It’s time to bring people together.

We believe the nonprofit sector has a disproportionate impact on our rural communities.

Rural nonprofits play a vital role in economic stability, community health, and quality of life for those who call rural America home. These communities are essential to agricultural systems, cultural treasures, national economic wellbeing and can have a disproportionate impact on our national governance and policy. This necessitates the need for a disproportionate focus on understanding the rural nonprofit sector.

We need real data, real stories, and real insights. The Rural Philanthropy Institute (RPI) finds it, and shares it.

RPI brings together practitioners, academics, and interested people together to develop data, share stories and experiences, and gain insights that offer a greater understanding of what’s required to have a healthy community in rural areas. We disseminate what we learn. We look at the practical application of it. And we openly share it.

20% of Americans live in census defined rural areas. After many years of decline, rural communities are experiencing stabilization and a slight increase in population. (2024 Rural America at a Glance) 

The Rural Philanthropy Institute is interested in the intersection of the nonprofit sector and rural America. We embrace the diverse nature of rural communities and seek to explore the unique ways in which the nonprofit sector and philanthropy support and sustain these communities and their residents. 

Only 7% of Foundation Philanthropy is spent in rural communities. (UDSA Economic Research Service)

From education, to healthcare, to social services, and beyond, the nonprofit sector is an integral part of rural America. RPI seeks to understand this impact more acutely and work with communities and rural champions to produce stories and scholarship that comes from and serves the rural communities impacted.

Why The Rural Philanthropy Institute was founded

RPI was organized by the principals of The Numad Group, a consulting firm that works exclusively with nonprofit organizations to support them in a variety of ways to achieve greater impact. Through the firm’s work with a wide spectrum of nonprofits, the principals came to a clear understanding and appreciation of the disproportionate impact of the nonprofit sector in rural areas. Interest in the effectiveness of the sector, coupled with the increased national focus on understanding the rural experience in recent years, and the lack of reliable primary data about rural America, led to the creation of the RPI.