Volume 2, #2: Summer 2003

In this issue:

Margins to Mainstream

Register now for October Peer-Exchange Workshop

Register now for Margins to Mainstream: Community Foundations Advancing Family Economic Success!

Scheduled to precede the Council on Foundations Fall Conference for Community Foundations, the workshop will be held in Baltimore, MD, from October 24-25, 2003.

This two-day peer-exchange workshop is sponsored by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, and co-organized by the Coalition of Community Foundations for Youth (CCFY) and the Rural Development Philanthropy Learning Network (RDPLN).

Both CCFY and RDPLN work and learn with community foundations to help local philanthropy address family poverty in deeper ways, with greater impact. The Annie E. Casey Foundation has offered CCFY and RDPLN a tremendous opportunity to convene this peer-exchange workshop for both urban- and rural-focused community foundations that share an interest in improving and intensifying strategies aimed at moving low-income families from community margins to the economic mainstream.

The Annie E. Casey Foundation has developed a comprehensive approach to addressing children’s poverty by targeting the economic success of families and the support systems that communities provide them. They call their approach Family Economic Success (FES). Over the last five years, the foundation has piloted and launched FES efforts in two dozen urban neighborhoods, and is now exploring rural FES endeavors as well.

In many struggling rural and urban areas of our country, community foundations—and their donors—are poised to play critical roles in addressing and creating opportunities for poor families. Margins to Mainstream will explore FES’s three strands—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.

RDPLN members will be familiar with the workshop’s design, which will bring together seasoned staff from both rural- and urban-focused community foundations with other innovative community practitioners. Together, we will gain more understanding about poverty and how to address it, learn how urban and rural community foundations and other ground-breaking organizations successfully implement FES strategies. Finally, participants will engage in peer-advice sessions to offer and receive advice on an FES challenge specific to their own foundations.

Registration will be limited but is free! A limited number of travel scholarships will be available to early registrants. So, click here for more information, to register or to learn more about FES.



RDP Launches Web-Based Rural Resource Directory

Looking for rural community development organizations and leaders?

The RDP Program and Grantmaking Resource Directory will assist you in researching and designing programs aimed at improving rural community and economic development outcomes. The Directory is an on-line, interactive tool providing searchable listings of national and regional organizations, along with brief descriptions and web addresses.

The Directory is organized and searchable according to region and the “Six What’s” outlined in the Thinking and Action Framework for Designing RDP Program and Grantmaking Efforts. To refresh your memory, the “Six What’s” are: (1) improve employment; (2) strengthen families; (3) strengthen nonprofits; (4) increase civic capacity; (5) steward natural and cultural resources; (6) address potential necessary conditions (to enable 1-5). To read more examples of activities included under each category, click here.

We are pleased to add the Directory to our on-line RDP resources, but it remains a work-in-progress. With your help, the Directory will continue to be revised and refined. Please forward your suggested additions (or subtractions) to Program Associate Mridulika Menon at rdpinfo@aspencsg.org.

Click here for the RDP Program and Grantmaking Resource Directory.


Around the Learning Network: Member News

Endow Iowa: Public Policy Promotes Philanthropy

Iowa has joined just a handful of other states in the nation—Montana, Michigan and West Virginia among them—by signing into law legislation aimed at increasing endowed philanthropy in the state.

On June 19, Iowa Governor Vilsack signed House File 683, commonly referred to as the Iowa Values Fund. This new program is the culmination of a statewide, collaborative effort known as Endow Iowa, meant to encourage individuals, businesses, and organizations to invest in community endowments—like those commonly held by community foundations.

The Iowa Values Fund will enhance the quality of life for citizens of this state through increased philanthropic activity in two ways. First, beginning in 2004, Iowa will provide matching capital to new and existing citizen groups that are establishing community endowments to address community needs. When communities become interested in establishing a permanent community endowment, the local community organization’s leaders will work with an established Iowa community foundation to develop the endowment's structure. Endow Iowa will provide up to $25,000 to match endowment funds raised locally. Second, Iowa now offers a tax credit up to 20% of any contribution to a permanent endowment at a qualifying community foundation. This Iowa tax credit is above and beyond any federalcharitable deduction.

Endow Iowa is funded over three years, beginning FY 2004-2005 (July 2004-June 2005). In years one and two, Endow Iowa may allocate $250,000 for tax credits and $250,000 for matching grants; in year three, that will increase to $500,000 each for tax credits and matching grants. Administrative rules for the Iowa Values Fund are currently being developed by the Iowa Department of Economic Development, the Department of Revenue, and the Iowa Council of Foundations.

For more information about how Endow Iowa was developed and how you might work toward similar legislation in your own state, contact Johni Hays, executive director of the Greater Des Moines Community Foundation Planned Giving Institute (515-883-9505 or hays@desmoinesfoundation.org). Or visit the foundation’s website at www.desmoinesfoundation.org. Iowa has joined just a handful of other states in the nation—Montana, Michigan and West Virginia among them—by signing into law legislation aimed at increasing endowed philanthropy in the state.

