Small-town Dreams Initiative

An innovative way for rural communities to bring big ideas to life.

More than 200,000 people call our seven-county region home. Most of them live in towns of fewer than 2,000 residents.

These small towns are key to creating a strong, interconnected region of high-performing, self-determined communities.

Through our Small-town Dreams Initiative, we pose a challenge: Participating towns can receive funds to start an endowment for the community by raising matching amounts locally. By the end of the campaign, communities will have built up an endowment that will grow in perpetuity and pay out annually for grantmaking.

How It Works

We have launched the Small-town Dreams Initiative in communities across our seven-county region. In partnership with a donor, the initiative has been structured to provide a cash match both for endowment-building and immediate local grantmaking.

The endowment challenge is completed in two phases, right-sized for your community.*

Phase I
Quiet two-to-one challenge to local leaders
Example: Leaders raise $150,000 to match donor’s $75,000 gift
Total at Phase I completion: $225,000

Phase II
Community challenged to match total raised in Phase I
Example: Community raises an additional $225,000
Total at end of three-year campaign: $450,000

The community also is eligible for additional cash for grantmaking twice during the challenge