenda for steps to reducing concentrated poverty.
In a 2007 report, Rural Philanthropy: Building Dialogue from Within, NCRP presented strategies for grantmakers to strengthen their rural work. These included: flexible grantmaking to build strong nonprofits such as multi-year general operating support and appropriate technical assistance; supporting intermediaries; collaborating with other funders and; building local endowments through such entities as community foundations.
While President Clinton emphasized the role of nonprofits in rural areas, Rural Philanthropy found that in 2001 and 2002, only 184 of the 65,000+ foundations even gave grants that could be classified as targeting rural development. Of those 184, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and the Ford Foundation accounted for nearly half of the grantmaking. Clearly, more foundations can play a stronger role in supporting rural development.
Given the opportunities presented through the stimulus package Clinton noted in his speech (such as investments in alternative wind energy that could benefit rural communities), foundations are presented with an opportunity to partner with their rural grantees and ensure that their constituents’ voices are heard as the process of distributing stimulus funds continues.
Julia Craig is a contributing author of Criteria for Philanthropy at Its Best, and research assistant at NCRP.
Labels: Bill Clinton, Council on Foundations, Philanthropy at Its Best, Rural Philanthropy
Speaking at the Council on Foundations conference on rural philanthropy, former president Bill Clinton told attendees, “The foundation activity in rural America has been woefully inadequate.” The conference was held at Clinton’s presidential library in Little Rock, Ark.
While he challenged grantmakers to do more in rural America, he also challenged rural charities to be more creative in their work and create hope for their constituencies. According to Business Week, Clinton said, “Why do you think people in rural America are so dismal? Because they think that tomorrow is going to be just like yesterday. It's not because they're poor, but because they're stuck in a rut they can't get out of.”
Rural areas often experience the same marginalized status as the urban poor. In 2006, the Metropolitan Policy Program at the Brookings Institution collaborated with the Community Affairs Offices of the Federal Reserve System to examine concentrated poverty in America. Concentrated poverty refers to an area in which 40 percent or more of the population is living at or below the poverty line. Their study, “The Enduring Challenge of Concentrated Poverty in America,” found rural poverty rates as high as 45.6 percent (in McKinley County, NM) and led to a policy forum in 2008 that produced an agenda for steps to reducing concentrated poverty.
In a 2007 report, Rural Philanthropy: Building Dialogue from Within, NCRP presented strategies for grantmakers to strengthen their rural work. These included: flexible grantmaking to build strong nonprofits such as multi-year general operating support and appropriate technical assistance; supporting intermediaries; collaborating with other funders and; building local endowments through such entities as community foundations.
While President Clinton emphasized the role of nonprofits in rural areas, Rural Philanthropy found that in 2001 and 2002, only 184 of the 65,000+ foundations even gave grants that could be classified as targeting rural development. Of those 184, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and the Ford Foundation accounted for nearly half of the grantmaking. Clearly, more foundations can play a stronger role in supporting rural development.
Given the opportunities presented through the stimulus package Clinton noted in his speech (such as investments in alternative wind energy that could benefit rural communities), foundations are presented with an opportunity to partner with their rural grantees and ensure that their constituents’ voices are heard as the process of distributing stimulus funds continues.
Julia Craig is a contributing author of Criteria for Philanthropy at Its Best, and research assistant at NCRP.
Labels: Bill Clinton, Council on Foundations, Philanthropy at Its Best, Rural Philanthropy
posted by Julia Craig at
9:32 AM
3 Comments:
i think this story was reported 2 weeks ago?? or did he give another talk???
check out my Bill Clinton blog. I am promoting his work
http://adugan-billclintonblog.blogspot.com/
By
adugan, at 9:58 AM
Adugan, Bill Clinton gave a speech at the Council on Foundations Rural Philanthropy Conference on July 13-15. Perhaps this is what you're referring too? http://www.cof.org/programsandservices/professionaldev/showConference.cfm?itemNumber=16316&navItemNumber=15768
By
Yna Moore, at 10:32 AM
yes it is
By
adugan, at 11:15 AM
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