June 2016 began with a bang for St. Louis. On Thursday, June 2nd, the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency confirmed that its Western Headquarters will, indeed, remain in the city and Amazon announced it would bring 1,000 jobs to Edwardsville. In a coincidence of the calendar, festive crowds came out that afternoon to celebrate the opening of the Arch grounds. For a region focused on economic development wins, the fireworks over the Mississippi took on greater meaning.
There was less fanfare around a philanthropic announcement the day before. On Wednesday, June 1st, Missouri Foundation for Health announced a $6 million commitment to address issues identified in the Forward Through Ferguson Report. Soon we should have national context on this commitment. Charity Navigator’s Metro Market Study will be released in days. The report monitors “the financial, accountability and transparency behaviors” of nonprofits as influenced by the markets in which they operate to assess the capacity of the community groups to meet social needs considering the economic environment.
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