BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//ChamberMaster//Event Calendar 2.0//EN METHOD:PUBLISH X-PUBLISHED-TTL:P1H REFRESH-INTERVAL:P1H CALSCALE:GREGORIAN BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/Chicago BEGIN:DAYLIGHT RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;BYMONTH=3;BYDAY=2SU DTSTART:20070101T000000 TZOFFSETFROM:-0600 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 TZNAME:Central Daylight Time END:DAYLIGHT BEGIN:STANDARD RRULE:FREQ=YEARLY;BYMONTH=11;BYDAY=1SU DTSTART:20070101T000000 TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0600 TZNAME:Central Standard Time END:STANDARD END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT DTSTART;TZID=America/Chicago:20261002T090000 DTEND;TZID=America/Chicago:20261002T120000 X-MICROSOFT-CDO-ALLDAYEVENT:FALSE SUMMARY:First Friday: Nonprofit Technical Assistance (October 2026) DESCRIPTION:Funder First Fridays Funder First Fridays are free\, confidential opportunities for nonprofits or community organization leaders (staff and/or Board members) to meet with funders outside of a formal grantmaking process for a 35 minute technical assistance meeting.This meeting is intended to help community partners navigate the regional philanthropic sector. Please consider Funder First Friday conversations as a friendly\, informal chance to talk through an idea or problem. Before/after consultations\, there is optional networking time over light refreshments. Water\, coffee\, and snacks will be provided\; participants are encouraged to bring a reusable mug or water bottle. Dress for the rest of your day (casual or business casual are just fine -- no need to be fancy). A Funder First Friday meeting is space to discuss questions confidentially and receive assistance on topics including:+ Program logic models (including evaluation)+ Assessment tools and data collection+ Community resources (including introductions/connections)+ Program enhancements/ideation+ Community trends and opportunities+ Program implementation barriers/challenges+ General application writing strategies\nPlease be advised that First Fridays are NOT x Mandatory or required by any regional funderx Compliance-related or formal training (this conversation doesn't replace the need for long-term\, in-depth support)x An opportunity to seek specific funding or request increased funding (this is an important guideline: a volunteer Funder-Advisor won't be able to speak to a specific grant opportunity at their grantmaking organization\; please direct such queries as each individual funder advises in their application and/or on their website)\nREMAINING 2026 SCHEDULE\nOctober 2\, 2026November 6\, 2026December 4\, 2026\nNonprofits and community organizations are invited each month\, typically 5-10 days prior to the program. This page is the registration for October 2\; registration will open the last week of September.Nonprofit and community organizations must select a specific time slot when registering. While number of sessions per slot varies monthly\, most Fridays will have at least one session available at the following times:9:00 - 9:35AM | 9:45 - 10:20AM | 10:30 - 11:05AM | 11:15 - 11:50AM\nREGISTRATION ELIGIBILITY & PROCESSCommunity-Based Partners/NonprofitsAny community-based organization staff member with a question or desired area of learning may sign up. While we won't restrict to partners in Metro St. Louis\, most of our funder-advisors have expertise in the St. Louis region. Please sign up as an organization (you may bring more than one person but only take one "Session" slot\, please).You do not need to be a 501(c)(3) nonprofit or have a current grant. You must register and\, in registration\, specify your question or discussion topic. Please note these conversations aren't an on-ramp for funding or an opportunity to ask about a specific grant program (contact that funder directly as described in their application materials). This is not free ongoing consulting but rather is a one-time\, friendly\, and informal space to talk through an idea or problem. There is no fee to participate\; prior registration is required. You will sign up for a specific 35-minute time slot when registering. Please arrive 10-15 minutes prior to that time and you are welcome to come earlier and stay afterward for networking with other community-based organizations/nonprofits as well as funders who are on break. Water\, coffee\, and light snacks will be provided\; you are encouraged to bring a reusable mug or water bottle.Nonprofits/Community-Based Organizations: Registration is required\; walk-ins cannot be accommodated. Funders/Grantmakers: Any interested staff member involved in Metro St. Louis grantmaking work is welcome to volunteer as a funder-advisor. It is a full morning affair and funder-advisor registration is managed separately. Contact info (at) philmo.org for details.\nFEEDBACK & QUESTIONSPhilMO centers a culture of learning. We hope First Fridays will help demystify the philanthropic sector and strengthen trusted relationships between funders and community organizations. Feedback from both parties helps us understand how we're doing\, where to improve\, etc. All registrants will be asked to complete a short\, anonymous survey following their experience. You may also direct questions and/or share feedback directly with the PhilMO team by emailing info (at) philmo.org. We appreciate your help understanding your experience and how we might strengthen the experience both funder-advisors and nonprofit/community-based organization participants. X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:
Funder First Fridays \;

Funder First Fridays are free\, confidential opportunities for nonprofits or community organization leaders (staff and/or Board members) to meet with funders outside of a formal grantmaking process for a 35 minute technical assistance meeting.

