Stories

Appalachia

  • New Network Officer Announced

    As many of you know, I have been serving as Interim Executive Director of the Babcock Foundation since May 1, and I expect to remain in that position until at least the end of the year when a permanent Executive Director is in place. I appreciate the support and patience of our partners as my time has been diverted from relationships in the field and particularly in Appalachia....

  • Out of the Ashes of the Coal Economy, a Bright Future?

    The last couple of years have brought substantial new economic challenges to Appalachian Kentucky. Already saddled with being one of the poorest regions in the country, mountain communities are being hit hard by steep layoffs in the coal industry. Since 2011, eastern Kentucky has lost more than 5,700 good-paying coal mining jobs. That’s a loss of 42% of the area’s coal workforce.

    This...

  • Emerging Leaders: Equity and Opportunity in the American South

    In 2011 the Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation hosted a trans-generational convening on the topic of equity and opportunity in the American South. We wanted to understand the needs of emerging nonprofit leaders in the South and what they saw on the horizon of their work. The conversation also included respected elders in the sector who helped ground the conversation in historical context and...

    Emerging Leaders Gathering

  • Love Can Build a Bridge

    The Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation partners with organizations and funders working on Appalachian Transition . As our partners seek to create a more sustainable future for the Central Appalachian region, community controlled philanthropy has emerged as an important means for engaging and transforming community. Ethan Hamblin, a student at Berea College, is spending his summer vacation on...

  • Getting to Collective Impact

    Earlier this year the Foundation Review published an article featuring a case study of collective impact from MRBF's work with the Central Appalachian Network (CAN). Below is an excerpt with links to the full article.

    Getting to Collective Impact: How Funders Can Contribute Over the Life Course of the Work Author: Douglas Easterling, Ph....