Where is Rural Philanthropy Heading and Where in the World are its Partners on the Journey?

At the 2006 national conference of the Council of Foundations in Pittsburgh Senator Max Baucus (D-MT) challenged philanthropy to double its grantmaking to rural communities in five years. His call spawned the Council’s national Rural Philanthropy Conference – an annual meeting which was held this week in Kansas City, Missouri. The final plenary speaker, Tom Vilsack’s remarks were reminiscent of the Baucus challenge, with the USDA Secretary once again calling for increased foundation grantmaking —in this case, in partnership with the Agriculture Department itself.