Investing in Rural Communities
Our Small-town Dreams Initiative
This story is part of our Transforming Together series, which highlights 20 key moments in our Foundation’s first 20 years. Read more stories in the series.
More than 200,000 people call the seven-county Dubuque region home, and many of them live in communities of fewer than 2,000 residents. These small towns are key to creating a strong, interconnected region of high-performing, self-determined communities.
With generous funding from a supporter who grew up in one of these towns, the Community Foundation created a tool for residents of rural communities to invest in their future. The Small-town Dreams Initiative is an innovative way to address unanticipated needs and enhance the quality of life for future generations.
Through the initiative, the Foundation poses a challenge: Participating towns can receive $100,000 to start an endowment for the community by raising matching amounts locally. By the end of the campaign, each community will have built a $450,000 endowment that will grow in perpetuity and pay out $25,000 a year for grantmaking.
These grants can jumpstart solutions to the challenges of the day. Right now, 10 participating towns are addressing issues like child care availability, downtown revitalization and outdoor recreation.
“This is a such a win for our community,” says Kathy Lansing, a Guttenberg resident guiding one of the campaigns. “We are addressing future challenges today. Small-town Dreams builds resilience for these rural places we love to call home.”
Ultimately, rural communities own their futures. They understand what issues must be addressed and how to build local support and funding to make their dreams reality. In the Community Foundation they have a partner that provides financial expertise, working models and technical know-how in community building.
“In rural regions, working collaboratively to strengthen the community comes naturally to residents,” says MJ Smith, senior affiliate advisor at the Community Foundation who oversees the Small-town Dreams Initiative. “We are neighbors above all else, and we do what it takes to make our home a better place.”