Thriving rural communities contributing to a thriving Texas.

Welcome

The mission of Texas Rural Funders is to mobilize the power of philanthropy to strengthen rural Texas. As a membership organization, we help funders generate resources and attention toward rural communities across our state, and engage in collaborative action. We strive to honor, strengthen, and preserve rural communities, because when they succeed, Texas as a whole succeeds.

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Texas Rural Funders is the leading membership organization for philanthropy dedicated to rural Texas and a trusted partner and connector for rural communities.

Why Rural?

It’s hard to overestimate the importance of rural Texas to our past, present, and future. Rural land doesn’t just make up 85% of our state-- it’s the heart of our culture, economy, and quality of life. As we like to say, “Your food is not grown in the HEB parking lot.” All Texans depend on rural communities for food, fiber, and fuel. Simply put, a thriving future for Texas is contingent on the well-being of its rural communities.

Rural communities, however, face a growing number of challenges that threaten their long-term success. Rapid population growth across Texas, urban sprawl, and ever-increasing demands on land and water resources put constant pressure on rural Texas. High-quality education, economic development, employment, healthcare, and infrastructure—the building-blocks all communities need to thrive—are more difficult to secure in sparsely populated areas. As a result, rural communities trail other parts of the state in measures of long-term well-being.

With the rapid urbanization of our state, less information and political attention is currently focused on rural Texas than in past decades. TRF provides funders a unique opportunity and responsibility to raise up and amplify rural voices.

Why Rural Texas Matters

There are 247,500 farms in Texas in 2018, with an average size of 514 acres. [Texas Almanac]

Surface water is projected to decline by 3% and groundwater by almost 20% by 2070.

The state’s water needs are expected to grow from about 4.7 million acre-feet in 2020 to about 8.8 million acre-feet by 2070. [TRF]

Texas is the clear leader in energy production in the U. S., ranking first in crude oil well numbers and production, natural gas wells and production, and wind turbines and wind energy capacity.

Of Texas’ 254 counties, 70 percent are considered rural. Yet, only 27%, or 160 of the state’s 600 hospitals, are rural. [Texas Hospital Association]

More than 20 rural hospitals have closed since 2013, and only 66 of Texas’ 160 rural hospitals offer labor & delivery services. [Texas Hospital Association]

Although about 17% of Texas residents lack health insurance, the rate of uninsured is up 25% in some rural counties.

As of early 2021, 27% of adults living in households earning less than $30,000 a year are smartphone-only internet users – meaning they own a smartphone but do not have broadband internet at home. This represents a substantial increase from 12% in 2013. [Pew Research Center]

As of February 2022, almost 90% of non-Hispanic whites in Texas have broadband access, compared to 80% of Black Texans and 78% of Hispanic Texans. [Report from the Texas Comptroller’s Office]

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