Erik Brodt, MD (Ojibwe) knows that there are experts all around us — many of whom go unrecognized.  As a Native American Healthcare provider he works to ensure that American Indian/Alaska Native youth know they have a place in health care.  He challenges philanthropy to look beyond the typical expert, to ask questions differently, and to spend time getting to know the impact of programming —what and whom — thinking beyond the traditional model of scalability.

Jamie Bennett is a force to be reckoned with in the art world. He is currently co-CEO of Americans for the Arts and has served at the helm of ArtPlace America, United States Artists, and National Endowment for the Arts. All of these opportunities have helped him understand and encourage the importance of artists and culture bearers in all communities. Creatives are leaders, problem solvers, and models for improving relationships with one self and the community at large — which boosts mental health and prosperity. Yet so few Americans identify as an artist that Jamie asks the question – who gets to call themselves an artist?

Torsten Kjellstrand, a Swedish immigrant, has always looked for the stories of the underrepresented.  Now as a Professor of Practice at the University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communication, Kjellstrand uses his background in rural journalism to teach the next generation of media about authenticity and care for the stories that are told  because as he says, ‘storytelling can be dangerous.’

Philanthropy talks about collaboration regularly - Brenda Smith with High Desert Partnership lives it every day. She and her colleagues work to build common ground and relationships between seemingly disparate stakeholders in rural Harney County, Oregon. Collaboration is fostered and supported from the ground up; and comes from all sides. This was especially evident in the occupation of the Malheur Wildlife Refuge in 2016. The narrative of that event as well as the story about rural Harney County and it's residents, was told in mainstream media, yet the local perspective was not included.

During times of crisis, we often see the disparities in community resources, especially in rural and remote communities. Cari Cullen from the Center for Disaster Philanthropy offers ways philanthropy can and should be showing up in the communities we serve during and after disasters. Cari reminds philanthropists it’s not ‘if’, but ‘when’, with disasters. Funders need to plan ahead, in partnership with government agencies and community stakeholders. And perhaps most importantly, we need to be listening for what the communities actually need. 

Over the past few years federal funds have increased to rural communities, but how are they actually getting to those communities? Tony Pipa, a Senior Fellow with the Brookings Institution in Washington DC, shares programs, leads the Reimagining Federal Rural Policy Initiative and hosts the Reimagine Rural podcast. In this episode, he demystifies the federal government and its resources, and talks about the need for a rural renaissance to ensure the available funding for rural and remote communities makes it to those on the ground doing the work across rural America.

Belinda Brown has spent over 30 years providing leadership, developing programs, and facilitating community development in Indian Country. She has expertise in intergovernmental affairs coordination with Tribes, communities, and collaboratives. An enrolled member of the Pit River Tribe, Belinda’s varied experience links back to a consistent theme: supporting young people. Her current role with Lomakatsi Restoration Project helps to align young Indigenous and rural youth with workforce training related to cultural practices —and just at the right time.

Margaret “Margi” Hoffman is a woman of action – not something commonly thought of when talking about Government officials – and yet she now serves as the Oregon State Director for Rural Development of the USDA. She is looking creatively at ways her role can support the state of Oregon and its rural communities to access capital from federal partners, even as small pilot projects, bringing together the “coalition of the willing” to get dollars on the ground.

Barton Robison of Willamette Partnership tackles what he calls ‘weird projects’: those things that are hard to manage or hard to fund – because rural capacity is limited in city and county governments. With his lighthearted approach, Barton makes it seem easy.  But in reality there are many ways grant processes can be improved, starting with happy hour.

Lesli Allison's first role as a ranch manager in Southeastern Colorado taught her the importance of private land as part of the conservation conversation. On episode 8 of the Funding Rural podcast, Lesli shares how ranchers and farmers are leading the way on innovative climate and environmental projects and the challenges of accessing resources including research.

Allen Smart has years of experience working with philanthropic families and health conversion foundations across the east coast and southeast. His reputation as a leader in rural philanthropy as a consultant is strong. Join Allen as he shares some of the lessons he learned throughout his tenure as a consultant – and how philanthropic organizations can make real impact building relationships in smaller communities.

C’Ardiss “CC” Gardner Gleser is an advocate for social impact and racial justice work. After starting her career in tech, she entered philanthropy to better fulfill her purpose and passion. She grew up in Seattle, Washington and now lives in Detroit, MI. As CC and host Erin Borla got to know each other, they discussed how the challenges in inner city communities echoed many of those challenges rural and frontier communities faced, and how we show up (or don’t) as philanthropists can impact how we build relationships and connect as people and funders in these places.

Zavier ‘Zavi’ Borja discusses his upbringing in rural Central Oregon as the son of a Mexican immigrant family — chasing agricultural work juxtaposed with his nonprofit experience in outdoor recreation. He shares his journey working with kids of color and how his past impacts his newest adventure, working for Oregon’s Governor.

Linguistic anthropologist Elizabeth Marino, PhD talks about the language barrier that exists between urban and rural communities in America and how it impacts philanthropists, who are traditionally based in urban wealth and power centers. Marino leads the Laboratory for The American Conversation at Oregon State University-Cascades.

Julie Garreau (enrolled member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe) embodies servant-leadership as the founder and executive director of the Cheyenne River Youth Project in Eagle Butte, SD. She talks about engaging young people – and how a grassroots organization needs investment to support community. Where many only hear stories of challenges and despair, Garreau elevates the stories of resilience.

Wynn Rosser, PhD is a place-based rural funder. His work at T.L.L. Temple Foundation focuses on 22 counties in rural east Texas and he brings with him Texas-sized empathy. Rosser shares concrete examples of the interconnectedness between funding in urban and rural communities. Rosser also touches on the value of working at a strategy and policy level for larger impact and what can happen if philanthropy turns a blind eye to policy and legislation.

In a society that often places people into boxes based on one or two factors, Children's Institute Leader, Kali Thorne Ladd, distinguishes herself as an advocate for children and families — and she reminds us to recognize the humanity in each other.