When it comes to foundation assets, few states rank lower than Montana.
But the sparsely populated Western state has one asset that no other state can claim — Sen. Max Baucus, chairman of the powerful Senate Finance Committee. And when Senator Baucus started expressing concern about alleged disparities in grant making to rural areas more than a year ago, the foundation world took note.
Citing research by Montana's Big Sky Institute for the Advancement of Nonprofits that showed a "philanthropic divide" between states with large foundation assets and those without, Senator Baucus challenged grant makers to significantly increase their giving to rural America.
Next month, more than 100 foundation leaders from across the country will gather in the senator's home state to consider ways to meet his challenge.
The conference in Missoula, planned by the senator and the Council on Foundations, will work to create a "21st-century agenda for philanthropy and rural America" in areas such as health care, education, the environment, and economic development.
"Rural Philanthropy Conference", 8/7-9, Missoula http://matr.net/events.phtml?showdetail=1964
By Suzanne Perry
Full Story: http://philanthropy.com/temp/email.php?id=54d9mxfjpfqmb6zj74kp2tnypgzuicbp
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(Many thanks to David Young for passing this along. Russ)
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Help rural states, Montana Sen. Max Baucus asks the National Council of Foundations Monday in Pittsburgh at its annual conference http://matr.net/article-19307.html