June 01, 2023 A Tale of Two Georgias: One Healthcare Funder's Roadmap for Rural Health Equity June 01, 2023/ Paul Karon In 2017, the Healthcare Georgia Foundation launched an initiative to improve health and economic opportunity for residents of the state's underserved rural areas. Here's how it went, and what other funders can learn. Read More
May 26, 2023 How One Funder Is Seeking to Bolster Mental Healthcare in Rural America May 26, 2023/ Martha Ramirez While better mental healthcare is needed across the U.S., there are stark disparities in care between urban and rural areas. Here’s how the Helmsley Charitable Trust is tackling the problem in the Midwest and elsewhere.Read More
May 19, 2023 With Its First Major Grant, a New Foundation Tackles Rural Healthcare Access May 19, 2023/ Martha Ramirez After selling her company and starting the Barr-Campbell Family Foundation, a UC Berkeley alum awarded the university $10 million to launch an ambitious master’s degree program focused on rural healthcare.Read More
May 16, 2023 Rural-to-Rural Partnerships: Leveling the Playing Field to Secure Federal Funding May 16, 2023/ Jerry Neal Kenney and Kathleen Flanagan, Guest Contributors Rural communities are often at a disadvantage in the race for federal funding. In this guest piece, representatives of two rural philanthropies share how they’ve been collaborating to build that capacity.Read More
May 09, 2023 Here are Four Grantmakers Backing Rural Areas in New England and the Mid-Atlantic May 09, 2023/ Martha Ramirez Large parts of New England and the Mid-Atlantic are rural and, despite proximity to large metropolitan areas, tend to receive less philanthropic attention. Here are some place-based funders supporting these areas.Read More
April 17, 2023 Voter Turnout Lags Among Rural Youth. This New Fund Aims to Change That April 17, 2023/ Martha Ramirez Young people in rural areas are some of the nation’s most persuadable voters. They’re also one of its most neglected voter demographics. But this new fund from the Rural Democracy Initiative is paying attention. Read More
April 10, 2023 Here Are Five Grantmakers Funding the Rural Midwest April 10, 2023/ Martha Ramirez Over 25% of the Midwest’s population lives in rural areas. These funders focus their efforts there, despite the fact that philanthropy at large chronically underfunds rural America.Read More
February 24, 2023 Here Are Four Major National Funders Supporting Rural America February 24, 2023/ Martha Ramirez Rural communities are chronically overlooked by large national funders, with most rural grantmaking coming from place-based or regional givers. It’s a short list, but here are a few bigger names to note.Read More
November 16, 2022 For MacKenzie Scott, Health Foundations Offer a Path to Advancing Equity in Rural America November 16, 2022/ Connie Matthiessen In her latest round of funding, MacKenzie Scott backed several health conversion foundations in rural communities. The support could go a long way in areas that rarely see an influx of high-dollar philanthropy.Read More
October 06, 2022 How Philanthropy Can Help Connect Rural Communities to Federal Infrastructure Funds October 06, 2022/ Jerry Neal Kenney, Guest Contributor With unprecedented federal infrastructure investments beginning to reach communities, guest author Jerry Neal Kenney offers a framework philanthropy can use to help underserved rural areas absorb much-needed funds.Read More
June 07, 2022 How One Nonprofit Is Pooling Public and Private Funds to Support Students in Rural America June 07, 2022/ Martha Ramirez Formerly an initiative of Berea College focused on Appalachian Kentucky, Partners for Rural Impact is now a standalone nonprofit, pulling together federal grants and private funding to improve education in rural areas. Read More
April 20, 2022 How the Family Behind a Sportswear Behemoth Is Expanding Its Philanthropy for Rural Communities April 20, 2022/ Ade Adeniji The Roundhouse Foundation, based in the small town of Sisters, Oregon, was founded with support from outdoor gear giant Columbia Sportswear. The foundation is expanding rapidly, serving rural communities across the state.Read More
January 05, 2022 Why Philanthropy Continues to Underfund Rural America—and What Grantmakers Can Do January 05, 2022/ Martha Ramirez For years, rural organizations have been sounding the alarm about philanthropic neglect. Here’s a look at why funders often ignore rural areas and what interested philanthropists can do to change that.Read More
October 15, 2020 How the Boettcher Foundation Invests in the State of Colorado October 15, 2020/ Alyssa Ochs The Boettcher Foundation has been on the Colorado grantmaking scene since 1937 and is worth getting to know for organizations operating in the Mountain States region.Read More
October 15, 2019 A Study Drilled Deep Into Rural Philanthropy in Washington State. Here's What it Found October 15, 2019/ Laura Dorwart The Rural Philanthropic Analysis Project is exploring the challenges of grantmaking in remote parts of the United States—including Eastern Washington State. Its case study of that region offers valuable insights to other rural funders.Read More
July 23, 2019 Far Too Few Rural Americans Attend College. These Funders Want to Change That July 23, 2019/ Mike Scutari Despite higher ed funders’ surging interest in equity and access, rural students are often overlooked. But thanks to several factors, including engaged donors, universities are stepping up their efforts to recruit and support such students. Read More
April 18, 2019 The Progressive Funders Looking to Build Power Across Divides in the American Heartland April 18, 2019/ Tate Williams The 2016 election was a reckoning moment for a philanthropy sector long disconnected from rural America. A new funding initiative is looking to remedy that by supporting organizing and movement-building in neglected regions, focusing on the Midwest.Read More
December 11, 2018 Unusual Suspects: Two Big Funders Move Off the Beaten Path to Boost Community Development December 11, 2018/ Caitlin Reilly More anti-poverty funders are looking beyond major cities to struggling rural communities. The latest example of grantmakers casting a wider net is the Communities Thrive Challenge, from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative and Rockefeller Foundation. Read More
December 04, 2018 Will These Big New Foundations Pay Attention to Rural America? December 04, 2018/ Allen Smart, Guest Contributor Health conversion foundations play a growing role in helping communities that are off the beaten path. Now, as three new such foundations get ready to give away $300 million annually, advocates for rural America hope that more support is set to flow. Read More
September 10, 2018 When Seconds Count: One Funder's Work to Improve Stroke Outcomes in Rural America September 10, 2018/ Alice Dickow The Helmsley Charitable Trust continues to address key healthcare challenges faced by rural residents. We look at the latest big grant by this national funder working off the beaten trail on matters of life and death. Read More