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Venture Community Profile

Northwest Area Foundation: www.nwaf.org

Located in the heart of one of the most spectacular outdoor recreational areas of the West, the region shares borders with Montana, Wyoming, and Utah. Eastern Idaho has a population of 317,038, or 24.5% of the state’s total population. Roughly half of the region’s population lives in rural areas of fewer than 20,000 people per county. The total area is 28,455 square miles, although two of the largest counties account for 10,000 square miles and only 12,000 people.

Two cities, Pocatello in Bannock County, and Idaho Falls in Bonneville County, are major metropolitan areas with populations of over 50,000 each, yet the 16 counties are largely defined as agricultural and rural. Pocatello is a service center, covering seven southern counties for such entities as Region V Idaho Department of Labor, Region VI Idaho Department of Health and Welfare, the Southeastern District Health Department, and the Sixth Judicial District, Idaho Falls similarly serves as a regional center for nine northern counties.

The major industry is manufacturing, not potatoes, as popularly perceived. The region has also gained national attention as a technology corridor for its abundance of technology-based companies, strengthened by four universities and the U.S. Department of Energy’s Idaho National Laboratory (INL), located near Idaho Falls.

Eastern Idaho is also an established stop for migrant and seasonal farm workers employed in the fields and food processing plants. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, several Eastern Idaho counties grew by as much as 30% during this time.

The Fort Hall Indian Reservation is located in four counties, Bingham, Bannock, Power and Caribou. According to the 2000 U.S. Census, the population of Native Americans living on the reservation and off-reservation trust land is 3,648 compared to 3,035 in 1990. The per capita income in Fort Hall is $9,544, and roughly 30% of the reservation residents are living in poverty. The leading industries in Fort Hall have been typically extractive, although gaming is now a top income source.

Eastern Idaho’s Partnership Plan

From startup in 2002, the Eastern Idaho community saw a potential partnership with Northwest Area Foundation as more than just a “means to an end,” but rather as prosperity partnerships to be formed by sustainable, successful collaborations. The Partners for Prosperity strategic plan capitalizes on the energy developed during the planning initiative.

The partnerships vision statement is a commitment to work in partnership advancing the following RIGHTS OF PROSPERITY:

THE RIGHT to belong, to contribute, to celebrate and to be respected in an environment that fosters personal empowerment and respects individual differences;

THE RIGHT to an adequate, balanced, and nutritional source of food each day;

THE RIGHT to decent and affordable housing in healthy and diverse neighborhoods in the community of choice;

THE RIGHT to affordable, reliable, and efficient system of transportation allowing participation in all aspects of community life;

THE RIGHT to early and life-long learning experiences that maximize human potential;

THE RIGHT to suitable employment that is community appropriate and dignifies and values the individual;

THE RIGHT of access to affordable, quality, and comprehensive health care;

THE RIGHT to live without fear of harm, loss, or inequitable treatment in an environment of accountability;

THE RIGHT to access and control technological use for entrepreneurial and socially responsible endeavors;

THE RIGHT to become...

Relationship building and partnership formation shape the foundation of the strategic plan. All programs and actions are based on these strategies. Relationships and partnerships are more than just “broad community improvement strategies.” Partners for Prosperity believe they are critical to the success of any strategic effort to reduce poverty.

Partners for Prosperity: New Beginnings in Eastern Idaho launched its partnership with the Northwest Area Foundation on March 29, 2004 and celebrated its future at its Second Annual Multicultural Festival in Blackfoot, Idaho on May 20, 2004. Its main office is located in Blackfoot, Idaho.

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