The $116 Million Network – How an Elite Tier of Rural Nonprofits Rebuilt a Legacy Federal Framework

A decentralized network of regional nonprofits descended from the old federal Resource Conservation and Development program reports collective revenue over $116 million in 2024, based on an analysis of public financial filings, having reportedly doubled its footprint over five years since losing direct federal funding in 2011. The top 50 of these councils are said to generate 93% of that total.

One example cited is Georgia's Golden Triangle RC&D, which maintains rural road stream crossings, trains county crews on a heavy equipment simulator, helps residents get wells and septic systems, and runs a water augmentation system for endangered mussels, all while still coordinating with USDA's NRCS.

The piece argues restricted, project-specific grants from national foundations underfund the operational overhead these groups need for multi-year planning, a structural gripe common to nonprofit fundraising pitches everywhere.

The full dispatch is available from the source below.