Village of Moms STL – A Labor of Love

As Valentine’s Day approaches, we often celebrate romantic love—but what about love for our community? YouthBridge Community Foundation of Greater St. Louis is proud to offer fiscal sponsorship to Village of Moms STL, a testament to the dedication of Alecia Deal and five other mothers who share a deep love for children and literacy.

Fiscal sponsorship is not taken lightly by YouthBridge. The program allows community leaders to use YouthBridge’s federal tax-exempt 501(c)3 status while they work toward the designation for their emerging organization. The process for applying for the coveted status is lengthy and somewhat costly. An emerging organization typically needs funds during the course of the application but grants to entities without 501(c)3 status are hard to come by. That catch-22 is solved with a fiscal sponsorship. Thanks to YouthBridge’s own endowment, which fully supports its operations, the Foundation can offer low-cost, high-value fiscal sponsorship services. Fiscal sponsor partners are glad to know that 100% of the minimal fees that are charged are returned to the community in the form of discretionary grants.

Village of Moms (VoM) met YouthBridge’s criteria for fiscal sponsorship. The group was founded in 2018 after six mothers completed a Neighborhood Leadership Academy experience offered by a local nonprofit. The group of moms, who all live in St. Louis neighborhoods with residents who primarily identify as Black and come from low-income households, determined that the major concerns in their community involved education, literacy, and economics. Since the first two are necessary for economic success, the moms poured their love into the education and literacy causes. Their mission became providing resources, peer support, and innovative programs to uplift and empower families, ensuring equitable opportunities and healthier outcomes for all.

Passion alone is not enough for success, so the ladies were led to partner with other agencies. They first connected with YouthBridge in 2019 through a project led by the Saint Louis Home Visiting Collaborative. According to Alecia Deal, President of VoM, “This collaboration with YouthBridge highlighted our shared commitment to improving community systems.” After witnessing VoM undertake impressive community projects over the years and learning about the leaders’ vision to become an official nonprofit agency, YouthBridge was primed to embark on a fiscal sponsorship relationship.

Village of Moms STL is rooted in the love, joy, and resilience of Black families, which aligns beautifully with both Black History Month and Valentine’s Day. Alecia continued, “Black History Month provides the opportunity to honor the legacy of the past while building pathways for the future, particularly through a focus on literacy and education as tools of empowerment.” YouthBridge echoes these sentiments and celebrates not only the achievements of ancestors but also the current stories of perseverance and progress within the community. Alecia perfectly summed up, “Together with our partners like YouthBridge, we are creating a legacy of love, literacy, and leadership that will endure for generations to come. Despite the hardships, we will not walk away, for love endures for the betterment of our future … the youth.” The YouthBridge team could not agree more.

 

YouthBridge connects donors with community needs. If you are interested in learning more about how we can make charitable giving easier for you, please contact Michele Mosley.