The Missouri Foundation for Health has honored five trailblazing individuals with its newly launched “Spark Prize,” granting each recipient $200,000 in unrestricted funding to support their efforts to advance health equity across Missouri.
This award recognizes community leaders with bold visions and proven dedication to addressing systemic disparities in health outcomes.
Unlike conventional grants, the Spark Prize is designed to be flexible and trust-based, providing funds directly to individual changemakers rather than institutions.
Winners were selected from over 170 nominations statewide, reflecting a diverse array of backgrounds, regions, and sectors.
Spotlight on Spark Prize Recipients
Evonnia Woods: Advancing Justice Statewide
One of the awardees, Evonnia Woods, is a well-respected community organizer and movement builder. She was recognized for her work in racial, reproductive, and economic justice throughout Missouri.
Woods emphasized how meaningful it is to receive funding based on potential rather than proof of past accomplishments.
“A lot of foundations want to see you’re already doing the work,” Woods said. “This award tells me, ‘We believe in your vision’—and that validation matters.”
CJ Walker: Building Community Health Infrastructure
Another recipient, Ciearra “CJ” Walker, is the founder and CEO of the Community Health Worker Coalition. Her organization has trained over 300 community health workers in St. Louis and supported more than 600 across the state. A Detroit native, Walker explained her mission is to empower communities from within.
“We’re not just extracting from our leaders—we’re positioning them as architects of the systems they operate in,” Walker said.
She also noted the coalition reinvested $30,000 into its members through training, compensation, and development opportunities.
Health Equity and the Social Determinants of Health
The Spark Prize aligns with a broader understanding that social determinants of health—such as housing, education, transportation, and income—impact as much as 80% of health outcomes.
Addressing these root factors is central to the work of the Spark Prize recipients, each of whom is working to dismantle structural barriers in their communities.
The Missouri Foundation for Health’s Spark Prize is more than just a financial award—it’s an investment in visionary leadership and the future of health equity.
By supporting individuals directly and without restriction, the initiative enables grassroots innovation and reinforces trust in community-driven solutions. These leaders are not only reshaping health access in Missouri, but serving as models of change nationwide.