Rural Grantmaking & Program Activities

To learn about upcoming workshops and other events, check "What's New in the Network?" on our home page.

Workshops

Building Rural Livelihood: Using Community Foundation Programs and Grantmaking to Improve Rural Community and Economic Development Outcomes. This July 2002 RDP Learning Network workshop introduced the Thinking and Action Framework of the same name, and presented in-depth case studies and strategic guidance on implementing successful RDP programs and grantmaking. Participants presented to a select group of peers their own unique RDP challenges. And, finally, a panel of leading RDP fundraisers and community builders shared insights to help participants learn to connect donors to RDP programs. For the full archive of workshop materials, see the BRL "workshop in a webpage."
Margins to Mainstream: Community Foundations Advancing Family Economic Success. Held in October 2003, this two-day peer-exchange workshop for both urban and rural community foundations was sponsored by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the Coalition of Community Foundations for Youth (CCFY) and the Rural Development Philanthropy Learning Network (RDPLN), managed by the Aspen Institute Community Strategies Group. Margins to Mainstream explored the three strands of the Casey Foundation's Family Economic Success approach—Family Economic Supports, Workforce Development and Community Investment—and the ways both urban and rural community foundations can help achieve positive outcomes for families and children. For workshop materials, see the Margins to Mainstream "workshop in a webpage."