The James S. McDonnell Foundation (JSMF) has awarded $824,917 to St. Louis Public Radio (STLPR) to fund a new program that will model how St. Louisans can talk across divides in order to create greater understanding in our region. This foundation grant is the largest that St. Louis Public Radio has ever received, with funds to be distributed over four years to support the initiative on air, online, and in the community.
“It is part of our mission as public media to bring the community together, bridge divides, and facilitate productive and genuine conversation,” said STLPR CEO Tina Pamintuan. “Especially in today’s polarized environment, as people’s experiences of life and relating to one another have become fragmented, it is more important than ever that we fully embody our mission. The program is a bold way to reach across differences and promote understanding. We are grateful to JSMF for recognizing the value of our work and for funding this new project.”
The initiative is modeled after StoryCorps’ One Small Step program, which has been proven to increase levels of interpersonal empathy by pairing strangers with different political beliefs for a conversation, not to debate politics but to get to know each other as human beings. STLPR will facilitate local conversations between people across historical divides in the St. Louis region including class, race, and geography. STLPR will share these conversations on its award-winning show St. Louis on the Air, in regular segments on the podcast and radio episodes, in videos shared on social media platforms, and multi-media content delivered in a new curated newsletter. The program will also extend into the community with in-person listening sessions, public speaking engagements, and partnerships with other local non-profit organizations. Through this work, STLPR aims to make St. Louis a better place to live and to increase citizens’ regard for constructive conversation as essential for the greater good and a thriving St. Louis region.
“To turn the momentum we see in our region into inclusive, sustainable growth, we have to be able to work across lines that have divided us for too long,” said JSMF President Dr. Jason Purnell, PhD, MPH. “St. Louis Public Radio has the necessary community trust to facilitate conversations across differences. From those conversations may come unexpected alliances that can tackle our most persistent challenges in St. Louis.”
To facilitate this work STLPR will hire a project producer and an engagement producer, with job postings to come as soon as possible. More information will be available at stlpr.org as the project nears launch in summer 2025.
About the James S. McDonnell Foundation:
The James S. McDonnell Foundation (JSMF) envisions a thriving St. Louis region where inclusive economic growth drives shared prosperity and enhances the quality of life for all. Guided by its mission to advance economic mobility for St. Louisans facing the starkest disparities, JSMF invests in four areas essential to the region's long-term success: workforce, small and mid-size businesses, wealth building, and the civic infrastructure needed to design and implement lasting economic solutions. Founded in St. Louis in 1950 by aerospace pioneer James S. McDonnell, JSMF has awarded more than $500 million in grants to date.
About St. Louis Public Radio:
St. Louis Public Radio (STLPR) is a non-profit media organization, delivering accuracy and understanding. Its team of local reporters and producers push the boundaries of storytelling, bringing context and humanity to the issues and ideas that affect life in the metro region, Rolla,
Quincy and rural areas in Missouri and Illinois. Reflecting the voices of the community, STLPR engages in crucial conversations that bring people together. With award-winning local news coverage, original podcasts, jazz and classical music channels, and national and international news from NPR and the BBC, STLPR is a listener-supported service of the University of Missouri-St. Louis.
