Giving Compass' Take:

· Joelle Cook provides a different perspective on how to improve rural America and discusses FSG's commitment to rejuvenate rural areas by investing in them. 

· How can philanthropy invest in rural areas? What other ways can we improve rural life? 

· Check out this article about philanthropy in rural areas and the need for support.

When it comes to their impact, there’s an inaccurate and problematic narrative about rural areas—one in which rural areas take more than they give from the government. In a recent paper and New York Times opinion piece, Brookings Institution argued that to improve rural economies, funders should invest in cities. They explain that urban and suburban centers subsidize rural areas by generating more revenue for states than they receive back in education, infrastructure and other public investments.  This sole focus on the balance sheet ignores many aspects of rural American life that have more of an impact on quality of life—as David Peters found in his research, social capital and civic measures were more likely to predict quality of life than economic measures. In other words, people value things like knowing people in your town, being in close proximity to family, and having deep cultural roots in a place.

You might be asking yourself: what does FSG, a consulting firm with offices in four cities on the East and West coast, know about rural America, and why do we care about philanthropy’s investments in these places?

FSG is committed to changing systems that hold inequities in place, and some of these deep inequities are found in our rural areas. For example, though affordable housing is often thought of as an urban issue, the Urban Institute recently pointed out that 8 million rural Americans live in areas designated by the USDA as having a "most severe" need for more affordable housing.

Read the full article about investing in rural America by Joelle Cook at FSG.