Search Through Community Health Grants in St. Louis, Missouri in the U.S.

Making community possible

At U.S. Bank, we are dedicated to supporting our communities through responsive and humbled actions focused on addressing racial and economic inequities and creating lasting change in our communities. Through our Community Possible Grant Program, we are partnering with organizations that focus on economic and workforce advancement, safe and affordable housing and communities connected through arts and culture.

The U.S. Bank Foundation is committed to making Community Possible through Work, Home and Play. We advance this work through collaborative grant making to bring equitable and lasting change through our focus on sustainable, high-impact funding with 501c3 nonprofit partners.

How we partner with nonprofits

We focus on collaborative grantmaking and sustainable, high-impact funding with 501(c)(3) nonprofit partners. We partner with organizations that support:

• Economic and workforce advancement
• Safe and affordable housing
• Community arts and culture

Our strategy

Our community affairs and foundation team work closely with U.S. Bank regional leadership, business resource groups and our National Community Advisory Committee to ensure that prevailing needs are addressed in all the communities we serve.

To make the most meaningful impact, we prioritize organizations that:

• Focus on economic development issues related to work, home and play
• Address more than one of the grant pillars (work, home and play)
• Are based in and serve designated U.S. Bank communities
• Advance diversity, equity and inclusion

Global Impact Cash Grants

Identifying and incubating innovative early-stage solutions. We identify, incubate, and develop innovative early-stage solutions with the highest potential for impact. Global Impact Cash Grants go to nonprofit organizations (NPOs) and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) that address a significant social problem. We're looking for programs that fit within our investment sectors, focus on the underserved, and use technology to improve the reach and efficiency of services.

We accept applications year-round from eligible organizations. A brief Letter of Inquiry (LOI) is used to determine whether your organization will be invited to complete a full application. Please expand and carefully review each of the three sections below to learn more

Our priority social impact sectors

We focus on investing in innovative, tech-enabled solutions to the challenges and opportunities that matter most to communities in need, prioritizing four social impact sectors:

Cisco Crisis Response

Mobilizing to provide essentials to communities in need and those in crisis, including food, housing, secure connectivity, and disaster relief

By leveraging Cisco’s people, technology, financial resources, and strategic partnerships, we help strengthen community resilience and drive long-term recovery from crises.

Education

Supporting students, teachers, and schools by increasing engagement, building skills, promoting subject mastery, and expanding their capacity to thrive

Cisco is committed to inclusive access to digital skills training and supporting those who use technology to educate. Through programs like Cisco Networking Academy and social investments in education, we create new opportunities for individuals to thrive.

Economic Empowerment

Transforming communities through skill development, long-term career opportunities, entrepreneurship, and access to financial products and services

Strategic grants that unlock economic prosperity and growth for individuals and communities.

Climate Regeneration

Building an inclusive, regenerative, and resilient climate future through education, regenerative agriculture, conservation, protection, and clean energy solutions

Our efforts began in 2021, when the Cisco Foundation committed US$100 million over 10 years to fund nonprofit grants and impact investing in climate solutions. 

The Labcorp Charitable Foundation

We believe every person deserves equitable care and education.

In 2020 Labcorp established a private charitable 501(c)(3) foundation to advance our desire to bring quality healthcare access to all by supporting education and our local communities. 

Common grant opportunities include:

• Supporting food pantries and meal programs
• Providing healthcare and patient services for underserved populations
• Encouraging STEM programming
• Advocating for healthy lifestyles through ongoing medical research and screening

Our Purpose

The Foundation was established in 1968 to provide Rupert and Ruth Dunklau a systematic method of gifting to God’s people a portion of the blessings God had given them.

The Foundation exists to glorify God and serve His gracious will, by providing financial resources for the varied ministries related to the Lutheran tradition, especially the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, educational entities of the Lutheran Church and appropriate projects that promote the welfare of mankind

Focus Areas

• Lutheran Higher Education: The Foundation will support processes, efforts, and programs of ministries that engage people in furthering their education and continued learning opportunities, enabling them to become of greater service in meeting the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual needs of people.
• Health & Human Care: The Foundation will support processes, efforts and programs of ministries that take collaborative and results- oriented approaches that address the varied needs of people in His Church and the communities they serve, thus promoting the welfare of mankind.
• Faith Strengthening: The Foundation will support processes, efforts and programs of ministries that strengthen, enhance and embolden participants and their families to share their Christian faith in His Gospel Message, lived as well as spoken.

