Posts by Allen Smart

The vast majority (93%) of US grantmaking is focused on urban communities. Rural America seems all but forgotten, yet rural areas are the places that make urban life possible. They provide the energy to power urban buildings, food for millions of urban residents, forestlands to combat urban carbon emissions, places where city dwellers go to…

Individual rural donors have been supporting, growing and sustaining organizations that serve rural communities in America for centuries. In some cases, those donors have been the only charitable resource in town. But for a growing number of rural areas, a new kind of philanthropic powerhouse is making waves. The Office of Rural Philanthropic Analysis at…

While philanthropy news is dominated by top foundations and big-name charitable cash drops, a quieter yet equally important revolution in philanthropy has been bubbling up in rural America. It is rooted in the work of more than 300 healthcare conversion foundations that have emerged from the sale of nonprofit hospitals, healthcare systems, and health insurance…

It’s a critical time for Rural America, but what do we know about it? There are 60 million rural people in the United States, roughly 19 percent of the nation’s population. Yet, the level of (under)investment by philanthropy in rural communities is still staggering—at less than 7% of all grantmaking. The rewards of rural philanthropy…

As we head towards the homestretch of the currently funded Rural Philanthropy Analysis Project (RPA) here at Campbell University, I thought it time to review what we have done to date and what you all can expect to see through the end of 2018. When asked to describe the work of RPA, my best shorthand…

Over the past few years, there has been an uptick in conversations, meetings, and efforts to embrace equity in philanthropy. Sometimes we see this growing interest manifest as a new portfolio; sometimes it’s embedded in a revised mission and vision. This movement has been a long time coming, and there are many who have toiled…