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INVEST STL NEWSROOMFEATURED NEWS
April 29, 2025
At Invest STL, we identify, try, evaluate, and facilitate potential solutions to systemic issues facing predominantly Black neighborhoods, including displacement. In 2023, we set out to investigate if direct funds can help Black residents remain in their chosen community by increasing access to assets such as housing, long-term capital, and business development. This became our Rooted: Cultivating Black Wealth in Place pilot…
INVEST STL NEWSROOMBUILDING BLACK WEALTH
April 8, 2025
For far too long, Black communities in St. Louis have faced systemic barriers to building and maintaining wealth. As neighborhoods undergo rapid change and gentrification, Black residents are often displaced or unable to secure the economic opportunities needed to thrive. Recognizing this challenge, our Invest STL Policy + Design Activation team launched Rooted: Cultivating Black Wealth in Place, a first-of-its-kind direct wealth-building initiative aimed at supporting Black residents with financial resources, tools, and relationships to stay and build wealth in their chosen neighborhoods.
INVEST STL NEWSROOMREFLECTIONS ON 2024
January 31, 2025
Quiet as it’s kept, we’ve been up to a lot at Invest STL. For those closest to us, you already know we have grown significantly since our first forming in 2012. During the height of the pandemic, we wholly embraced a more pointed mission to facilitate investment in the power of people and their neighborhoods to create communities of justice and opportunity in places that continue to endure the legacy of systemic anti-Black racism.
FEATURED EARNED MEDIA
October 17, 2024
Invest STL CEO Dara Eskridge challenges St. Louis residents and organizations to invest in the intersection of people and their place to help net positive population growth in the region.
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INVEST STL NEWSROOM
Introducing Invest STL’s Rooted Powerbook – A Blueprint for Place-based Wealth Building
At Invest STL, we identify, try, evaluate, and facilitate potential solutions to systemic issues facing predominantly Black neighborhoods, including displacement. In 2023, we set out to investigate if direct funds can help Black residents remain in their chosen community by increasing access to assets such as housing, long-term capital, and…
Rooted in St. Louis: A New Approach to Building Black Wealth
For far too long, Black communities in St. Louis have faced systemic barriers to building and maintaining wealth. As neighborhoods undergo rapid change and gentrification, Black residents are often displaced or unable to secure the economic opportunities needed to thrive. Recognizing this challenge, our Invest STL Policy + Design Activation…
Reflections on 2024: Slow + Steady, Activation + Preparation
By: Dara Eskridge, CEO Quiet as it’s kept, we’ve been up to a lot at Invest STL. For those closest to us, you already know we have grown significantly since our first forming in 2012. During the height of the pandemic, we wholly embraced a more pointed mission to facilitate…
Resident Story Series | Vandeventer Neighborhood | Catherine Knights
As a descendant of Mississippi sharecroppers that made their journey to The Ville, one of St. Louis’ legacy Black neighborhoods, Catherine Knights has called seven STL neighborhoods home throughout her lifetime, though she is choosing to call Vandeventer home.
INVEST STL IN THE COMMUNITY + MEDIA
St. Louis Trap Run 5K Combines Hip-Hop, Community, Storytelling to Amplify Black Voices
September 6, 2025
This year’s Trap Run marked the 7th annual hip hop-themed 5k run/walk in north St. Louis. Saturday, as hundreds gathered to celebrate the power of community, unity and grassroots efforts, there was an underlying mission to persevere through struggle. Dozens of vendors set up tents right next to a dilapidated red clay brick building, wrecked from the May 16 tornado. Among them was Invest STL and 4TheVille’s pop-up Story Lounge. People could come into the space, choose a prompt on the wall, share their stories by writing them, coloring them,and then display them on the walls.
Dara Eskridge on St. Louis’ make or break moment
August 21, 2025
In this episode of The 314 Podcast, host Sarah Fenske talks with Dara Eskridge and surprises her with this year’s Visionary Award. The CEO of Invest STLdiscusses how she immediately got to work helping North City in the aftermath of the May 16 tornado, what it will take to get enough resources to make tornado victims whole, and why it’s imperative that St. Louis address the factors leading to Black residents leaving the city.
Dara Eskridge is the 2025 A-List Visionary Award Winner for Her Work in North St. Louis
August 21, 2025
The CEO of Invest STL moved with lightning speed to get $3,000 cash payments to people whose homes were destroyed by the tornado—but she has much, much more on her agenda.
The People's Response Archive - Interview with Dara
July 18, 2025
On May 16th 2025, a mile wide tornado devastated St. Louis starting in Clayton and continuing into North City. The Peoples Response Archive is a growing library of videos and media, covering response efforts and stories from the community.
