NP, May 31, 2023, Making Policy Work For Rural Communities: The Value Of Community Voice
Public funding programs often include conditions that exceed the capabilities of high-poverty areas, such as requiring matching funds that these areas do not have. Philanthropy often relies on large, national intermediaries that lack local knowledge and relationships. The private sector tends to prioritize investing in their backyards, as evidenced by banks that follow the path carved by the Community Reinvestment Act, a path tied to their physical network of branches—even as rural communities have borne the brunt of branch closures.
