Economic Development, Workforce Development, Community Building, and Education
Annie E. Casey Foundation: since 1948, the Annie E. Casey Foundation has worked to build better futures for disadvantaged children and their families in the United States. The primary mission of the Foundation is to foster public policies, human service reforms, and community supports that more effectively meet the needs of today's vulnerable children and families. http://www.aecf.org
The Aspen Institute: The mission of the Aspen Institute is to foster enlightened leadership, the appreciation of timeless ideas and values, and open-minded dialogue on contemporary issues. Through seminars, policy programs, conferences and leadership development initiatives, the Institute and its international partners seek to promote the pursuit of common ground and deeper understanding in a nonpartisan and non-ideological setting. http://www.aspeninst.org
Charles M. and Mary D. Grant Foundation: primarily supports organizations located or working in the southeast region of the United States in the areas of community and economic development, health and human services, and education and literacy. http://fdncenter.org/grantmaker/grant/
The Duke Endowment: the Endowment?s mission is to serve the people of North Carolina and South Carolina by supporting selected programs of higher education, health care, children's welfare, and spiritual life. http://www.dukeendowment.org
Ford Foundation: goals are to strengthen democratic values, reduce poverty and injustice, promote international cooperation, and advance human achievement. http://www.fordfound.org
Foundation for the Mid South: a regional development foundation whose mission is to build the communities, resources, and leadership of Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi through change strategies based on regional cooperation. The Foundation does this by using private philanthropic resources to fund, develop, and promote initiatives in the areas of education, economic development, and families and children. http://www.fndmidsouth.org/
Jessie Ball DuPont Fund: a private, national foundation that invests in a prescribed group of more than 300 educational, charitable, and religious institutions. http://www.dupontfund.org
KnowledgeWorks Foundation: works to create and improve educational opportunities at pre-kindergarten through high school and post-high school institutions and through community organizations. http://www.kwfdn.org/
Lumina Foundation for Education: a private, independent foundation that strives to help people achieve their potential by expanding access and success in education beyond high school. Through research, grants for innovative programs and communication initiatives, Lumina Foundation addresses issues surrounding access and success ? particularly among underserved student groups, including students 25 years of age and older. http://www.luminafoundation.org
Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation: concentrates on assisting people in the Southeast to build just and caring communities that nurture people, spur enterprise, bridge differences, foster fairness and promote civility. http://www.mrbf.org
Nellie Mae Education Foundation: New England?s largest public charity dedicated exclusively to improving academic achievement for the region?s underserved communities; provides grants and technical assistance to programs that concentrate on academic enrichment, college planning, advising, preparation and retention support for low-income, under-served students in grades 5 through 14, and adult learners. http://www.nmefdn.org/
Rural Community College Initiative: works to strengthen rural communities by assisting their community colleges in assuming a more active leadership role in three distinct, yet interrelated areas that are essential to the inclusive, place-based type of community development: civic engagement, educational access, and economic development. http://srdc.msstate.edu/rcci/
Southern Growth Policies Board: a non-partisan public policy think tank, funded by 13 southern states, that develops and advances visionary economic development policies by providing a forum for partnership and dialog among a diverse cross-section of the region's governors, legislators, business and academic leaders and the economic- and community-development sectors. http://www.southern.org
The William Randolph Hearst Foundation: The charitable goals of the Hearst Foundation reflect the philanthropic interests of William Randolph Hearst ?education, health, social service and culture. Within these four areas, the Foundation assists institutions in providing opportunities to underserved and underrepresented populations. http://hearstfdn.org/
Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation: a private, general purpose foundation with the mission of improving the quality of life of the people of North Carolina. Areas of focus include: community economic development; democracy and civic engagement; environment; pre-collegiate education; and social justice and equity. http://www.zsr.org
Business Development
Dogwood Equity: a private, limited liability company that serves as the general partner and manager of the North Carolina Economic Opportunities Fund. http://www.dogwoodequity.com/
The Glynwood Center: helps communities grapple with the tension between economic development and the conservation of natural and cultural resources; provides access to innovative ideas from around the world and opportunities to strengthen local leadership. http://www.glynwood.org/
Triangle Residential Options for Substance Abusers: a nonprofit that focuses on helping recovering drug and alcohol abusers to change their lives. More than 250 men and women live at TROSA for two years each where they receive therapy, housing, food, and clothing for free. In exchange, residents must stay off drugs and alcohol and work in one of the businesses that TROSA operates. This work experience helps residents learn life skills and work skills that enable them to find jobs after they graduate from the two-year treatment program. http://www.trosainc.org/
Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education: serves farmers, researchers, and educators in building profitable and sustainable plant and animal production. http://www.uvm.edu/~nesare/
Appalachian by Design: a non-profit development and marketing company that markets Appalachian Baby Design, has devoted itself to making machine knitting a sustainable, home-based industry for women in rural Appalachia. http://www.abdinc.org/
Arvest Bank: according to an analysis of the program in the U.S. Comptroller of the Currency's fall 2000 newsletter, Arvest Bank has developed an innovative, low-risk credit-building program tailored to meet immigrant workers' needs in its home city of Rogers, Arkansas. http://www.arvest.com/banking/
Miner County Community Revitalization: With major support from the Northwest Area Foundation, MCCR is devoted to rescuing farm towns from extinction and to building a thriving community that offers a high quality of life for all residents in Miner County, South Dakota. http://www.mccr.net/
The Lightstone Foundation and Community Development Corporation: serves as a regional center practicing and supporting sustainable family farming, natural resource management and rural community-based development. http://www.lightstone.org/