Re-committing to Rural America:
The Expanding Crisis of Rural Poverty and Its Effects
Carla Roberts
Fremont Area Community Foundation
Fremont Area Community Foundation serves Newaygo County,
Michigan
•
Rural county of 48,000 residents in 23 townships, four small cities, and
one village
•
Poverty rate at 18.3% above the both MI (16.3%) and national (14.3%)
•
Educational attainment at 22.3% below state (36.8%) and national
(38.3%) achievement rates
•
Unemployment rate at 7.2% just below MI (7.4%) and below the national
(6.3%) rates
Assets in Newaygo County Michigan
•
Home of Gerber Baby Food, now part of global company Nestle Nutrition
•
Significant personal wealth created in the past—at one point Fremont had
the largest concentration of millionaires in the county
•
Abundant Natural Resources
•
Forests, like the Manistee National Forest, produce an
abundance of fresh air and abound with wild life, such as turkey,
pheasant, and venison.
•
Freshwater lakes and streams run clear, providing world class fly
fishing habitats for steelhead, trout, and salmon.
•
Fertile soils produce a rich variety of local food sources—like
fresh vegetables and fruit.
Community Foundation Assets
•
A Declaration, unique positioning document (www.tfacf.org)
•
Over $225 M; among the largest per capita rural foundations in the US
•
Trustees seeking greater impact with the courage to change
•
Collaborative staff who work across departments for the greater good
•
Earliest funds dating to 1933 are focused on vulnerable populations
•
•
Harry Williams (shoes for all children)
•
J. Andrew & Mattie Gerber (worthy poor & charity patients)
Needs assessments, focus groups, and planning retreats (2003-2008)
culminated in a strategic planning retreat in 2011 to forge a new path
Our Process
• Fellowships focused on studying past priorities and determining
the impact of prior philanthropic investments
• Board & staff committees to explore new grantmaking
approaches
• Investments in research studies and baseline data
• Vetting ideas with community partners
• Developing grantmaking frameworks
• Unveiling frameworks in a half-day workshop June 17
Priorities
Outcomes
Benchmarks
Strategies
Poverty to
Prosperity
Goal
Poverty to
Prosperity
Goal
• Reduce the poverty rate in
Newaygo County below
national average within the
next 10+ years.
Where we plan to focus our funding:
• Self-sufficiency
• Develop efficient pathways to increase the
level of self-sufficiency of individuals with
potential by building on strengths
Priorities
• Asset development
• Develop efficient pathways to help individuals
build personal assets
• Social capital/empowerment
• Increase opportunities for individuals to build
social networks, supportive relationships, and
self-esteem
Desired results:
• Self-sufficiency
• Improve wraparound services provided to struggling residents
• Increase % of residents receiving support for self-improvement,
independence, and self-efficacy
• Increase the number of residents that become independent from
assistance/level of self-sufficiency
• Decrease the total dollar amount of direct basic assistance residents are
receiving
• Improve collaborative services to reach more young adults
Outcomes
• Asset development
• Build financial capital*/assets of residents
• Build physical capital*/assets of residents
• Build human capital*/assets of residents
• Improve budgeting skills and financial literacy
• Improve credit scores and access to credit
• Social capital*/empowerment
• Increase mentoring and relational support
• Improve how connected and supported residents feel in their communities,
strengthen relationships
• Increase self-esteem and sense of empowerment among struggling
residents to make positive life changes
*Financial capital: monetary resources (savings, credit, loan capital, emergency funds, investments)
*Physical capital: property (housing/home ownership, vehicles, business property)
*Human capital: knowledge, skills and abilities of individuals or groups (educational degrees/certificates, training, life skills)
*Social capital: the networks of relationships and social connections among people who live in a particular community which enable them to function
effectively and encourage social cooperation
Possible indicators that our community is making progress:
• Self-sufficiency
• 1Establish clear roadmap for self-sufficiency through agency collaboration
• 1Number of residents receiving self-sufficiency services
• 2Average self-sufficiency level
• 2Average income, employment status, level of education
• 3Number of residents moved off direct assistance (reach self-sufficiency)
• 3Dollar amount spent on direct assistance
• *Poverty rate compared to national average
• *Number of residents living below self-sufficiency level
• *Opportunity score (+ components such as inequality, youth inclusion)
Benchmarks
1Short-term: (6
months–1 year)
term: (1-3 years)
3Long-term: (2-5 years)
*Extended term: (track up to 10+ years)
2Intermediate
• Asset development
• 1Number of residents that receive financial education and counseling
• 1Number of residents that receive low-interest loan/start saving
• 2Level of financial literacy/credit score
• 2Number/percentage of residents that successfully repay loan
• 2Level of savings/improvement in savings behavior
• 2Number/percentage of residents that meet savings goal & acquire asset
• Social capital/empowerment
• 1Number of events held and new methods developed for residents to
build relationships
• 1Number of residents taking advantage of mentoring/advocacy services
• 2Level of connection/how supported residents feel
• 2Level of community engagement
• 3Level of self-esteem/sense of empowerment among residents
Some suggestions for community partners:
• Self-sufficiency
• Provide wrap-around services to meet basic needs plus tailored
personal development coaching and support (ex: food trucks +
nutritional skills development)
• Encourage long-term personal investment (ex: provide flexible
zero-interest microloans for immediate needs paired with longterm savings guidance)
• Infrastructure to support poverty reduction (transportation)
Strategies
• Asset development
• Personal asset-building network with financial counseling (ex:
Individual Development Accounts)
• Microloans/micro-investing for small business or social/microenterprise
• Social capital/empowerment
• Build peer support/social networks to increase sense of
community/build relationships
• Build mentoring network with Prosperity Advocates to build on
strengths and provide relational support
• Engage residents to increase their voice, power, community
participation, ownership of community assets, and to learn from
them
Where we plan to focus our funding:
Priorities
•Self-sufficiency
•Asset development
•Social capital/empowerment
Desired results:
Outcomes
•Improve wraparound services
•Increase self-sufficiency (average level, # served)
•Build personal assets (financial, physical, human, social)
•Increase mentoring and relational support
•Strengthen relationships, increase self-esteem/empowerment
•Improve collaborative services to reach more young adults
Possible indicators that our community is making progress:
Benchmarks
•Poverty rate compared to national average
•# living below self-sufficiency level, average self-sufficiency level
•Opportunity score (+ inequality & youth inclusion score)
•Level of self-esteem/sense of empowerment/engagement
•$ spent on direct assistance
Some suggestions for community partners:
Strategies
•Wraparound services (foodtrucks) + personal development coaching
•Infrastructure (transportation)
•Personal asset-building network + financial counseling +
microloans/microenterprise
•Mentoring network w/Prosperity Advocates/relational support
•Resident engagement
Reduce local
poverty rate
below
national
average within
10+ years
Provided to Resource Center:
• Poverty Final Report
• Community & Economic Development Final Report
• Education Policy Brief
• Education Grantmaking Framework (Goal 2025)
• Community & Economic Development Grantmaking Framework
• Powerpoint (includes Poverty to Prosperity Grantmaking
Framework)
Thank you for listening to our story!