New grant will help scale Partners for Rural Impact’s movement to strengthen economic mobility in rural communities
Berea, KY– December 20, 2024– Today, The BlackRock Foundation announced a two-year, $1.5 million philanthropic commitment to Partners for Rural Impact (PRI), a national intermediary strengthening rural place-based partnerships to improve outcomes for rural children and youth from cradle to career.
Across the United States, young people living in rural areas face significant challenges, including high poverty rates, underfunded schools, limited access to healthcare, and shrinking economic opportunities. Although 1 in 5 Americans live in rural areas[i], these regions receive only 7% of private philanthropic capital[ii], leaving them underserved and often struggling to access critical public and private funds. The BlackRock Foundation's investment will enable PRI to address these challenges by expanding its capacity to connect with rural leaders and organizations across the nation, activate public and private funding and strengthen local capacity to ensure rural youth are on a path to upward mobility.
"Place matters and rural residents across the nation are working to strengthen their rural places. With the grant, PRI can better support these rural leaders and practitioners, connecting them with resources and opportunities as they work to ensure all young people within their communities have a pathway to success," said Dreama Gentry, CEO of Partners for Rural Impact. "The support from The BlackRock Foundation allows PRI to grow our capacity to support rural communities that are working to ensure their young people have the opportunity to lead choice-filled lives without leaving home.”
With this grant, PRI will expand their national movement of rural place-based partnerships and strengthen their capacity to drive resources and opportunities to these partnerships. Specifically, the funding will allow PRI to onboard two senior leaders and invest in agile and responsive internal systems. With this increased operational capacity, PRI will create a streamlined pathway for private and corporate foundations to fund impactful local initiatives in rural America.
The funding will also help PRI prioritize public-private solutions to rural challenges by helping to provide matching micro-grants for rural place-based partnerships seeking to unlock state and federal grants.
Over the two-year period, PRI plans to support and impact 1,500 rural practitioners across the rural US, equipping local leaders with actionable tools and training. Additionally, PRI will strengthen its role as a convener, including hosting forthcoming regional summits.
"At The BlackRock Foundation, we're committed to helping Americans achieve financial security," says Claire Chamberlain, President of The BlackRock Foundation. "PRI's 'cradle to career' place-based approach deeply impressed us with its potential to create lasting change in rural communities. We're excited to support their work in empowering the next generation to build a better future."
Today’s announcement is part of a larger effort at The BlackRock Foundation to expand economic security across the US by partnering with non-governmental organizations in local economies to empower the next generation of Americans with education and career opportunities.
About The BlackRock Foundation
Guided by BlackRock’s purpose to help more and more people experience financial well-being, The BlackRock Foundation focuses on increasing economic security for low- to moderate- income households by helping them earn, save and invest – earlier, more often and for their futures. With our partners, we aim to support the building of a financial safety net to protect against shocks that widen disparities and make it easier to build wealth and support upward mobility.
About Partners for Rural Impact
Partners for Rural Impact (PRI) leads a national movement to accelerate outcomes for the 14 million children and youth living in rural America. PRI convenes rural leaders, strengthens rural places and activates private and public funding to ensure rural youth are on a path to upward mobility. For more information about PRI, please visit our website (partnersrural.org) or follow us on LinkedIn or Twitter: @partnersrural.
[i] Census List of Rural and Urban Population, 2020
[ii] USDA ERS - Foundation Giving to Rural Areas in the United States Is Disproportionately Low
