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This document, “Rural Service Structure Characteristics,” created by The Aspen Institute’s Community Strategies Group, is a tool to help community foundations serving rural territories understand and compare different rural coverage structures. The document defines six models: Consolidated Service, Area Funds, Federation, Service Bureau, Incubator, and Partnership. For each structure, it explores implications related to:
- Goals/Rationale
- Rural Stakeholder Identification
- Governance/Representation
- Management
- Staffing
- Endowment Building
- Investment Policies
- Program (Non-Grantmaking)
- Grantmaking
- Cost/Benefit Comparisons
- Overall Pros and Cons
- Examples
The authors encourage use, distribution, and duplication of the document, emphasizing that it’s a resource to foster discussion and decision-making rather than advocating for one specific model.