This meeting is intended to help community partners navigate the regional philanthropic sector. Please consider Funder First Friday conversations as a \;friendly\, informal chance to talk through an idea or problem. \;Before/after consultations\, there is optional networking time over light refreshments. Water\, coffee\, and snacks will be provided\; participants are encouraged to bring a reusable mug or water bottle. Dress for the rest of your day (casual or business casual are just fine -- no need to be fancy). \;

A Funder First Friday meeting is space to discuss questions confidentially and receive assistance on topics including:

+ Program logic models (including evaluation)

+ Assessment tools and data collection

+ Community resources (including introductions/connections)

+ Program enhancements/ideation

+ Community trends and opportunities

+ Program implementation barriers/challenges

+ General application writing strategies


Please be advised that First Fridays are NOT&hellip\; \;

x \; Mandatory or required by any regional funder

x \; Compliance-related or formal training (this conversation doesn'\;t replace the need for long-term\, in-depth support)

x  \;An opportunity to seek specific funding or request increased funding \;(this is an important guideline: a volunteer Funder-Advisor won'\;t \;be able to speak to a specific grant opportunity at their grantmaking organization\; please direct such queries as each individual funder advises in their application and/or on their website)


REMAINING 2026 SCHEDULE


October 2\, 2026

November 6\, 2026

December 4\, 2026


Nonprofits and community organizations are invited each month\, typically 5-10 days prior to the program. This page is the registration for October 2\; registration will open the last week of September.

Nonprofit and community organizations must select a specific time slot when registering. While number of sessions per slot varies monthly\, most Fridays will have at least one session available at the following times:

9:00 - 9:35AM  \;|  \; 9:45 - 10:20AM  \;|  \;10:30 - 11:05AM  \;|  \;11:15 - 11:50AM


REGISTRATION ELIGIBILITY &\; PROCESS

Community-Based Partners/Nonprofits

Any community-based organization staff member with a question or desired area of learning may sign up. While we won'\;t restrict to partners in Metro St. Louis\, most of our funder-advisors have expertise in the St. Louis region. Please sign up as an organization (you may bring more than one person but only take one "\;Session"\; slot\, please).

You do not need to be a 501(c)(3) nonprofit or have a current grant. You must register and\, in registration\, specify your question or discussion topic. Please note these conversations aren&rsquo\;t an on-ramp for funding or an opportunity to ask about a specific grant program (contact that funder directly as described in their application materials). This is not free ongoing consulting but rather is a one-time\, friendly\, and informal space to talk through an idea or problem. \;

There is no fee to participate\; prior registration is required. You will sign up for a specific 35-minute time slot when registering. Please arrive 10-15 minutes prior to that time &ndash\; and you are welcome to come earlier and stay afterward for networking with other community-based organizations/nonprofits as well as funders who are on break. Water\, coffee\, and light snacks will be provided\; you are encouraged to bring a reusable mug or water bottle.

Nonprofits/Community-Based Organizations: Registration is required\; walk-ins cannot be accommodated. \;

Funders/Grantmakers: \;Any interested staff member involved in Metro St. Louis grantmaking work is welcome to volunteer as a funder-advisor. It is a full morning affair and funder-advisor registration is managed separately. Contact info (at) philmo.org for details.


FEEDBACK &\; QUESTIONS

PhilMO centers a culture of learning. We hope First Fridays will help demystify the philanthropic sector and strengthen trusted relationships between funders and community organizations. Feedback from both parties helps us understand how we&rsquo\;re doing\, where to improve\, etc. All registrants will be asked to complete a short\, anonymous survey following their experience. You may also direct questions and/or share feedback directly with the PhilMO team by emailing info (at) philmo.org. We appreciate your help understanding your experience and how we might strengthen the experience both funder-advisors and nonprofit/community-based organization participants.

LOCATION:5501 Delmar Blvd. St. Louis MO 63112 UID:e.4168.1637203 SEQUENCE:3 DTSTAMP:20260929T183113Z URL:https://philanthropymissouri.growthzoneapp.com/event-calendar/Details/first-friday-nonprofit-technical-assistance-october-2026-1926569?sourceTypeId=Hub END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR