Helpful Resources & Information
Below are links to some online resources that we have found to be useful, organized by topic.
Social determinants of health (SDOH) are the conditions in the environments where people are born, live, learn, work, play, worship, and age that affect a wide range of health, functioning, and quality-of-life outcomes and risks.
Systems change is a fundamental change in the conditions (policies, processes, relationships, and power structures, as well as deeply held values and norms) that hold social problems in place. Each of these conditions interact and are intertwined, perpetuating a system that can reinforce inequity and any “-ism” such as racism, sexism, ageism or ableism. Systems change is the pathway to achieve common goals and make positive social gains sustainable at scale, whether it’s around increasing equity, improving health, or reducing poverty.
Human trafficking is a form of slavery involving the use of force, fraud, or coercion to obtain some type of labor or commercial sex act. St. Louis and the bi-state area more broadly has one of the highest prevalences of human trafficking in the country.
Marillac Mission Fund is dedicated to supporting the various needs of immigrants and refugees within the St. Louis region by partnering with nonprofits that serve these populations. Funding from MMF generally includes support for basic needs, interpretation services , legal assistance, housing and employment services, and programs that help low-income immigrants to overcome barriers to social justice.
Aging in place is preferred among nearly 90% of people over the age of 65. However, without assistance, it is not accessible to many older adults, particularly those who are low-income or cost burdened. In order to encourage autonomy and promote high quality of life for these individuals, MMF supports programs to help older adults live in their own homes and communities for as long as possible.
Rural communities are integral to our entire nation’s economy, our culture, and our future. One in five people in this country live in rural places, and one in four of those rural residents are people of color. Our current and future sources of water, energy, and food are inherently rural, and people raised in rural communities provide essential leadership and workforce for both rural and urban America. Rural areas have higher rates of entrepreneurship critical to job growth, and rural businesses have higher five-year survival rates than urban areas and businesses. Rural locales are the primary home for the manufacturing, energy, agriculture, and forestry sectors that drive much of the wealth generation at the foundation of our economy. The well-being of rural areas, and their very existence, impacts all major systems in our country.
The term “advocacy” encompasses a broad range of activities that can influence public policy. From research and public education to lobbying and voter education, advocacy is about using effective tools to create social change. Recognizing the importance of these tools, advocacy is an effective strategy for bringing about systemic, long-lasting change that can affect large segments of the population for long periods of time.
Economic mobility refers to people’s ability to improve their economic status over the course of their lifetimes or across generations.
Funding core capacity building support for organizationally-ready nonprofits can lead to higher performing, more sustainable organizations that create greater program impact for those served, especially persons who are poor and vulnerable. The Marillac Mission Fund (MMF) believes that through their unique ability to care for, engage and empower people to be active on their own behalf, nonprofit organizations serve as catalysts for positive, substantive change in the conditions that improve the quality of life and empower individuals and communities to advocate for themselves.
Marillac Mission Fund is committed to the measurement and evaluation of its impact on those experiencing poverty and vulnerability and on the community at large. Drawing from our Mission and Theory of Change, the overall impact of MMF’s grant funding support will be measured by asking grantees to track two outcomes: Increased Stability and Improved Quality of Life.