Civic Collaboration Fellows

Civic Collaboration Fellows 

Advancing Economic Mobility in the St. Louis Region 

Mission Statement: Civic Collaboration Fellows (CCF) will expand collective civic infrastructure and economic mobility knowledge, strengthen critical civic networks, and foster effective collaborative regional leadership through learning from innovative cities to advance economic mobility in the St. Louis region. 

Building Collaborative Leadership Capacity and Expanding Civic Networks 

Each CCF Cohort will be comprised of ten (10) Fellows, including Neighborhood Leadership Fellows alumni and civic and economic development practitioners from the St. Louis region, collaborating together to advance economic mobility. 

During the CCF Year 2 Cohort, the Fellows will use the Civic Muscle Index to understand economic mobility as it relates to building and strengthening neighborhood-level civic infrastructure and place-based social capital. The Civic Muscle Index is a framework for exploring the characteristics that contribute to thriving communities and engaged citizenry, which include the categories of Belonging, Contribution, Leadership, and Vitality. 

The inaugural Year 1 CCF Cohort focused on economic mobility as it relates to recovery and rebuilding for impacted families and communities after a natural disaster. The Civic Collaboration Fellows traveled to New Orleans to speak with local leaders about challenges, success, and lessons learned in recovery and resilience 20 years after Hurricane Katrina. 

This year-long advanced leadership, capacity building Fellowship will have three (3) main program components working towards the program outcomes:

Collaborative Leadership and Economic Mobility Workshops

September - January 2026: 6 Sessions

• Sessions will take place in-person at Delmar DivINe on Fridays from 8:30 AM - 1:00 PM. For additional details, please see the Schedule page. 

Experiential Learning Trip 

November 4 - 6, 2026: 3 Days, Baltimore, MD  

• Fellows will engage directly with change makers and change efforts in a city that exemplifies innovative economic mobility successes that are relevant and relatable to St. Louis. 
• Fellows will learn about solutions for recovery and resilience as well as how civic infrastructure, civic networks, and civic leadership can be developed and expanded to advance economic mobility in the St. Louis region. 

Economic Mobility Initiative 

January - September 2027: 9 Months 

• Fellows will utilize Strategic Doing, a structured, action-oriented community planning process, to facilitate their Economic Mobility Initiative's development and implementation in the St. Louis region based on learnings from local and national site visits as well as engagement with stakeholders in the proposed St. Louis geographic footprint. 

Who Should Apply: 

• Experienced leaders who want to expand and hone their ability to facilitate civic collaboration within and across organizations and sectors to build and strengthen civic networks and civic infrastructure 
• People who are passionate about creating and expanding opportunities for civic collaboration across the St. Louis region and are committed to lifting and centering the voices and experiences of St. Louis residents
• Individuals who believe in advancing economic mobility through collective action
• Residents of St. Louis City and St. Louis County with formal, informal, and/or lived experience working in the fields of community development, economic development, and/or economic mobility
• Individuals who work in St. Louis City or St. Louis County who's work centers around community development, economic development, and/or economic mobility for residents of St. Louis City or County

Your Experience May Include: 

• Members or Leaders of Neighborhood Associations, the Federation of Block Units, Community Improvement Districts, Business Improvement Districts, or Community Development Corporations 
• Current or former Elected Officials, Appointed Officials, and Members of Boards, Committees, Commissions, or those working in government and public administration
• Current or former CEOs/EDs, COOs, CFOs, Department Directors, Chiefs of Staff, or other business/organizational leaders with experience leading systems-level change efforts
• People who have organized and lead campaigns, coalitions, or movements  
• Individuals who have experience working in banking, finance, philanthropy, non-profits, education, housing, healthcare, small business, big business, urban planning and design, or architecture - particularly with cross-sector experience
• People with formal, informal, or lived experience in collaboration

Please refer to the Application page for information on how to apply.

Civic Collaboration Fellows is a partnership between University of Missouri - Extension (MU Extension) and the University of Missouri - St. Louis (UMSL) with generous funding from the James S. McDonnell Foundation.