Event History

Rural Philanthropy Days is a unique way that Colorado 's funding community interacts with the many nonprofit organizations in rural Colorado . In the early 1990's, while conducting research for the first edition of the Colorado Grants Guide, the Community Resource Center (CRC) discovered that only about 3% of the funds granted by Colorado 's private funding community were awarded outside the Front Range . In order to overcome recognized the distances – both geographic and psychological – between rural nonprofits and Front Range funders, CRC helped Mesa County nonprofits develop two days of meetings to acquaint Front Range funders with Mesa County and its nonprofit sector. CRC and a small group of funders traveled to Mesa County to meet nonprofit staff and board members on their own  to develop mutual understanding and stronger relationships.

In 1997, a partnership between the Anschutz Family Foundation (AFF) and the Community Resource Center (CRC) was forged and Rural Philanthropy Days (RPD) as we know it today was begun. Funds from Anschutz Family Foundation, then the Kenneth King Foundation, and now many others, have enabled RPD to take place in eight regions of rural Colorado. With two events annually, RPD cycles back to each region every four years.

 

There are four broad goal areas for RPD.

• To enable nonprofits and funders to begin a relationship leading to successful grant proposals and more funds to rural Colorado.
• To build the capacity of local nonprofits. Building capacity refers to a wide array of attitudes and skills that characterize effective nonprofits.

• To encourage interaction and networking among regional nonprofits which could lead to collaborative ventures on behalf of the health of the entire region.
• To enable funders to understand the various areas of rural Colorado so that they can best respond to regional needs, as well as acquire or refresh a context for proposals that they receive.