Funding Rural Futures: Call to Action

Securing adequate and appropriate funding is a perennial challenge for nonprofit organizations of all types, but for organizations working in rural communities and Native nations affected by persistent poverty, these challenges are magnified.Although approximately 20% of Americans live in rural areas, only about 7% of foundation giving reaches these areas (USDA Economic Research Service). And while Native Americans make up nearly 3% of the country’s population, less than one-half of one percent of foundation dollars reach their communities (Native Americans in Philanthropy). Compounding the problem, most funding from philanthropy and government is in the form of loans and restricted grants, rather than more flexible general operating support, requiring organizations to manage a complex and fragile patchwork of funds to stay afloat. Disinvested rural communities and Native nations also face a range of barriers to accessing federal and other public funding, from the capacity required to take on the federal grant process to sourcing non-federal matching funds.