By and large, philanthropy tends to focus its grantmaking on urban parts of the United States. Rural America, on the other hand, receives only a paltry 7% of U.S. grantmaking, despite the fact that around 14% of the nation’s population lives in rural areas. Philanthropy’s long-term tendency to underfund rural America, which I explored last year, has exacerbated many of the challenges rural places face, from lack of access to economic opportunity, education and healthcare, to opioid addiction and an ongoing mental health crisis.
As noted in an earlier roundup, while there are a few national funders that support rural areas, the overwhelming majority of foundations that engage in rural philanthropy are place-based funders.
“The best rural philanthropic work is fundamentally different. The emphasis is on the place and not on one specific issue or invention,” wrote Allen Smart, founder of PhilanthropywoRx and expert on rural philanthropy, in a blog posting for the National Center for Family Philanthropy.
To that end, Inside Philanthropy is looking at rural funders from around the U.S., starting with the Midwest. Comprising 12 states — Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin — the Midwest has a population of approximately 68.8 million, per the latest Census count.
While the region is home to major cities, including Chicago and Detroit, about 25.7% of the Midwest’s population lives in rural areas, one of the highest rates in the nation. There are approximately 32,261 foundations spread across the 11 Midwestern states, many of which practice place-based philanthropy. Below are five funders to note that support rural areas in the Midwest.
Blandin Foundation (Minnesota)
Based in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, the Blandin Foundation serves rural communities in Minnesota, with a primary geographical focus on Itasca County in north central Minnesota. It is the largest rural-focused private foundation in the state, awarding around $10 million in grants a year. Since its founding in 1941, the foundation has awarded more than $404 million in grants.
It does this by building rural capacity through advocacy and its grantmaking, which is focused on its three impact areas — community wealth-building, rural placemaking, and supporting small communities.
Patterson Family Foundation (Missouri and Kansas)
The Patterson Family Foundation’s aim is to help rural communities in Kansas and western Missouri thrive. Since its founding in 2007, it has served more than 125 rural counties. It currently provides program grants, operation grants, equipment grants and capital grants. Its strategic priorities are funding healthcare, education and economic opportunities.
Its most recent financial report revealed that in 2021, the foundation awarded a total of $20.7 million in grants. According to its website, one of its goals is “to inspire more local donors to participate in rural philanthropy through the vehicle of rural-serving community foundations, and for more donations to flow to local nonprofits as a result.”
StrengthenND (North Dakota)
StrengthenND’s focus is to empower North Dakota’s nonprofits and strengthen the state’s rural communities. In addition to its grantmaking and charitable investments, StrengthenND also offers board and staff development, program design and evaluation, strategic and organizational action planning, community succession planning, and economic development and community planning, among other support.
One of its key approaches is to meet communities and people where they are, based on the idea that since every community, organization and person is different, a blanket approach will not make for the best support.
Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque (Iowa)
The Community Foundation of Greater Dubuque works to strengthen communities and inspire giving in its region of Iowa. While its work isn’t focused solely on rural areas, they are one of its priorities — the foundation supports a number of programs and organizations dedicated to rural communities in the greater Dubuque area. Taking a community-based approach, the foundation works with eight affiliate foundations, most of which serve largely rural areas. These affiliates include Allamakee County Community Foundation, Clayton County Foundation for the Future, Inc., Foundation for the Future of Delaware County, and Jones County Community Foundation. The affiliates have awarded 19,500 grants for a total of $54.7 million since 2002.
The foundation also established a Rural Equity Network — a regional network that strengthens collaboration between the foundation’s affiliates and community partners by exploring topics related to DEI to help build equitable rural communities. In addition, the foundation’s Small-Town Dreams Initiative, launched in partnership with an anonymous donor, provides a cash match for endowment-building and immediate local grantmaking in rural and small towns in Iowa.
Community Foundation of the Ozarks (Missouri)
The Community Foundation of the Ozarks serves communities across central and southern Missouri. It provides flexible capacity funds, endowment funds, board development assistance, staff education and administration support. While the foundation serves the region as a whole, it has a number of rural-focused grants and programs. These include the Rural Ozarks Health Initiative — in partnership with the Missouri Foundation for Health — and the Rural Schools Partnership program, among many others. It has also awarded Rural Vitality Grants to support programs dedicated to improving health, education and economic self-sufficiency in rural communities.
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This is just a handful of the funders that support rural communities in the Midwest. Another to note is the McKnight Foundation, which, while providing grants across the U.S. and internationally, funds organizations working in rural parts of Minnesota. Other funders include Kansas Rural Communities Foundation, Siouxland Community Foundation, Southeastern Illinois Community Foundation, Galesburg Community Foundation, and North Dakota Community Foundation.
Stay tuned for more coverage of regional rural grantmakers.
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