What We Fund

The Fund has been fully allocated and disbursed. Click here to review the Equitable Relief and Recovery Fund Impact Report.

Deaconess Foundation seeks to partner with local Black-led social service and social change organizations by investing a total of $2.2 million in support of COVID-19 relief and recovery efforts in the St. Louis region. The funding will support sustaining Black-led organization’s capacity to respond to community needs during the pandemic. The Equitable Relief and Recovery Fund aims to strengthen existing regional infrastructure for public health and social service coordination while promoting racial equity, regional collaboration, and inclusion in COVID-19 responses.

With support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWFJ), Deaconess Foundation is able to provide an additional $1 million in humanitarian aid to the St. Louis region. RWJF’s investment in St. Louis aims to help communities that already face daunting health challenges navigate the additional burdens of the pandemic by addressing immediate needs such as food, housing, and income assistance.

Eligibility

Eligible organizations will be Black-led, provide direct aid (i.e. food, shelter, financial supports) to people most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and/or lead efforts to mobilize these communities to meet social needs. The geographic footprint for funding includes: St. Louis City, St. Louis, Jefferson, Franklin and St. Charles Counties in Missouri and Madison, Monroe and St. Clair Counties in Illinois.

In response to the great disparities in COVID-19 contraction and death rates for Black citizens and under-representation of Black leadership in regional response, this Fund focuses investment on Black-led organizations and prioritizes those who serve Black communities. Organizations are classified as Black-led if either the Chief Executive Officer or Chief Volunteer Officer identifies as Black.

Groups selected for funding must have a 501(c)(3) tax status determination with the Internal Revenue Service or have a fiscal agent with such status at the time of application. A fiscal agent is a nonprofit organization with 501(c)(3) designation that performs administrative management, contract management and accounting for a group that does not have a 501(c)(3) determination.

Please note that all projects supported by the Fund must follow the Center for Disease Control’s guidelines for maintaining social distancing to protect the health and safety of all those involved.

Review Process

Requests were evaluated versus immediate relief and long-term recovery needs and other proposals as long as funds are available.

Grants ranged from $5,000 to $50,000. Grants are considered general operating support. Budget detail is not requested. Project detail is requested for informational purposes.

With Deaconess’ commitment to trust-based philanthropy, applications are kept brief and may be followed by staff call to secure additional information. In the spirit of mutual aid during this crisis, applicants are encouraged to request what they need with recognition of the greater need in our community and other constituencies in the days ahead.

Deaconess Foundation recognizes that significant gaps in civic infrastructure, resources and power inhibit the health and well-being of children and families in the St. Louis region. Our Just for Kids strategy is designed to address these gaps by strengthening the region, system, and community’s capability to achieve positive outcomes through collaborative engagement and investment with diverse partners.

Responsive Grants will support positive systemic change for the well-being of children and families in the St. Louis metropolitan region.

• Funding will support policy development, advocacy or organizing efforts that pursue positive systemic change for the well-being of children and families in the St. Louis metropolitan region in alignment with Deaconess policy priorities.
• One- or two-year grants will be awarded quarterly up to $20,000 per year per organization.
• Grants be awarded to direct service providers that work to amplify the voices of their constituencies but will not be awarded to applicants requesting funds for programs or direct services.
• Both emerging and established efforts at all stages of work are encouraged to apply.

Competitive proposals will utilize a racial equity lens and pursue efforts that: research, develop and test new policy ideas, protect or implement effective policies, advance public education, debate and will, equip and position advocates and organizers, strengthen networks and alliances, or help policymakers understand how policies are working or when they need innovation.

Leadership Grants will support the efforts of chief executives of strong child-serving organizations as they engage the field to shift policy and align actions for the well-being of children in the St. Louis metropolitan region. These grants extend the Foundation's relationship with its former Deaconess Impact Partners (DIP).

Partners will:

• Sustain the capacity building culture enhanced by previous DIP investment by requiring fidelity to strategic planning, board development, succession planning, financial modeling, and diversity, equity and inclusion practices within their organizations;
• Incentivize leadership within networks and systems to strengthen the region’s capability to achieve better outcomes for children and youth;
• Participate in peer learning opportunities that focus on readiness for, and engagement in systemic change, including a retreat for chief executives only; and
• Participate in ongoing assessment and evaluation efforts.

One year grants of up to $15,000 will be available to Deaconess Impact Partners.

