Foundations Make No Pledge to Increase Rural Giving

Sen. Max Baucus of Montana challenged foundations to double their donations in rural America, but it likely will take pressure from rural nonprofits — and more — for giving patterns to change.

In early August, some 180 representatives from foundations and nonprofits met in Missoula, Montana, under the auspices of the Council on Foundations, the national trade association of grant makers, to examine how to get more money flowing toward rural people and communities.

Why Missoula? Because in May of 2006, Montana’s U.S. Senator Max Baucus spoke to the annual conference of the Council and challenged foundations to double their grant making to rural America in the next five years — and, while they were at it, they might add some rural people to the boards of the nation’s largest and most powerful philanthropies.

By Rick Cohen

Full Story: http://www.dailyyonder.com/foundations-make-no-pledge-increase-rural-giving