[This is old content migrating to my new blog.  These two organizations are fantastic and I hope to continue supporting them even though I have left St. Louis.]

Quick Post on St. Louis Charities

I originally started this blog while on parental leave with my now two-year old son (Walter).  We have a one-week old baby boy (Stanley) and home and I will be on leave again in the fall.

Not sleeping much at night and hanging out with a napping baby during the day doesn’t leave a lot of energy for serious research, but it does give some time to post thoughts or ideas I’ve had over the year.

Chris Blattman’s recent post on his giving to charity had me thinking.

A few years ago my wife and I decided to give more to charity.  I emailed a few development types to get recommendations.  Despite the natural proclivity of academics to be critical of any organization, I received some good suggestions.  Quite a few development scholars recommended Innovation for Poverty Action.

I can offer two local (St. Louis) charities.

The International Institute St. Louis provides services to the refugee community in St. Louis.  I’ve done some volunteering with the institute and found that they provide extremely valuable services to refugees without the paternalism or disempowerment you see at some NGOs.

My new favorite is the Migrant and Immigrant Community Action Project (MICA Project).  This is a NGO that was founded by recent WashU J.D.s that provides legal services to low income immigrants.  I know one of the founders (she went to school with my wife) and have a lot of respect for the organization.