The Rural Funders’ Working Group helps funders of smaller places build shared knowledge and align strategies at the intersection of land use, climate, and equity. The group is open and welcoming to any funder who wants to learn more about rural California and connect with peers working in similar contexts.
Why
While population, resources, and political power in California are concentrated in major metropolitan regions, smaller cities and rural communities play a defining role in how the state functions and grows. These places produce much of California’s food and energy, steward its land and water, and sustain regional economies and cultures.
They are also often where climate impacts are felt first and most intensely. As California continues to change, decisions made in these communities will directly shape the state’s ability to meet its climate, housing, and equity goals—making sustained investment in smaller and rural places essential to California’s future.
Where
From the North State to the Inland Empire, San Diego County to the San Joaquin Valley, the Rural Funders’ Working Group focuses on predominantly rural communities and smaller cities with populations under 100,000 across California. As housing affordability pressures and remote work reshape where people live, these regions are experiencing rapid change—bringing both opportunity and risk.
With intention and coordinated investment, this moment can support resilient micropolitan communities that integrate smart growth principles while preserving local character. Without it, growth could deepen sprawl, climate vulnerability, and inequity.
The Rural Funders’ Working Group is open to all funders currently supporting, or interested in supporting, efforts to build healthy, equitable, and sustainable communities in smaller places throughout California. If you’re interested in learning more or attending a future quarterly meeting, please contact Diana Williams.
How We Work
Rural places are defined by lower density—fewer people, homes, businesses, and institutions spread across large geographies—and rural philanthropy reflects this reality. As a result, the Working Group is designed to be flexible and responsive, shaped by what is most relevant, useful, or pressing across different rural regions.
We combine structured learning with open space for funders to connect, share what they are working on, and learn from one another. This balance allows the group to remain accessible, adaptive, and grounded in real conditions on the ground.
Recent Focus Areas
Over the past year, the Working Group hosted a webinar series, Who Benefits from Community Benefits?, examining renewable energy development in Humboldt Bay (offshore wind), the San Joaquin Valley (solar farms and battery storage), and the Imperial Valley’s Salton Sea (lithium). These conversations explored both the promise of large-scale clean energy investments and the risks when projects move forward without meaningful community participation—especially for the communities most directly affected.
The group also examined how funders can respond to federal workforce cuts and declining safety nets in rural communities, with a focus on data-informed grantmaking, strengthening local government capacity and revenue, and connecting partners across sectors and regions. In addition, conversations such as Who Gets to Stay? explored affordable housing pressures in rural places, examining who holds power in land use and housing decisions, using West Marin and Point Reyes as a case in point.
Related Learning
Selected blog posts below highlight themes explored in recent sessions and site-based learning. If you have topics to suggest for a working group meeting, be in touch.
• Learning from Lithium Valley: What the Salton Sea Tells Us About Energy, Equity, and Community Voice
Lithium Valley webinar blog
• Three Strategies for Funders in Rural Places
Headwaters Economics, which specializes in rural economies, joined us to offer lessons from rural communities navigating federal workforce cuts, climate risk, and capacity constraints, with practical guidance on where philanthropy can have outsized impact.
• Who Gets to Stay: Rural Housing, Displacement, and the Future of West Marin
Housing in Point Reyes webinar blog
Get Involved
The Rural Funders’ Working Group is open to all funders currently supporting, or interested in supporting, efforts to build healthy, equitable, and sustainable communities in smaller places throughout California. Participation includes quarterly meetings, learning sessions, and opportunities to connect informally with peers.
To join, we ask that funders support the Working Group’s vision and allocate some portion of their giving toward healthy, equitable, and sustainable communities. Funders exploring rural work for the first time are also welcome. Members are asked to join The Funders Network and, through participation, become part of Smart
To learn more or attend a future meeting, contact Diana Williams, Program Director, or Ron Milam, Director, to learn more and get involved.
