$7 million grant to advocates that address the needs of rural American children

The W.K. Kellogg Foundation has awarded a three-year grant of nearly $7 million to a national partnership of nonprofits that can address the needs of rural American children and families. It will include more than 500 organizations working in 47 states and Washington D.C. on rural policy.

The partnership, led by the Rural Supporting Organization of the Center for Rural Strategies in Whitesburg, Ky., will assist networks of citizen groups and public-sector organizations working to expand opportunities for people living in America’s rural communities.

The initiative will combine the efforts of existing networks such as Working for Equality and Economic Liberation, a welfare-reform group based in Helena, Montana; state-wide organizations such as Arkansas Advocates for Children & Families of Little Rock, Ark.; and national consortiums such as the National Rural Health Association, a 20,000 member organization based in Washington D.C.

Approximately 60 million people, or 20 percent of the U.S. population, live in rural communities. Rural areas comprise 80 percent of the nation’s land area.