Our Vision:

We imagine a just Missouri where the way we look, where we are from, or who we define ourselves to be does not limit our access to quality and affordable healthcare, education, housing, technology, and economic stability.

“Ashrei,” is the first word and the name of a reading from the Book of Psalms that is interpreted as “forward.”

Our work is to move our community forward on the path towards abolishing all systems of economic exclusion and oppression, to a future where all people may live with dignity, justice and freedom.

Building upon established relationships of trust, the work of Ashrei will be to deepen the social justice work of the faith community and leverage resources that are not available to houses of worship.

Our Values Guide Our Work:

• Curiosity We enter the work from a posture of curiosity, listening first and seeking to understand rather than impart knowledge

• Community Building bottom-up relationships working for the common good, led by family systems and trauma-informed approaches to understanding community dynamics

• Inclusion Recognizing that everyone has infinite worth, and valuing all faiths, voices, and perspectives that call for moral courage and justice

• Cooperation Building and facilitating trusting relationships across the state

• Anti-Racism Finding value at the edges of our comfort zones and bringing our allies with us to dismantle white supremacy and systemic racism

• Joy Supporting the pursuit of happiness as a basic human right

Core Programming:

• Photo ID Assistance & Access: Support & sustain independent and collective efforts to ensure all Missourians can obtain a photo ID

• Enrich public discourse to advance equity: Illuminate diverse perspectives to strengthen democracy, grow the "middle" in Missouri, enrich public discourse and advance equity

• Cultivate hope through collaboration: Cultivate hope through collaboration and individual engagement with local nonprofit organizations

Responsive Programming:

• Transform public consciousness around gun violence: Transform the public consciousness around gun violence in St. Louis

• Make connections to reduce poverty and end homelessness: Make connections between organizations and communities to reduce poverty and end homelessness

• Interfaith Resistance and Support for Immigrant Families: Build interfaith relationships to resist anti-immigrant actions and support foreign-born Missourians and mixed status families

We are a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization determined by the IRS to be a public charity (pursuant to IRC 170(b)(1)(A)(vi)) founded in June 2021.

We are so grateful to our Founding Funder, the Clever Little Girl Foundation, which made it possible for the Ashrei Foundation to begin our important work immediately.

The Clever Little Girl Foundation (CLG) was founded by Sue McCollum in 2020 in an effort to address systemic inequity in incremental yet meaningful ways. CLG is built on the philosophy that by identifying and tackling the root causes of systemic inequity we can make a big difference.