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An initiative of The Ford Family Foundation

In collaboration with

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An Experiment in Rural Capacity Building

Creating vital rural communitiesby building capacity

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The Ford Family Foundationof Roseburg, Oregon

• Founders – Kenneth and Hallie Ford, Roseburg Forest Products

• Mission – Successful citizens and vital rural communities

• Corpus -- $600 million (July 2009)

• Serves communities under 30,000 population in Oregon and Siskiyou County, California

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The Ford Family Foundationof Roseburg, Oregon

Scholarship Programs • Ford Scholars • Opportunity Scholars (single parents)• Restart Scholars (over age 25) • Sons and Daughters of RFP

Grant Programs• Responsive capital grants• Proactive grants

Ford Institute for Community Building

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Vitality, a balance of dimensions:

• Public safety• Health and human services• Environment and natural resources• Economy • Arts and culture• Education

Medical care, mental health care, children and families, substance abuse, disability services, seniors, low income housing

Geology, soil, water, air, plants, animals, natural systems, energy, scenic

and natural places

Music, visual arts, performing arts, entertainment, events and

celebrations, special places

Business, business services, agencies, workforce,

employment, transfer payments, land ownership, taxation

Law enforcement, justice, fire protection, emergency services, natural hazards management, waste disposal

K-12 schooling, occupational education, life long learning,

access to secondary education, school activities,

sports, 4-H

A vital ruralCommunity is recognized for:

Governance

Infrastructure Organization

PublicSafety

Economy

Arts &Culture

Natural Resources &Environment

Health &Human Services

Education

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Institute Theory of ChangeTupelo Model

HumanDevelopment

Vitality

Community Collaborations

Effective Organizations

Community Leaders

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Major strategies to build capacity

• Build capacity at leader, organization and collaboration levels

• Engage diversity within communities: all ages, interests, ethnicities, etc.

• Engage all communities not just a sample • Commit to perpetual relationship • First, “raise all boats” (stage 1) then move to

communities to action on dimensions(stage 2)

• Build networks: local, regional, statewide

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Expected outcomes Capacity

• Increased public engagement and civility • Greater number of community leaders and

volunteers• More effective community organizations• More collaborations on projects and programs• Clearer community vision and priorities • Improved governance • Greater resource development – organizations

and community are more attractive to other investors

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Expected Impacts

Improved means to impacts • Public facilities and infrastructure• Programs and policies

Improved indicators for dimensions• Environment and natural resources • Economy and business • Community: health and social services, public

safety, education, arts and culture

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Effective OrganizationsTraining

Community CollaborationsTraining

Publications Community Vitality, Select Books, Institute Update

ConferencesRegional, sub-regional

Regards to Rural

Web sites TFFF Web Site, RIPPLE, Rural Communities Explorer

LeadershipDevelopment Grants

Organization Development Grants

Community Collaboration Grants

Institute programsmethods

Ford InstituteLeadershipProgram

Assistance Grants Program

ResourcesProgram

LeadershipDevelopmentTraining

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Year

Ford Institute Leadership ProgramTraining

Leadership Development Cohort 1

20 to 30 participants nominated by a community committee. Class identifies all community organizations, who are invited to next class.

Leadership Development Cohort 2

20 to 30 participants from earlier class or nominated by cohort 1. Instructed by community trainers in part.

Leadership Development Cohort 3

Same as cohort 2. Additional cohorts available on request, requires community trainers.

Effective Organizations

No limit to number of participants. Those not in cohort 1 are invited to join cohort 2

Community Collaborations

Engages all class participants and guests in class adapted to community situation. No limit to participants. Those not in cohort 1 or 2 invited to join next class

1 2 3 40

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52 Hub Communities and Regions

Hub Communities

Completed program (12)

In Program now (34)

Start fall 2009 (4)

Start spring 2010 (4)

Future if ready (20+)

Training by/with others (2)

Ontario Region

Baker County

WallowaCounty

Union County

Pendleton

Walla Walla Milton-Freewater

Morrow County

Hermiston

Harney County

Grant County

Sherman County

Gilliam County

Crook County

Jefferson County

Chiloquin

Wheeler County Wasco County

HoodRiverCounty

Estacada

Mollala

Klamath Falls

Roseburg

Lake County

Coquille Valley

Winston/Dillard

South Lane

Sutherlin

South Douglas Grants Pass

Bandon

White City/Rogue

Butte Valley

Merrill/MalinTulelake

South Siskiyou Scott Valley

Yreka

Ashland Keno Mid-Klamath

Gold Hill

North Douglas Bay Area

La Pine Oakridge Lowell Upper Mckenzie Vida

Applegate Illinois V.

North Curry

South Curry

CoastalDouglas Fern Ridge

Bonanza

Harrisburg Sisters East Linn Alpine

Florence

SouthLincoln

Cascade PhilomathSilverton

Scio Mill City/GatesNewport

Monmouth/Independence

Woodburn DallasLincoln City

NewbergWest Valley

CorneliusForest Grove Tillamook

County

SouthColumbia

Banks

Vernonia

Rainier South Clatsop

Lower Columbia

South Jefferson

Amity

CoburgJunction City

Weed

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Leadership DevelopmentTraining Description

• 16 community leadership topics• 48 hours in class – facilitated discussion • 12 hours in conference with other communities • Classes offered in the community • Meets Friday afternoon/evening and Saturday

morning/afternoon, once a month• Catered meals provided• Class project with $5,000 match • Pre-class now available in Spanish (soon available

for Native Americans)

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Effective OrganizationsCommunity Collaborations

Training Description

Effective Organizations• 24 hours in class, offered in the community • Open to ALL organizations• Additional coaching available after class• Access to Assistance Grants available after

coachingCommunity Collaborations

• 24 hours in class, offered in the community• Designed with past class participants to fit

community situation • Typically involves a community gathering

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Outputs to date

• Classes started in 2003, now in 14th semester• Completed 106 Leadership Development

classes with 2,450 graduates• Over 400 graduates under age 19 • 250 graduates now qualified as community

trainers• Awarded 300+ assistance grants to community

organizations valued at $1.2 million

• OSU – “Meeting our marks for outcomes”

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Future of the Experiment

• All 80 hubs complete 5-class series by 2016 with 4,000 plus leadership class graduates.

• Communities move to Stage 2 support with on- request classes, grants and resources. Leadership class graduates will increase at 500/year.

• Rural Development Initiatives continues as collaborator for further training and support for action.

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Future of the Experiment

• Network continues to develop with a variety of conferences and RIPPLE forum site at www.ripplenw.org

• OSU Rural Studies evaluates impacts – see data base at Rural Communities Explorer, at www.oregonexplorer.info/rural.

• OSU Family and Community Development continues outcomes evaluation.

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How to participate?

• Visit www.tfff.org to learn about The Ford Family Foundation and the Ford Institute for Community Building.

• To engage your community in the program or to discuss assistance grants contact Joyce Akse, Associate Director, at 541-957-5574 or jakse@tfff.org.

• For information about specific communities, classes, and resources contact Yvette Rhodes, Program Manager at 541-957-5574 or yrhodes@tfff.org.

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Thank You

Tom Gallagher, DirectorFord Institute for Community Building

Contact: 541-957-2563, tgallagher@tfff.org