Rural communities are among several groups that are underserved by institutional philanthropy. Current grantmaking trends show that philanthropy favors urban-based or urban-focus nonprofits over groups that serve or are located in rurual communities. Rural Philanthropy: Building Dialogue From Within, identifies perceived and real barriers between rural nonprofits and foundation based in urban areas and suggests ways to overcome these obstacles.
Findings and recommendations in this report are based on focus groups conveved in eastern Kentucky, southern Miami-Dade county in Florida, western Texas' border with Mexico, Montana and northern California in February, March and April 2007 to discuss various strategies that both rural nonprofits and foundations can promote to increase philanthropy that benefit rural communities.
Related Initiatives
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Criteria for Philanthropy at Its Best: Benchmarks to Assess and Enhance Grantmaker ImpactThis is the first ever set of measurable guidelines for foundations and institutional grantmakers to operate ethically and maximize the impact of their dollars. |
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Grantmaking for Community Impact ProjectLearn about the positive impact that communities have seen through funder-supported nonpartisan policy and community engagement in seven sites across the country on issues ranging from poverty and homelessness to education and environmental justice. |
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High Impact Strategies for PhilanthropyGrantmakers focusing on arts and culture, education, environment, health and other issues can boost their impact by thinking about who benefits from their giving and how policy and community engagement might help them address the root causes of the social problems they care about. |
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Philanthropy's PromiseCelebrates many of the country’s most innovative and influential grantmaking institutions that seek to maximize the effectiveness of their grants and generate the greatest impact in their communities. |
Related Publications
The Power of Persuasion: Getting More Foundations to Fund Rural In Philanthropy and Rural America
by Aaron Dorfman
August 2007
NCRP talks about the rural philanthropy summit held in Montana in by the Council on Foundations. It identifies several obstacles to rural grantmaking and strategies to overcome these challenges based on the report Rural Philanthropy: Building Dialogue from Within.
Beyond City Limits: The Philanthropic Needs of Rural America
May 2004
In this report, we analyze whether the nonprofits of rural America have adequate access to the philanthropic capital markets controlled by American foundations to give them the wherewithal to address the complexities of challenges in non-metropolitan communities.
Related Statements and Testimonies
Creating a Philanthropic Sector that is More Responsive to the Needs of Diverse Communities
NCRP submitted its comments to the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Oversight on whether the charitable organizations are serving the needs of diverse communities. The subcommittee held a hearing on September 25, 2007.