Fire Awards 2025: Invest STL Expands Reach, Doubles Neighborhood Clusters
July 10, 2025
Invest STL’s goal is to coordinate investment into enfranchised neighborhoods and residents, particularly in places impacted by anti-Black racism, it said. That work includes direct neighborhood investment, broader community investment, “convening thought leadership and testing innovative ideas,” and shifting narratives about St. Louis neighborhoods.
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James S. McDonnell Foundation Gives $3M to Help With Tornado Relief
July 8, 2025
A local charity is giving $3 million to the nonprofits that stepped up in the immediate aftermath of the May 16 tornado, while also backing a fund for direct assistance to tornado victims.
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Investing in STL
June 25, 2025
Invest STL CEO Dara Eskridge talks to FOX 2 anchor Ty Hawkins about investing in St. Louis. A recent tornado and decades of neglect have devastated the area. She talks about the plan to make the city a place where people can stay rooted and grow.
Invest STL to Launch Direct Cash Program for North St. Louis Tornado Victims
June 19, 2025
Invest STL has already raised more than $2 million of a $4 million goal for the Northside Resilience Fund, which aims to disburse $3,000 in direct cash to at least 1,300 households in north side neighborhoods most affected by the May 16 tornado.
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4TheVille Emergency Hub Plans to Keep Assisting St. Louis Tornado Victims
June 16, 2025
It didn’t take long for Dara Eskridge and Aaron Williams to spring into action after a deadly tornado ripped through parts of north St. Louis. Eskridge and Williams helped lead the 4TheVille Hub, which provided critical supplies and housing stabilization to people throughout north St. Louis.
Expert Offers Tips for Tarping Your Roof After Tornado Damage
June 6, 2025
ST. LOUIS — In the wake of the deadly May 16 tornado that devastated many parts of St. Louis, grassroots organizations have stepped in to assist residents on the ground– filling the gap while FEMA funding has not yet been allocated. Several groups have established a hub for support and resources.
Contractors and Nonprofits Work Together to Stabilize North City’s Tornado-Ravaged Homes
June 6, 2025
Volunteers coordinated by 4theVille, Invest STL, and Dream Builders 4 Equity have been able to help about 350 residences, and they’re not stopping any time soon. After a powerful tornado ripped through North St. Louis on May 16, construction contractors sprung into action to volunteer their services—with coordination by a trio of nonprofits with deep roots in the community.
Meet the Finalists for St. Louis Inno's 2025 Fire Awards
May 29, 2025
St. Louis Inno is recognizing 14 local companies, organizations and startups, plus one individual, in its fourth class of Fire Awards. Invest STL is in the Startups on Fire — Firms under five years old category, intended to highlight younger startups that have achieved key milestones that will make them enduring, sustaining companies.
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Rooted: Cultivating Black Wealth in Place – Helping Residents Thrive in Their Chosen Place
April 16, 2025
In this installment of Baby Blogs, Invest STL Policy Design and Activation Lead Michelle Witthaus outlines Invest STL’s latest initiative, Rooted: Cultivating Black Wealth in Place, a pilot program that explores how direct, place-based wealth-building investments impact Black residents’ ability to thrive in their chosen community in St. Louis, Missouri.
St. Louis Business 500: Q&A with Dara Eskridge, Invest STL
February 19, 2025
Early in her career, Dara Eskridge was advised to be open toward multiple career paths. Following that wisdom, she now leads Invest STL, a nonprofit that prioritizes investment in communities affected by systemic racism. While Eskridge has a vast network of mentors who’ve helped her reach this point, she says her go-to mentors are her parents, who have expertise in a variety of fields, such as investment banking, real estate, public policy, and nonprofit management.
St. Louis’ West End neighborhoods show early signs of gentrification. A nonprofit offers an experimental solution.
February 17, 2025
Residents of St. Louis neighborhoods have been getting phone calls. The calls used to be local or sometimes out-of-state, but now, they appear to come from call centers in other countries, said Michelle Witthaus, a resident of south St. Louis. The callers all have one thing in common: they want to buy up property.
Scott Shelton: “We have to respect our elders and take care of our rich history.”
February 17, 2025
Can community nonprofit Invest STL help Black residents in St. Louis’s West End and Visitation Park neighborhoods build enough wealth to stave off the forces of gentrification? One census tract in the neighborhoods shows a 396% increase in white residents since 2010. Meanwhile, in two other census tracts, the population of Black residents has decreased by 30%. A spike in investor-owned properties is also underway.
Introducing 'New Neighbors'
February 16, 2025
Can community nonprofit Invest STL help Black residents in St. Louis’s West End and Visitation Park neighborhoods build enough wealth to stave off the forces of gentrification? One census tract in the neighborhoods shows a 396% increase in white residents since 2010. Meanwhile, in two other census tracts, the population of Black residents has decreased by 30%. A spike in investor-owned properties is also underway.
