Our Approach
Why it matters
One in five children in the St. Louis region lives in poverty. This increases to two in five for Black or Brown children. Deaconess envisions a community that values the health and well-being of all children and gives priority attention to the most vulnerable. This community only thrives if the allocation of power and distribution of resources, benefits, opportunities and burdens are not predictable by, nor predicated on race.
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Recent News
July Newsletter | Leadership Transition
Deaconess Community, For the last eight months I have had the pleasure of supporting the thoughtful and intensive work of the Deaconess Foundation Executive Search Committee during our national search …Learn More
Bethany Johnson-Javois To Lead Deaconess Foundation As President & CEO
The Deaconess Foundation Board of Trustees is pleased to announce that lifelong St. Louis health and racial justice advocate Bethany Johnson-Javois, MSW, has been unanimously selected to serve as the next president …Learn More
June Newsletter | Fatherhood is Sacred
Deaconess Community, Fatherhood is a sacred identity. It is not conferred automatically nor does it belong exclusively to any one individual. There are various ways that we get to have …Learn More
OUR PARTNERS
We support and learn from our region’s
leading community organizations.
Partner Highlight
ArchCity Defenders
ArchCity Defenders (ACD) is a holistic legal advocacy organization that combats the criminalization of poverty and state violence, especially in..Read moreFathers & Families Support Center
Fathers & Families Support Center (FFSC) is dedicated to improving the lives of children and families by encouraging committed and..Read more
Operation Food Search
Operation Food Search (OFS) is a hunger relief organization that provides free food, nutrition education, and innovative programs proven to..Read more
Good Journey Development Foundation
Good Journey Development Foundation supports and builds sustainable communities and young leaders who take responsibility for the improvement of our..Read more
The Scholarship Foundation of St. Louis
The Scholarship Foundation of St. Louis (SFSTL) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1920, and it is rooted in the..Read more
St. Louis Inter-Faith Committee on Latin America
The St. Louis Interfaith Committee on Latin America (IFCLA) envisions a world in which partners reach across economic, political, and..Read more
St. Louis American Foundation
The St. Louis American, the only African-American newspaper continuously published since 1928 and the longest continuously published weekly newspaper in..Read more
Gamaliel of Illinois
Gamaliel of Illinois‘ mission is to be a multi-issue, multi-racial faith-based network of regional organizations dedicated to building a powerful..Read more
Dutchtown South Community Corporation
Dutchtown South Community Corporation (DSCC) is a community development corporation started and led by neighborhood residents serving four southeast St...Read more
Neighborhood Leadership Fellows
Neighborhood Leadership Fellows is an advanced leadership training program of University of Missouri-St. Louis, University of Missouri Extension (MU Extension)..Read more
Jamaa Birth Village
Jamaa Birth Village is a 501(c)3 non-profit Maternal Health organization located in Ferguson, Missouri serving the greater St. Louis metro..Read more
Missouri Jobs with Justice
Missouri Jobs with Justice’s (JwJ) mission is to organize Missourians to build transformative power for social, racial, and economic justice..Read more
Forward Through Ferguson
After the death of Michael Brown, Jr. on Aug. 9, 2014, “Ferguson” came to symbolize racial strife and inequality in..Read more
Powerful Work from Our Partners
Deaconess Foundation envisions a community that values the health and well-being of all children and gives priority attention to the most..Read more
East St. Louis Moms Testify Before U.S. Commission on Civil Rights
Parents United for Change, a chapter of Deaconess Foundation’s Just for Kids Anchor Institution, Community Organizing Family Issues (COFI) has..Read more
2020 Public Policy Campaign Partners
During the Just 4 Kids Community Conversation on November 18, 2019 we announced an investment of $100,000 to support a..Read more
St. Francis Community Services
St. Francis Community Services received a Responsive Grant for “Justice for Immigrant Youth & Families.” While St. Francis has done..Read more
Action St. Louis Tenant Organizing
Action St. Louis is the Deaconess Foundation’s Reverend Buck Jones Memorial Grant for Tenant Organizing partner, Rev. Starsky Wilson, president..Read more
Missouri Health Care for All
Missouri Health Care for All (MHCFA) is the only permanent, statewide organization in Missouri focused solely on grassroots mobilization on health..Read more
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