Program Description
Rural Missouri offers ample opportunities for funders who are interested in building an equitable state through their grantmaking.
What do urban-based funders need to know to be effective grantmakers in rural Missouri? Why does investment in rural Missouri matter?
Join Philanthropy Missouri for a virtual discussion about rural philanthropy featuring a panel of urban-based grantmakers who are committed to investment in rural Missouri. The discussion will include perspectives from different types of funders (corporate, faith-based, private) who are actively working with rural nonprofit partners. Panelists will share their experiences and lessons learned. Please bring your questions!
Featured Speakers
Sarah Moody - Director of Community Relationships, Missouri Foundation for Health
Sarah Moody joined Missouri Foundation for Health (MFH) in 2012 as a Policy Officer working with health advocates in Missouri. In 2017 she began a pilot position as a Program Officer - Community Liaison and moved back to a rural community in Missouri. Now Director of Community Relationships, she leads a team in deepening the Foundation's knowledge of and relationships with rural communities in the 84 counties of the MFH service region outside of St. Louis. She received both her undergraduate and graduate degrees from Missouri State University. She has worked in non-profit her entire career, particularly in human services and healthcare, and is a native of southwest Missouri.
D-Lori Newsome-Pitts - Senior Manager, Ameren Illinois Philanthropy & Community Relations
D-Lori Newsome-Pitts is responsible for managing Ameren Illinois' philanthropic giving and community relations. She leads a team that executes community impact programs and philanthropic giving made through the charitable trust, corporate funds, and in-kind donations. D-Lori is instrumental in establishing the strategic alliances to ensure Ameren Illinois' positive footprint in the community. She serves on the boards of Girl Scouts of Southern Illinois and Heat-Up St. Louis.
Prior to transitioning to corporate America, D-Lori had been in the nonprofit development arena for several years serving as Director of Individual Giving, Student & Alumni Relations for The Consortium of Graduate Study in Management; as Alumni Relations and Development Coordinator for St. Louis College of Pharmacy; and as Development Associate with United Way of Greater St. Louis in the Wood River, Illinois area. She attended Joliet West High School in Joliet, IL, then decided to relocate to the St. Louis are in 1991. D-Lori received a Bachelor of Business Administration and a Master of Business Administration from Fontbonne University. A native of Illinois, she and her husban Keven, a professional baseball hitting instructor, reside in Caseyville, IL, with their dogs Deuce and Lola.
Emily Stuart - Program Manager, Marillac Mission Fund
Emily Stuart has 20 years of experience in nonprofit and philanthropic sectors, including as the Director of Family Development and Program Evaluation for LifeWise STL and as the Executive Director of Gateway Pet Guardians. She received her Master in Social Work degree from Washington University in St. Louis, with a concentration in health policy. She has been an adjunct professor at both Washington University and St. Louis University. Emily is an alumna of the Focus St. Louis Emerging Leaders program and holds certificates in nonprofit business mangaement (Washington University) and Immigration Law (Catholic Legal Immigration Network). Emily has served as Program Manager at the Marillac Mission Fund for two years, with a focus on work supporting immigrants and refugees, rural communities, and improved economic mobility.
Thanks to the generous sponsorship of the United Philanthropy Forum, any interested funder investing in Missouri is welcome to register at no charge. PhilMO Members should register via the website (button above). If you are a Missouri grantmaker who is not currently a PhilMO Member, please contact amy@philmo.org to be registered for this event.