4theVille

CDA Neighborhood Transformation Grant - Cultural Blvd Corridor Planning 4theVille received the Neighborhood Transformation Grant from the City of St. Louis Community Development Administration, funded by the American Rescue Plan Act, to develop a corridor plan for Dr. Martin Luther King Drive as a planning component of our Cultural Boulevard project. To conduct the planning process, we hired Lamar Johnson Collaborative (LJC) as our planning consultant, we contracted 8 community liaisons, we leased a small 400 sqft storefront space as a drop-in information center, we applied to purchase a parcel on Dr. Martin Luther King Drive from the City of St. Louis Land Reutilization Authority (LRA), and we increased our insurance coverage for the new info center and vacant parcel. Through the close of 2024, LJC kicked off the planning process and began researching the existing conditions of the commercial corridor. We convened the community liaisons for 3 meetings, including their first workshop to expand their knowledge about commercial corridors. The commercial corridor workshop included a bus tour of five commercial corridors in the St. Louis region. We also signed the lease on the 400 sqft storefront and began paying monthly rent.

African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund Grant - 4TV Strategic Plan 4theVille was granted a variance from the National Trust for Historic Preservation to rebudget our AACHAF grant toward hiring a strategic planning consultant to complete a 3-year organizational strategic plan and 3-year fund development plan. Through a competitive bidding process, 4theVille hired Key Strategic Group (KSG) as our strategic planning consultant. KSG led our board of directors through a 9-month strategic planning process to develop new mission, purpose, core values, and theory of change statements in addition to establishing 4 strategic priorities: internal infrastructure and capacity building, organizational growth and sustainability, placekeeping, and cultural heritage & tourism. Year-by-year objectives were developed for each strategic priority. KSG also completed robust stakeholder engagement and landscape research to inform the strategic planning process. Through the strategic planning process, KSG met bi-weekly with our ad hoc strategy committee consisting of 2 board members, a cultural tourism partner, and a community development partner. KSG also presented to the board of directors 3 times and hosted a board retreat in April 2024. After the strategic planning was complete, 4theVille contracted Doerhouse to design and execute a communications campaign for our new strategic plan, including development of a new mission moment video.