History of the Racial Healing+Justice Fund & Community Design Process

Deaconess Foundation, Forward Through Ferguson, and Missouri Foundation for Health, with the thought leadership of InPower Institute, have collaborated to establish the St. Louis Regional Racial Healing Fund to invest in healing community trauma and changing the conditions that reinforce systemic racism. With a matching grant from Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and a growing pool of participating organizations, $1.69 million has already been committed to the effort. Through a community-led grantmaking process, the fund will support efforts to develop capacity and infrastructure in the racial justice movement to envision, articulate, and create a transformed St. Louis region through community organizing and healing arts.

Our Approach — Community designed, Community decision-making

For the Fund to be community designed, we embarked on a wide-ranging engagement process across the Spring and Summer of 2020 with residents, community healers, and community organizers.

Watch the recording of the Racial Healing + Justice Fund Launch.

Download the community design engagement report to learn more about the community’s input and priorities. The design process was conducted completely virtually during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Design Process Engagement Path

List of Community Engagement Event (2020):

Friday, June 26th, 6-7:30 pm. Interactive Panel Discussion on Healing, Justice for All, and Youth at the Center: Watch the discussion here.
Wednesday, July 8th, 1-2:30 pm:Engagement Session with Organizing Table
Thursday, July 9th, 6-8:30 pm:Racial Healing Practitioner Convening
Community Organizer & Healing Practitioner Surveys (surveys closed 7/20/2020)
July 17 – 25 — Community Vision+Priorities Survey
- Will be posted on @stlchange and shared through community organization partners.
July 20 — #Don’tRush Social Media Book Share and Challenge
- How to get involved will be released soon! Community members will be invited to share their videos on Instagram, Facebook, and Tik Tok for the chance to win a prize!
- Check out the #Don’tRush Book Challenge videos from our Constellations and Staff this past July
  - See the videos of our Constellations and Staff on our Facebook page!
    - Constellations #Don’tRush Book Challenge
    - FTF Staff #Don’tRush Book Challenge
July 27, 6-7:30 pm — Community Organizers Focus Groups
July 27, 10 am – 12 pm — Community Healers Focus Groups
August 17 — Racial Healing + Justice Meme Share and Challenge
August 13th, 2020 – August 22nd, 2020–Racial Healing + Justice Fund Volunteer Phone Bank (in partnership with WEPOWER.)
- Orientation with Training and Phone Bank Sessions:
  - Thursday, 8/13/2020, 5:30-8:30 pm
  - Saturday, 8/15/2020 2-5 pm
  - Sunday, 8/16/2020, 2-5 pm
  - Tuesday, 8/18/2020, 5:30-8:30 pm
  - Thursday, 8/20/2020, 5:30-8:30pm
  - Saturday, 8/22/2020, 2-5 pm
- Volunteers must be 16 years of age or older.
August 21, 6:30-7:30 pm — Interactive Panel Discussion on Racial Healing and the Opportunity to Thrive and, Racial Equity Priorities of the Ferguson Commission Report
August 31st, 2020–Applications for Community Governance Board will opened.
October 21st – Public launch of St. Louis Racial Healing + Justice Fund!