Resource:

Dawn of System Leadership
by Peter Senge, Hal Hamilton, and John Kania
This article informed development of this funding opportunity.

Deaconess Foundation recognizes that significant gaps in civic infrastructure, resources and power inhibit the health and well-being of children and families in the St. Louis region. Expanding community capital through mission-related investments is just one of Deaconess’ strategies to strengthen the region, system, and community’s capability to achieve positive outcomes through collaborative engagement and investment with diverse partners.

Deaconess seeks to explore use of the best tools to partner with nonprofit groups to facilitate organizations maximizing their impact consistent with the Foundation’s funding strategies, return expectations and risk parameters. Our investment policy establishes a goal of spending up to 2 percent of the market value of our endowment, yielding up to $1 million in community investment.

Mission-Related Investments will support the efforts of community development financial institutions (CDFI), development finance agencies (DFA), credit unions, nonprofits, and social enterprises with:

• organizational strength and readiness for borrowing,
• a track record of lending or investment,
• a clear business model for repayment of the investment, and
• proposed use of capital in alignment with Deaconess policy priorities to advance well-being for metropolitan St. Louis children and families.

After an intensive seven-month process, Deaconess Foundation selected five organizations as multi-year partners to strengthen and ground systems change and community organizing efforts for child well-being in the St. Louis region. The Anchor Institution Program launched in January 2018 and is part of Deaconess’ Just for Kids strategy to build a movement for children through public policy and racial equity.

The inaugural cohort of Just for Kids Anchor Institutions includes: American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri Foundation, ArchCity Defenders, Community Organizing and Family Issues, Metropolitan Congregations United and Missouri Health Care for All. The group reflects the Foundation’s assessment that deeper investment in grassroots organizing and impact litigation strategies will be necessary for positive change in a tough legislative environment for our policy priorities for the next few years. The Foundation’s four-pronged public policy agenda includes: access to comprehensive health care, increased investment in early childhood education, economic mobility for families and justice and equity for youth.

Through the four-year engagement, the Foundation will invest significant financial resources and consultative support to strengthen the organizations’ effectiveness and culture by enhancing their leadership, adaptive, technical and management capacities. In turn, the cohort will be better positioned to contribute to community efforts that build power, shift policy and influence the systems within which children develop and grow.

The Anchor Institution Cohort is currently closed. For more information about applying for the Anchor Institution Cohort, please email: granthelp@deaconess.org.

ANCHOR INSTITUTIONS

American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Missouri Foundation

ACLU of Missouri Foundation defends civil liberties and the principles of equality and justice in Missouri through its litigation, legislative and public education programs. ACLU of Missouri focuses on legal and legislative advocacy, public education and communication. Learn more

ArchCity Defenders

ArchCity Defenders is a 501(c)3 non-profit civil rights law firm providing holistic legal advocacy and combating the criminalization of poverty and state violence against poor people and people of color in St. Louis City, St. Louis County, St. Charles County and the state of Missouri. ArchCity Defenders focuses on impact litigation, holistic legal advocacy, policy and media advocacy. Learn more

Community Organizing and Family Issues (COFI)

Community Organizing and Family Issues develops and engages low-income parents of color as leaders in their families, schools and communities in East St, Louis and across the state of Illinois. COFI focuses on systems change advocacy, parent training and organizing. Learn more

Metropolitan Congregations United (MCU)

Metropolitan Congregations United puts faith into action by developing leaders who move their congregations, organizations, and communities to change public policy for the common good.  MCU focuses on grassroots organizing, leadership development, issue campaigns, voter participation and engagement. Learn more

Missouri Health Care for All

Missouri Health Care for All is a statewide, nonpartisan, faith and community-based grassroots movement for quality, affordable health care for all Missourians. Missouri Health Care for All focuses on policymaker engagement, coalition building, public education, grassroots organizing, and communications and storybanking. Learn more

For 2020, Deaconess Foundation will invest $100,000 to support a public policy campaign which pursues change through grassroots advocacy, civic engagement and community organizing aligned with its policy priorities.

Policy Campaign Grants leverage the impact of our funding strategies by supporting community campaigns, testing and incubating new policy ideas, generating evidence, and supporting interdisciplinary or cross-cutting work that informs and animates the public witness on behalf of children.

