Rural areas are places of wealth, however, wealth is increasingly mobile. How do rural communities tap into this wealth and to encourage the wealth to be place-based? Over the past two days, over 70 community representatives in two regions of Ontario gathered to discuss rural wealth, intergenerational transfers of wealth, and strategies for rural revitalization and development.
The Rural Ontario Institute hosted forums in Fergus (February 1) and Cobourg (February 2) to explore how philanthropy can be utilized to sustain and revitalize local communties. The forums were an opportunity for non-profit organizations to exchange experiences and learn from one another about how to connect local philanthrophy with community priorities.
Each Community Wealth Forum will consists of presentations from Cindy Lindsay (Community Foundations of Canada) and Ryan Gibson (University of Guelph). Cindy shared insights from rural philanthropy initiative throughout rural Ontario and Canada. Ryan shared information on wealth transfers in rural communities and discuss why time is often of the essence. Ryan will also be sharing research findings from the SSHRC funded Place-Based Endowments in the Periphery initiative.
