Philanthropy Missouri continues to expand our network of Member-grantmakers located throughout the state as we focus on creating a thriving and equitable Missouri.
Many of our Members are interested in fostering impact in more rural areas of the state, where they have deep roots and insights into community needs. Other Members live in suburban and urban areas and have an interest in learning from, partnering with, and giving alongside their rural peers, whose proximity and expertise make for informed and transformative grantmaking practices. Philanthropy Missouri is committed to serving as a connector and convener to help amplify the opportunities for collaboration.
Share your knowledge: We will continue to build out this space as a resource for grantmakers across the state who have an interest in rural funding practices. Please share any suggested additions with amy@philmo.org.
The 2024 Rural Philanthropy Summit: Creating Thriving Communities took place on May 8, 2024. You can view more about the speakers and suggested resources here.
Access resources from and learn more about Missouri's first statewide Rural Philanthropy Summit (April 25, 2023) here.
The following philanthropic sector organizations may be helpful for grantmakers who are interested in learning more about the rural funding landscape in the United States:
- PhilanthropywoRx
- Aspen Institute: Community Strategies Group - The Aspen Institute
- Neighborhood Funders Group: Integrated Rural Strategies Group
Podcasts
- Funding Rural, Erin Borla, The Roundhouse Foundation
- Rural Matters, Grantmakers in Health
- Reimagine Rural, Tony Pipa, Brookings Institution
- Rural Health Leadership Radio, Dr, Bill Auxier
- Small Talk, Communities Unlimited
- The Rural Impact Podcast, Michelle Rathman, Impact! Communities Inc.
- Pathways to Rural Prosperity, Don Macke, e2 Entrepreneurial Systems
- The Yonder Report, The Daily Yonder
- Exploring Rural Health, Rural Health Information Hub
Articles
- Five Takeaways from IP's New Report on Giving for Rural Communities, Inside Philanthropy, October 2023
- Rural-to-Rural Partnerships: Leveling the Playing Field to Secure Federal Funding, Inside Philanthropy, May 2023
- Learning to Seize the Moment with Regional Collaboration (Accessing Federal Funding), Aspen Institute Community Strategies Group, April 2023
- Communicating for Connection: West Virginia's Community Development Hub, Aspen Institute Community Strategies Group, April 2023
- "Commentary: Challenging Everything We Know about Funding as a Path to Thriving Rural Communities," Aspen Institute Community Strategies Group, February 2023
- "Federal Grant Requirements Make it Hard for Rural Communities to Prepare for Climate Change," Daily Yonder, February 2023
- "Who Lives in Rural America? How Data Shapes (and Misshapes) Conceptions of Diversity in Rural America," Center on Rural Innovation (CORI), January 2023
- "Who Lives in Rural AMerica? The Geography of Rural Race and Ethnicity," Centor on Rural Innovation (CORI), January 2023
- "Rural Capacity-Building Tips From and For Funders," Aspen Institute Community Strategies Group, May 2022
- Investing in Rural Prosperity, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, 2021 with chapter 38, "Rural Rebound Redux" by PhilMO Member Brian Fogle, President & CEO of Community Foundation of the Ozarks
- Rural America: Philanthropy's Misunderstood Opportunity for Impact, FSG (Consulting Firm), 2021
- "Three Simple Ways for Funders to Make Their Rural Work Authentic," National Center for Family Philanthropy Blog, July 2021
- "The Rural and Small Town Philanthropic Gap Involves Us All," New Profit, May 2021
- "The Urban and Rural Divide," Stanford Social Innovation Review, Spring 2021
- "The Role of Collaboration in Effective Rural Philanthropy," The Center for Effective Philanthropy, February 2021 / Referenced Report: "Rural Foundation Collaboration: 'Houston we have a problem'," International Journal of Community Well Being, October 2020
- "Five Lessons for Successful Place-Based Philanthropy in Rural Communities," American Enterprise Institute, February 2021
- "How Philanthropy Can Shift Power and Ignite Change in Rural Communities," National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy, February 2021
- "How Philanthropy Can Strengthen Rural Communities," Arabella Advisors (Consulting Firm), 2021
- "The Rural Philanthropic Analysis Project 2017-2019," Campbell University, 2020
- "Family Funders - Always Important in Rural Communities," National Center for Family Philanthropy, May 2019
- "Pushing Aside the Rural-Urban Divide," Healthy Places by Design, April 2019
- "Buildling a Field of Rural Philanthropy: The Case for Building a Rural Philanthropy Network," PhilanthropywoRx, 2018
- "What Rural America Can Teach Us About Civil Society," Stanford Social Innovation Review, August 2018
- "Equity: It's Not Just an Urban Issue," Exponent Philanthropy, May 2018
- "Building Communities - and Working for Change - in America's Heartland," Arabella Advisors (Consulting Firm), 2018
Rural Data, Reports, and Needs Assessments (National and State):
General
- Catalyzing Economic Impact: Rural Missouri, Rural LISC, 2023
- The State of American Philanthropy: Giving in Rural Communities, Inside Philanthropy, 2023
- Rural America: Philanthropy's Misunderstood Opportunity for Impact, FSG, 2021
- Rural America at a Glance, 2021 Edition, USDA Economic Research Service, 2021
- Rural Capacity Map, Headwaters Economics
- Reenvisioning Rural America: How to Invest in the Strengths and Potential of Rural Communities - Data Tool, Urban Institute
- Fifty Years After The People Left Behind: the Unfinished Challenge of Reducing Rural Poverty, Institute for Research on Poverty, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2018
Health
- Rural Health Information Hub
- Health, Work, and Care in Rural America, New America, 2023
- Rural Health and Well-Being in America, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Education & Youth
- Common Problems, Common Solutions: Looking Across Sectors at Strategies for Supporting Rural Youth and Families Tool-Kit, Center for Juvenile Justice Reform, Georgetown University, 2023
- Spiking Demand, Growing Barriers: The Trends Shaping Afterschool and Summer Learning in Rural Communities, Afterschool Alliance, 2021
- RSI (Rural-Serving Postsecondary Institutions) Data Tool, Alliance for Research on Regional Colleges
Economic Development
- Mapping a New Terrain: Five Principles for Equitable Rural Outdoor Recreation Economies, Aspen Institute, 2023
Rural Networks and Collaboratives:
- Eradicating Rural Poverty: The Power of Cooperation, Nonprofit Quarterly, June 2023
- Aspen Institute: Thrive Rural Framework
- "Better Results: What Does It Take to Build Better Capacity in Rural and Native Nations Communities," May 2022
- "Stewardship + Equity: Rooting a New Rural Legacy," May 2022
- "Principal Ideas: How Can We Secure Enduring Capital for Equitable Rural Prosperity?," December 2021
- "Native Nation Building: It Helps Rural America Thrive," November 2021
- "Rural Development and Rural Health Practices: Trends and Opportunities for Alignment," October 2021
- USDA Rural Development: Rural Workforce Innovation Network
- Center on Rural Innovation (CORI): Rural Innovation Network
- Rural LISC