“Through Grace, Grit and Gumption,” was the response from Donna Gambrell, President & CEO of Appalachian Community Capital, when she was one how to advance opportunities for rural communities during a fireside chat at the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond’s Elevating What Works / Investing in Rural America Conference last week.
 
The two-day conference showcased progress on solutions reflecting all three of these virtues, which are necessary to build an ecosystem that enhances the prosperity of rural communities. It takes grace, grit, and gumption to:

• Develop cross-sector collaborations through the building of trust-based relationships.
• Design a holistic approach that includes safe and quality housing people can afford, broadband and transit for accessibility and connections, workforce development that prepares people for good-paying jobs, and supportive services, such as child and elder care.
• Create solutions that are community-driven.

Philanthropy plays an important role in efforts to improve the lives of people who live in rural Virginia. While grantmaking to test innovative solutions or fill funding gaps for projects in rural Virginia is one way, funders can use their role as anchor institutions to bring others to the table to design collaborative and inclusive approaches and ensure the community’s voice is present.
 
All it takes is grace, grit, and gumption.  

-Bess Littlefield, CEO, Virginia Funders Network