Foundations form Rural Collaborative targeting persistent poverty. (Newsline).

Seven private foundations announced they are seeking to leverage $100 million from public and private sources over the next 10 years to stimulate reinvestment and revitalization of rural America. Their collective effort is called the National Rural Funders Collaborative (NRFC).

NRFC is a new private-sector initiative created by the following philanthropic institutions: Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation, Annie E. Casey Foundation, Fannie Mae Foundation, William Randolph Hearst Foundation, E B. Heron Foundation, William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and WK. Kellogg Foundation.

Officials said that NRFC intends to broaden its membership to include public and private funders at the local, regional and national levels. Collectively, this public-private partnership is intended to provide a spectrum of debt and equity investments to strengthen and sustain rural communities and families, especially those facing persistent poverty.

NRFC's vision is to help expand the availability of human, technical and financial resources to help rural communities and families achieve measurable, sustainable improvement.

"The NRFC approach is distinct, said Jim Richardson, executive director of the Dallas-based organization. "Through NRFC, we're working to create a learning partnership that builds upon existing initiatives at local and regional levels. NRPC was developed to strengthen rural communities and families from the ground up by stimulating collaboration among local and regional partners who can share their experiences and draw upon important lessons their communities have learned," added Richardson.

At the same time, NRFC is strategic -- looking for those opportunities in which rural collaborations of area funders and community partners are already working to leverage community assets to attract and sustain long-term, renewable resources.

"NRFC's goal is to attract long-term investments, not short-term contributions, in rural America; for that we need local, regional and national partners committed to helping develop sustainable strategies and solutions, said Richardson.

NRFC is seeking proposals from funders and community partners working together in rural areas of persistent poverty. A Request for Qualifications (RFQ) form is located at this Web site address: www.nrfc.org.