A Powerful Partnership to Serve Wyoming

The Wyoming Community Foundation (WyCF) and Wyoming’s Commission on National and Community Service (Commission) have entered into a groundbreaking public/private partnership certain to benefit all of Wyoming. As Wyoming’s branch of the Corporation for National and Community Service, the Commission manages three programs: Senior Corps, AmeriCorps, and Learn and Serve America. The Commission awards state and Federal grant dollars, provides technical assistance and designs programs to assist Wyoming residents of all ages and backgrounds to serve their communities.

Through Commission board members, WyCF learned that the Commission had become buried within a larger state agency. The Commission struggled to perform critical tasks, such as administering grant programs, training volunteers and generating broad-based support. As a result, the state of Wyoming was returning grant funds to Washington, DC!

Grant programs, technical assistance and broad-based support not only happen to be core strengths of WyCF, but WyCF also has a mission to attract and preserve resources for the state of Wyoming—whether held by the foundation or not. A light bulb went off! WyCF and the Commission’s board decided to partner to create a separate nonprofit independent of, but with close ties to, WyCF. Under this arrangement, state and federal grant dollars that previously went unused due to lack of applicants and programs could be directed to programs and ideas on WyCF’s radar screen. WyCF would provide fiscal sponsorship, technical assistance and perhaps shared staffing, but the Commission—now called Serve Wyoming—would maintain an independent board of commissioners.

While the details of the partnership are still being worked out, Serve Wyoming has received nonprofit status and funds have already been mobilized. As WyCF’s vice president for programs Susie Scott Mullen suggests, such a partnership is “like finding a soul mate, but not really being sure what the long term relationship will look like.”

The results of the courtship are already being seen. Through progress on a number of AmeriCorps grants, funds are supporting a housing program on the Wind River Reservation, a home visitation program for the disabled in three communities, and a planning grant for a volunteer program involving University of Wyoming graduate students receiving credits for hands-on field work in Wyoming communities.

And, of course, throughout this process, Serve Wyoming and WyCF have kept a close eye on Congress as it debated whether or not funds would even be allocated for AmeriCorps’ current grant commitments. While that answer is “yes” for now, it proved just one more challenge for the partners. Throughout, WyCF and Serve Wyoming have kept their eyes on the ultimate prize... a public/private partnership that secures and invests human and financial resources in Wyoming. For more information about Serve Wyoming or WyCF, contact Susie Scott Mullen (susie@wycf.org or 1-866-70-TRUST).

Hawaii Community Foundation Helps Strengthen Nonprofit Community

As any rural statewide or regional community foundation can attest, nonprofits in rural areas represent a wide range of capacities and strengths. Though a few mature, well-established nonprofit organizations might serve rural communities, a larger number of rural nonprofits are the very picture of grassroots, by-hook-or-by-crook establishments. While totally dedicated to their rural missions, these nonprofits often feel isolated from best practices, collegial networks and peers. And, when located on an island, the challenges can be all the more overwhelming!

Aware of this challenging situation, the Hawai`i Community Foundation (HCF) has devoted a portion of its website to assist everyone in the nonprofit community by sharing information, ideas and most of all, inspiration. HCF’s vision for Hawai`i Center for Giving is to create a virtual meeting place for everyone involved in nonprofit organizations at any level that is not constricted by time or geography. Supported by the Atherton Family Foundation and Cooke Foundation, the Center for Giving fills a critical niche for the state’s nonprofit community. Through easy links and continually updated resources, the Center provides information and tools around the following links:

The Center for Giving meets several of HCF’s critical objectives by positioning HCF as a leader in charitable services in Hawaii and allowing HCF to service a statewide franchise through consistent and comprehensive communication. Moreover, Kelvin Taketa, HCF’s president and CEO, suggests: "the site aggregates data and information cheaply on behalf of everyone."

In the process of taking on this challenge, HCF has learned several important lessons, including:

  • More people and organizations have internet access than we might have previously thought.
  • You must be deliberative and deliberate to drive people to a website—it helps to give the site a personal touch and to use personal connections to draw people to the site.
  • It has taken time (and will continue to take time) to promote, care and feed the Center for Giving.

Want to learn more about developing a nonprofit resource center at your community foundation? Contact Kelvin H. Taketa, HCF president & CEO (888-731-3863 or ktaketa@hcf-hawaii.org).



Start Talkin' RDP! The Talkin' RDP! Listserv aims to deepen peer connections and spread useful information throughout the Rural Development Philanthropy Learning Network... without waiting for in-person meetings, travel and telephone costs.

Use Talkin' RDP! to:

  • Ask and receive: Just e-mail the listserv to post an RDP question or challenge to the entire Network

  • Answer and assist: Help your colleagues and build connections by responding to questions

  • Share and adapt: Share and compare foundation materials... fund guidelines, job descriptions, grant criteria and more

  • Dialogue and delve: Propose a topic for a moderated discussion at a specific date and time

  • Seek and Find: Access archived discussions, searchable by key word, in the Talkin' RDP! Learning Archive. The Learning Archive banks exchanges and archives a wealth of practical, just-in-time counsel on RDP topics.


