Much More Than Money – The Impact of Small Rural Foundations

When most people think of foundations, they think of deep pockets. That’s understandable, since the popular public perception of philanthropy has been shaped by the creation of multimillion-dollar foundations by titans of old, and enforced by the glamour of new foundations launched to much fanfare by today’s billionaires. In rural communities, the creation of big-dollar…

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FEATURED — Is Rural America Philanthropy’s Final Frontier?

We have been tracking the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy’s (NCRP) “As the South Grows” series closely over the past year and were excited to contribute to a piece written by Ryan Schlegel on the potential of southern health conversion foundations. Institutional philanthropy in the United States has long neglected rural communities. As recently noted…

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Philanthropic Funding For Equity Can’t Exclude Rural

On April 11-13, I attended the PolicyLink Equity Summit in Chicago with a sell-out crowd of about 4,200 people. In the name of advancing equity and justice, we heard from national activist leaders on a wide range of topics that included housing, economic opportunity, climate change, educational opportunity, transportation, health, community safety and just-lending practices.…

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