Former President Bill Clinton said recently that a greater focus needs to be put on philanthropy directed toward rural areas.
At a talk given during a rural philanthropy conference hosted by the Council on Foundations, Clinton said that philanthropic activity in the rural parts of this country has been "woefully inadequate."
In order to change this, Clinton said that there should be more of a focus on giving philanthropists other options when considering charity for rural parts of the country.
"We can beat up on people and say they should give more money in rural America, but we should give them some new ideas," Clinton said.
One idea suggested by the former president would be to create environmental initiatives in rural areas, such as investing in wind and solar power. Doing so, he said, could help encourage job growth in rural states.
A number of other suggestions made by Clinton include focusing on reforestation in rural communities and anti-obesity initiatives. Without helping rural America, the current administration won’t be able to reduce poverty, Clinton said.
The White House has recently announced a nationwide tour of rural communities in an effort to improve lines of communication between the government and people in those areas.
During the tour a number of officials from the administration – including Vice President Joe Biden, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Commerce Secretary Gary Locke – will visit rural areas in the country in order to hear the concerns of the people who live there. One of the major points of discussion will be providing broadband access to rural areas of the country.
The rural tour is ongoing, with stops planned into September of this year. 
