Philanthropy Revives Small-Town America

States in the Heartland are among the most generous in the country, and their philanthropy is helping to revive parts of small-town America, reports The New York Times.

The states’ generosity was calculated by the New Tithing Group, a San Francisco organization that examined the percentage of households with annual incomes greater than $200,000 that donated money to charity. Utah came in first, followed by Oklahoma and Nebraska.

One town, Ord, Neb., used funds for renovations and to reverse a decades-long decline in population. The town hired “business coaches” to help local shops take advantage of the Internet and to help children start businesses—such as selling videos on the history of Ord—so they would not feel they had to leave town to find a career.

Read The Chronicle of Philanthropy’s coverage of state-by-state generosity here. Also read The Chronicle’s special report on How Americans Give, which includes reports of giving in small towns.

(Free registration is required to view The New York Times article, and a paid subscription is required to view The Chronicle articles.)