The Roots of 'Rooted'
February 16, 2025
In St. Louis, non-profit organizations search for tangible ways to combat gentrification. Washington University in St. Louis’ publication, The Source, defines gentrification as “the displacement of poorer residents in rebounding urban neighborhoods.” In St. Louis, MO, displacement of its residents, many of whom being black, has historical roots.
Innovations in Baby Bonds: Why Pairing Guaranteed Income and Baby Bonds Is More Than the Sum of Its Parts
January 21, 2025
Nearly 300 funders, scholars, and practitioners gathered for Innovations in Baby Bonds hosted at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York in partnership with Asset Funders Network and the Institute on Race, Power, and Political Economy at The New School on January 16, 2025. Speakers, including Invest STL’s CEO Dara Eskridge, explored how strategic investments in baby bonds, combined with direct financial assistance, can address wealth inequality.
&Co. Episode 013: Dara Eskridge
August 11, 2024
YARD & Co Co-Founder and Principal Kevin Wright and Invest STL CEO Dara Eskridge discuss resident-led planning and revitalization. They reference their neighborhood planning work and learnings with residents in the West End neighborhood of St. Louis.
Invest STL Gets National Attention by Seeding $20K to Residents in 2 Neglected Neighborhoods (Article + Podcast)
July 24, 2024
When Alisha Bey saw a flier in her neighborhood for a program that promised $20,000 in investment capital, she was hesitant to give it a try thinking that it was too good to be true.
Artificial Inheritance: Generational Wealth for All
June 28, 2024
With the Great Wealth Transfer rapidly approaching, the Aspen Ideas Festival convened a conversation about policy and market innovations to allow every young person in America to benefit from this transfer of funds. The session featured thought leaders from impact investing, philanthropy and the finance sector, including Invest STL’s CEO Dara Eskridge.
When Personal Wealth in One Neighborhood Turns Into National Progress
June 26, 2024
Financial Planning Magazine outlines how to measure the effectiveness of Invest STL’s Rooted program within the West End and Visitation Park neighborhoods of St. Louis to expand the initiative to other neighborhoods and cities.
Subscription required to read.
A Plan to Build Black Wealth in One Community — and Nationwide
June 25, 2024
Financial Planning Magazine explores the design and structure of Invest STL’s Rooted program, including the scale of the program, how capital is deployed, the financial planners each participant receives to help them with personalized planning to build wealth.
Subscription required to read.
An Effort to Alter the Course of the History of Black Wealth in St. Louis
June 24, 2024
Financial Planning Magazine recounts the history of primarily Black neighborhoods in St. Louis including the West End and Mill Creek Valley and the mission behind Invest STL’s Rooted program to help build Black wealth within historic Black communities.
Subscription required to read.
Under the Arch Podcast | S5 Ep. 2: "Powerful People, Worthy Places" ft. Dara Eskridge
April 2, 2024
Under the Arch hosts Blake Strode and Kayla Reed speak with Invest STL CEO Dara Eskridge about the good, the bad and the ugly of community development in St. Louis. Dara shares how Invest STL is working with residents to reflect the development they want to see in their own neighborhoods.
A Community Investment ‘Rooted’ Initiative Provides 20K to Some City Residents
July 15, 2023
Invest STL is putting power back into the neighborhoods located in the West End and Visitation Park through their Rooted: Cultivating Black Wealth in Place initiative. The 20-year timeline of organization is committed to investing in people, property, and small businesses.
Invest STL Pilot Program Focused on Keeping Residents Rooted in the Community
July 14, 2023
Invest STL’s pilot program, Rooted: Cultivating Black Wealth in Place, aims to support development in predominantly Black neighborhoods while allowing people to build wealth and business in the place they call home.
Can Wealth-Building Programs Both Prevent Displacement and Narrow the Racial Wealth Gap?
July 13, 2023
Gentrification can bring economic investment to low-income neighborhoods, but not all residents experience the benefits of that investment equally.
To Strengthen North St. Louis Neighborhoods, Program Gives 50 Families $20,000 Each
July 4, 2023
The 1906 home in the West End is owned by his grandfather and is home to multiple generations of family who see Rooted as an opportunity to protect and build upon their assets, to ensure that future generations can benefit from their family’s legacy and remain in their home on Oakley Place.
Community Led Plan for Bottom-Up Revitalization
May 8, 2023
It is now standard practice to conduct extensive public outreach in neighborhood planning. WeCollab in the St. Louis neighborhoods of West End and Visitation Park took this idea further—citizens became part of the consulting team to rebuild their own community.