Grants may support:

• Efforts which advance coordinated local or state public policy advocacy and organizing campaigns advancing child well-being to drive meaningful, systemic change;
• Development of research and analysis, policy briefs, convenings and community campaigns that strengthen the field and related disciplines by improving practices, methods and standards, stimulating the demand for evidence and analysis and generating innovative approaches to solving policy challenges; and/or
• Opportunistic or innovative initiatives that are well-positioned to advance policy change (ie. Ballot initiatives, collective impact efforts, etc.).

Any funded effort must align with Deaconess' policy priorities. Preference will be given to applications which also advance Ferguson Commission Calls-to-Action, Changing States—Building Power on the Frontlines: Missouri Power Audit Arenas for Change and/or the Segregation in St. Louis: Dismantling the Divide recommendations.

Deaconess Foundation recognizes that significant gaps in civic infrastructure, resources and power inhibit the health and well-being of children and families in the St. Louis region. Our strategy is designed to address these gaps by strengthening the region, system, and community’s capability to achieve positive outcomes through collaborative engagement and investment with diverse partners.  We believe that sound, persuasive evidence and amplified, well-organized voices can shape effective policy by integrating research, practice and policy.

Policy Campaign / Collaborative Grants will work to leverage the impact of our funding strategies by supporting community campaigns, testing and incubating new policy ideas, generating evidence, and supporting interdisciplinary or cross-cutting work that informs and animates the public witness of the Foundation on behalf of children.

• Grants will support the development of rigorous research and analyses, policy briefs, convenings and community campaigns that strengthen the field and related disciplines by improving practices, methods and standards, stimulating the demand for evidence and analyses, and generating innovative approaches to solving policy challenges.
• Efforts will advance coordinated local or state public policy issue advocacy campaigns focused on child well-being to drive meaningful, systemic change.
• Grants could also support special opportunistic or innovative initiatives that are well-positioned to advance policy change. (e.g. support for ballot initiatives, service as fiscal agent, etc.)

In honor of the 50th Anniversary of the historic St. Louis Rent Strike and the ministry of the late United Church of Christ minister, the Rev. Buck Jones, Deaconess will invest $40,000 to support tenant organizing for residents of the Clinton-Peabody Housing Complex. Alongside Jean King and Ivory Perry, Rev. Jones was a key figure in the 1969 St. Louis Rent Strike which transformed federal housing policy and made housing a central issue in the Black Freedom struggle.

Amidst efforts during the 1960s by African Americans to resist rent increases and poor living conditions across the nation, residents living in St. Louis public housing launched a general rent strike that lasted nine months. At the time, Reverend Jones, a graduate of Michigan State University and Yale Divinity School, served as President for both the Carr-Square Tenant-Council and Vaughn housing projects. A staunch advocate for poor and working people, following the 1969 strike Jones launched a campaign for welfare reform in Missouri through Operation LIVE, founded Project HOPE (Helping Other People Emerge) to improve living conditions for people in East St. Louis and North St. Louis, establish a local chapter of Habitat for Humanity and lead environmental justice campaign resulting in a multimillion dollar cleanup from the Environmental Protection Agency in East St. Louis. Rev. Jones passed in 2002.

The Reverend Buck Jones Memorial Grant for Tenant Organizing is partially funded from the settlement of a suit filed by Missouri's Attorney General against the St. Louis Housing Authority and McCormack Baron Salazar at the call of residents from Clinton-Peabody. Additional support from Deaconess Foundation was is provided to ensure the power of residents is sustained in a meaningful way.

Organizations with commitment and experience in community organizing and/or housing are invited to apply for up to two years of support. Clinton-Peabody tenants will participate in the selection process.

The Reverend Buck Jones Memorial Grant opportunity is currently closed for new applications.

To learn more about Rev. Jones’ legacy watch this short documentary.

The Deaconess Nursing Scholarship Program honors the nursing heritage of the Deaconess mission by supporting local students with demonstrated financial need. These grants are administered through a partnership with the Scholarship Foundation of St. Louis and the St. Louis American Foundation.

The Racial Healing + Justice Fund is the commitment to change the conditions of systemic racism that reinforce disparities and endanger lives and to heal the core of our community.

Deaconess Foundation, Forward Through Ferguson, and Missouri Foundation for Health, with the thought leadership of InPower Institute have collaborated to establish the St. Louis Racial Healing + Justice Fund to invest in healing community trauma and changing the conditions that reinforce systemic racism. 

How to Apply