News YOU Can Use:
Info and resources in the world of RDP

  • Rural Funders Working Group Will Hold Rural Forum: The 2003 Rural Funders Fall Forum will be held in conjunction with Neighborhood Funders Group’s Annual Conference on Sunday, September 14, from 6:00pm—9:00pm and Monday, September 15, from 8:30am—10:30am. Membership in the Rural Funders Working Group is open and free; to join, click here. The Forum will engage participants in a discussion of current strategies being used to measure the impact and outcomes of rural grantmaking. Pursuing questions like, How do we know we are making a difference? Are we supporting real change in the lives of families in rural communities? How can we increase the impact of what we do?, this forum will explore ways rural funders are achieving measurable impact. For more information, contact Bettye Brentley at bettye@nfg.org or visit www.nfg.org.

  • Need help training new grantmaking staff? Or volunteer grantmaking committees? GrantCraft offers a wide array of grantmaking tools and resources aimed at elevating the craft of grantmaking and producing more effective grants. From learning the art of saying ‘yes’ and ‘no’ to designing initiatives that build stronger communities, GrantCraft’s on-line, print and multi-media guides will help you and your volunteer grantmakers hone skills and feel more confident. For more information, visit the GrantCraft website: click here. Or contact Jan Jaffe, GrantCraft project leader, at j.jaffe@grantcraft.org .

  • Keep your finger on the pulse of philanthropy! The Philanthropy Information Retrieval Project (PIRP) reports on new ideas and developments that might affect the field of philanthropy in the years to come. Each month, PIRP emails subscribers a list of summaries linked to stories that cover emerging hot-topic issues affecting philanthropy. Covering topics as diverse as IRS audits of community foundations and standards for support of faith-based nonprofits, the current edition of PIRP has much to offer RDP Learning Network members. Originally a project of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, PIRP was transferred to the Aspen Institute Nonprofit Sector and Philanthropy Program (NSPP) in 2003. To subscribe to the Philanthropy Information Retrieval Project newsletter, send an email to philanthropy@aspeninstitute.org with "subscribe" in the subject line.

  • Be on the lookout for timely and relevant community foundation research. Stay tuned in February 2004 for announcements of grants awarded by the Aspen Institute Nonprofit Sector Research Fund (NSRF), to support research projects focused upon key challenges facing community foundations. The RDP Learning Network helped publicize the opportunity and believes the research will prove both relevant and useful to community foundation practitioners. The deadline for receiving letters of intent was July 25, 2003, and will be followed by requests for full proposals to a selection of applicants. For information about this and other NSRF projects, contact Program Manager Rachel Mosher-Williams.


Do you have news (a-ha!) or success (yippee!) you'd like to share with your RDP Learning Network peers? Don't be shy! Send it to either rdpinfo@aspencsg.org or jt@aspeninstitute.org.


Join the Learning Network Today!

What's free to join, connects and celebrates rural leaders and friends and disseminates valuable tools, ideas and strategies for building philanthropy in and for rural communities?

The Rural Development Philanthropy Learning Network—that's what!

Membership in the Learning Network is free and open to any organization or individual committed to advancing innovative strategies aimed at improving RDP practice and outcomes.

Members receive:

  • First notice of RDP events
  • Connections with peers—best practices and advice using Talkin' RDP listserv and learning archive
  • Access to technical assistance from RDP staffers and consultants
  • And, opportunities for RDP learning and funding!

Become a member today!


What is RDP?

Rural Development Philanthropy is the process and practice of creating and strengthening locally controlled endowment, grantmaking and community programs to improve rural livelihoods, economies and community vitality.

The RDP Learning Network is a diverse group of community foundations and philanthropic organizations learning from one another innovative strategies to improve RDP practice and outcomes.

With support from its philanthropic partners, The Aspen Institute's Community Strategies Group (CSG) manages the Network and collects and disseminates RDP tools, stories and strategies to the community foundation and community development fields.


Contact Us!

The RDP Team includes CSG staffers: Janet Topolsky, Elizabeth Myrick, Diane Morton and Mridulika Menon, as well as a cadre of national and international peers and consultants equipped with hands-on RDP expertise.

Most photos in this issue of Zest are the work of CSG’s Robert Donnan; all others are from © PhotoDisc.

Email us with suggestions and questions about anything RDP. Or write or call us:

Community Strategies Group
The Aspen Institute
One Dupont Circle, Suite 700
Washington, DC 20036
(202) 736-5804


Zest is produced and published for the Rural Development Philanthropy Learning Network (RDPLN) and its friends by The Aspen Institute's Community Strategies Group (CSG).



Zest archive

Look for our next issue in Fall 2003!