BUILDING A BRIGHTER FUTURE
Advocating for Missouri's Educational Equity
Activate MO is a dedicated advocacy non-profit focused on educating, training, and uplifting families and youth leaders across Missouri. We are committed to ensuring access to quality educational options and empowering parents and students to shape the future of their communities.
By recognizing the power of voices, Activate MO is the catalyst that turns potential into progress. We exist to activate voices into action through strategic advocacy, pushing for legislative and policy changes that are directly informed by the priorities of the communities they serve.
Missouri's Educational Realities
5%
of Missouri 8th Graders are Proficient in Math
28%
of Missouri 8th Graders are Proficient in Reading
10%
of Black Missouri 4th Graders are Proficient in Reading
22+ Years
of no change in Missouri’s Black/White Performance Gap
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Advancing Education Together
Activate MO works alongside families and youth leaders to expand educational opportunity and strengthen advocacy across the state. Stay connected as we share stories, resources, and ways to support this work.
What We Do
01.
— We Educate & Train Leaders
We educate and train families and youth leaders to confidently navigate Missouri’s educational system and champion quality educational options for every child.
02.
— We Empower Parents
We empower parents to become powerful advocates who lead community engagement, influence school policy, and ensure their voices are heard where decisions are made.
03.
— We Develop Youth Leaders
We develop youth leadership through our Youth Activators Fellowship, equipping young people with advocacy skills and real-world experience to drive change in education.
04.
— We Amplify Voices
We amplify grassroot voices by mobilizing families across Missouri to participate in local and state-level advocacy that shapes the future of public education.
05.
— We Support Educational Choice
We support educational choice initiatives by sharing testimonials and advocating for growth and accountability.
06.
— We Connect Communities
We connect communities with policymakers and resources, creating opportunities for one-to-one engagement, listening tours, and collaborative efforts to improve education outcomes.
Who We Are
Activate MO is a Missouri-based education advocacy nonprofit dedicated to strengthening families, building youth leadership, and expanding access to quality educational options. We work alongside parents, students, and community leaders to ensure that every child—regardless of ZIP code—has the opportunity to learn in a supportive, high-quality environment.
Our mission is rooted in one belief: when families and young people are equipped with knowledge and advocacy skills, they can create meaningful, lasting change in their schools and communities. Through training, community mobilization, and policy-focused advocacy, we help turn individual voices into collective action that improves educational outcomes across Missouri.
Our Impact
2022
ActivateSTL Established
+$1.2M
We have been awarded $1.2 million in grants to support programming
75+
Community Members Trained & Activated
700+
People Served Through Community Events
2024
Activate Launches Statewide
STATEWIDE FOOTPRINT
We Serve Families Across Missouri
Cape Girardeau
Activate MO supports Cape Girardeau families with reliable school choice information and parent-centered education advocacy across Southeast Missouri.
St. Louis
Serving families in urban St. Louis with accessible school choice guidance, community engagement, and advocacy that expands pathways to quality K-12 options.
Columbia
Helping Columbia families navigate ongoing school landscape changes with clear school choice information, parent support, and trusted education resources.
Kansas City
Providing urban Kansas City families with school choice support, advocacy tools, and information that strengthens access to high-quality education.
Springfield
Advancing rural education outreach in Springfield and Southwest Missouri by connecting families to school choice resources and parent advocacy support.
Featured Programs
Our Statewide Initiatives
Youth Activators Fellowship
This four-week paid fellowship equips young leaders with the skills they need to advocate for educational reform. Youth Activators learn about Missouri’s educational challenges, develop activism strategies, and take part in real-world advocacy efforts.
Parent Activators Program
Activate MO empowers parents to become advocates for their children’s education. Through workshops, training, and community engagement, parents learn to navigate the education system and champion equitable school choices for all Missouri children.
Parent-Led Choice Initiatives
Our Parent-Led Choice Initiatives elevate the voices of Missouri families, equipping parents with the knowledge, tools, and support they need to advocate for schools and learning environments that meet their children’s needs.
Voices From Our Community
Before learning about Activate MO, Shae Lowman’s first-grade daughter was struggling with reading, but Lowman didn’t know where to begin to address the problem.
“Tiara did a presentation about who to start with,” Shae Lowman said. “I sent my daughter’s teacher a text and the next week they had my daughter reading. Having the courage and support to point out the discrepancies my daughter was having is fabulous.”
Activate MO helped me see the system not just as a wall I kept crashing into—but as something built by people, and therefore changeable by people.
“I didn’t plan to become an advocate,” Kathryn Bonney said. “I was just a mom, frustrated and exhausted, trying to do right by my kids. Then I found Activate MO, a statewide nonprofit that promotes parent-led power and youth leadership development. Participating in their Parent Activators program was the first time I felt like I wasn’t alone. That leading with passion and purpose could actually help create safer, better supported environments for children to thrive.”
