By U4C Team

We are thrilled to announce that Rural Foundation Collaboration: “Houston we have a problem” written by Robert J. Reid, Elyn A. Palmer, Mallet R. Reid, and Ximena L. Murillo has been published online in the International Journal of Community Well-Being. A print copy will be available next year. This prestigious journal advances the knowledge and practice of community well-being as an interdisciplinary broad conception of human and societal well-being. The focus is predominately on communities of place and interest within geographic or societal spaces concerning social, economic, cultural/social, environmental, or political conditions and impacts on societal and social well-being.

About the Publication 

Rural communities throughout the United States are alarmingly challenged by deteriorating landscapes, ravished economies, declining populations, and gentrifying populations in the face of unfair and disproportionately lower support from government and philanthropy compared to urban areas. Rural communities have many big-city problems but small-town resources for addressing them. Institutional philanthropy may represent a significant new option for meaningfully addressing rural challenges. Though it appears foundations are largely absent from rural America and, when present, often struggle in developing strategies appropriate for rural contexts. Further, rural needs often require resources of multiple foundations, but many foundations are ineffective in collaborating with other funders. This study of rural practices involving grantmaking and collaboration between funders examined experiences and approaches employed by representatives of 54 foundations (national, regional, and local place-based). Participants from 31 states and the District of Columbia contributed valuable insights. Findings from this research offer important insights that, if properly addressed, could significantly improve efforts at rural philanthropy.