Keywords
Rural, Philanthropy, Foundational Philanthropy, Nonprofit, Rural Community
Abstract
Abstract - Philanthropy in Rural America: A Review of the Last 25 Years
While rural communities consistently hold higher levels of poverty and have lower health outcomes than the rest of the country, we know that persistently only 7% of philanthropic dollars are given to address issues facing rural communities (Smart,et.al. 2023). With 20% of the U.S. population living in rural areas (US Census, 2023), this is not simply a reflection of population differences but indicative of a comparative underinvestment by philanthropy. With the rural nonprofit sector playing a critical role in meeting community needs, providing safety net systems, and filling the gaps between government services and for-profit entities, it is imperative we learn more about how the nonprofit sector in rural communities is working and the ways in which philanthropy, when correctly applied, can impact lives within these areas. While ample research and literature exist on the nonprofit sector as a whole and on the nature of rural America, the literature specifically covering the rural nonprofit sector is lacking. To better understand the current state of rural philanthropy research, a scoping review was conducted February through November 2024. This review found that there is a significant lack of literature regarding philanthropy in rural America. Those articles that were reviewed looked at obstacles rural nonprofits face and suggestions for philanthropists when engaging in rural nonprofit funding; however data and case studies on success or failures of rural philanthropy are missing from the literature as well as additional information and data on how rural nonprofits currently sustain themselves through changing economic and demographic landscapes. This article seeks to serve as an analysis of existing literature and to identify potential areas of additional research.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Leinen, Nora; Ehlman, Matt; and Burlingame, Dwight (2025) "Philanthropy in Rural America: A Scoping Review of the Last 25 Years," Online Journal of Rural Research & Policy: Vol. 20: Iss. 1.
