Luke Shaefer, PhD is one of the nation's foremost scholars of poverty and social welfare policy. He is a professor at the University of Michigan and is the inaugural director of Poverty Solutions, an interdisciplinary initiative that partners with communities and policymakers to find novel ways to alleviate poverty. In 2015, he co-authored the book, “$2 a Day: Living on Almost Nothing in America”, which was named one of the 100 Notable Books of the year by the New York Times Book Review. In Flint, Michigan, Luke helped launch RX Kids, the nation’s first citywide cash prescription program designed to help ease the financial journey into parenthood.

Green River, Utah (population 900) can be seen as a waypoint in the desert with more hotel rooms than residents. Or it can be seen through the eyes of locals like Maria Sykes. She’s the director and co-founder of Epicenter, a nonprofit in Green River that focuses on housing and fosters creativity and art in the community. Maria did not grow up in the region, instead she came by way of Americorps, and in the 16 years she’s lived in Green River, she’s contributed to its vibrancy, livability, and iconic neon signs.

Libraries are vital to rural communities—they do so much more than just check out books. They provide internet access, heating and cooling centers, early learning, nutrition, STEM programs, story time and more. Dr. Regina Washington-Arthur is the managing director of the Rural Library Network for Partners for Rural Impact. With a background in public health, Washington-Arthur explains that libraries contribute to the overall health of a community; they are a critical component of the cradle-to-career educational pathway; and more often than not, they do so with limited financial resources.

More than 50 million Americans face food insecurity. And in the U.S., 9 out of the 10 counties with the highest rate of food insecurity are rural. To offset this disparity, Roundhouse Foundation recently launched a 6 million dollar investment which will support local food purchase over the next three years. Carly Auten is food program director at NeighborImpact, a grant recipient that distributes more than 4 million pounds of food every year and feeds 80,000 people across Central Oregon every month.

Gretchen Guess is president and CEO of the Rasmuson Foundation in Alaska, where 80% of the population lives in remote areas without road access. Gretchen has lived there all her life and served terms in both the Alaska House of Representatives and Senate. She’s brought her public service experience to Rasmuson Foundation, which is one of the largest funders in Alaska and centers the community in all of their grantmaking.

Josh Davis began his career in the nonprofit world by working for the Delta Health Alliance, which is a nonprofit that works to improve access to healthcare and education in the Mississippi Delta. He then made the shift into the philanthropic world and now serves as the vice president of policy and partnerships at StriveTogether, leading national efforts to build civic infrastructure and influence public policy that puts more young people on a path to economic mobility.

Farming and ranching requires experimentation, adaptation, and innovation. It’s a whole lot of problem solving done by people who often don’t have a whole lot of expendable capital. That doesn’t mean that ranchers aren’t deeply committed to stewarding the health of their land for generations to come. Dallas Hall Defrees is a 5th generation rancher in Eastern Oregon who serves as the director of Regenerative Ranching with Sustainable Northwest. She works with ranchers who are actively trying to improve the biodiversity, soil health and wellbeing of their livestock while making a living.

Partnerships play an important role when it comes to tackling the complicated, uncomfortable and often taboo issue of firearms. Jessi LaRose is the Director of strategic initiatives at Missouri Foundation for Health and she runs the Missouri Foundation for Health’s Firearm Injury and Death Prevention program. Her organization works with grantees in more than 84 counties including the city of St. Louis, and they have found that listening first, and understanding local context, is key to building local engagement and trust.

John Cornelius grew up on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota; he served in the US Army; and he has the national suicide helpline number, 988, tattooed on his arm. He is a peer support and suicide prevention specialist and a mental health educator who walks the talk. John has overcome addiction, suicide attempts, and periods of houselessness and says his faith guides him as he helps others facing crisis. This episode delves into mental health topics and suicide prevention. If you or someone you know are experiencing thoughts of suicide, call or text the national helpline at 988.

How much is philanthropy currently investing in LGBTQ organizations? Not a whole lot, especially in rural. Katie Carter is the CEO of Pride Foundation, which was founded 40 years ago to support Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer folks. Pride currently works in the Northwest, providing support to nonprofits in both urban and rural places. Katie grew up rural and recognizes the importance of being your authentic self, no matter where you live.