The Sidney Stern Memorial Trust is devoted solely to the funding of charitable, scientific, medical and educational organizations.

The Board endeavors to support soundly-managed charitable organizations that give service with a broad scope, have a substantial effect on their target populations, and contribute materially to the general welfare. The Board does not discriminate on the basis of ethnicity, race, gender, sexual orientation or religion.

We have strong partnerships with nonprofit organizations across the country that are working to advance economic mobility and social progress in low- and moderate-income communities. Our focus areas include basic needs like food and housing, workforce development and education, and community development. In addition to our philanthropic investments, we also encourage our employees to make a difference by offering robust employee giving and volunteering programs, including the opportunity to direct funds to organizations they support through volunteer efforts, and a matching gifts program that doubles their individual giving to causes they care about. Last year, we invested $350 million in the communities we serve, and employees contributed more than 1 million volunteer hours and directed $65 million through individual giving and matching gifts to support nonprofits.Through our regional U.S. sponsorships, we support the economic, social and cultural life of the places we live and work. We provide an extensive program of arts and sports sponsorships to help maintain vibrant, healthy communities.Sponsorships supporting communitiesBank of America welcomes your sponsorship proposal for opportunities that make our communities a better place to live and work. We are particularly interested in providing support to address needs vital to the health of our communities through a focus on:

• preserving neighborhoods;
• educating the workforce for 21st century jobs;
• addressing critical needs such as hunger and emergency shelter;
• arts and culture;
• the environment; and
• diversity and inclusion programs.

Grants are made at the Foundation’s discretion based on our current funding strategies focused on housing, jobs and hunger. 

Our Mission

The Tony Robbins Foundation is a nonprofit organization created to empower individuals and organizations to make a significant difference in the quality of life of people often forgotten.

We’re dedicated to creating positive changes in the lives of youth, seniors, the hungry, homeless and the imprisoned population, all who need a boost envisioning a happier and deeply satisfying way of life. Our passionate staff, generous donors and caring group of international volunteers provide the vision, inspiration, and resources needed to empower these important members of our society.

Grants

Dedicated to meeting challenges within the global community, creating solutions and taking action, The Tony Robbins Foundation provides monetary donations to various organizations around the world. Funding requests are evaluated on an ongoing basis. We look for organizations that align with our mission to empower individuals and organizations to make a significant difference in the quality of life of those often forgotten.

Centene Charitable Foundation

Successful corporate citizenship happens when companies invest in the local organizations that know their communities best. The Centene Foundation works with our local partners on initiatives that focus on inclusion, the whole person and community development.

Vision

Centene’s purpose is transforming the health of the community, one person at a time. The Centene Foundation is an essential part of how we pursue this purpose. We achieve measurable impact for the communities we serve through partnerships and philanthropy efforts that invest in initiatives with holistic approaches to dismantling barriers to health.

Areas of Focus

Reflecting Centene’s commitment to the needs of those who rely on government-sponsored health care and to addressing social determinants of health and health equity, preference will be given to initiatives in three distinct areas of focus.

• Healthcare Access
• Social Services
• Education

Our Mission

Our mission is to continue and further the philanthropic legacy of Gardner Cowles, Jr. and the Cowles family, which includes promotion of education, social justice, health, and the arts.

The Founder

The Cowles Charitable Trust was first established in 1948 by Gardner “Mike” Cowles, Jr. (1903-1985). Born into the Cowles publishing family of Des Moines, Iowa, Mike was the youngest of Gardner Cowles and Florence Call Cowles’ six children. A newspaper editor and publisher by trade, he was committed to his family’s traditions of responsible, public-spirited, and innovative journalism as well as philanthropy. 

The Cowles Charitable Trust supports the arts, education, the advancement of ethical journalism, medical and climate research.

Ameriprise Financial Grantmaking

At Ameriprise Financial, giving back is deeply rooted in our culture. We’ve initiated positive change in the communities where we live and work for more than 120 years. We believe our community involvement enables us to actively live our values. Through grant making, volunteerism and employee and financial advisor gift matching programs, we support a diverse group of over 6,000 nonprofits across the country.

Focus Areas

Awarding grant dollars to nonprofits is one way we strengthen our communities and help individuals on a path to financial independence. To ensure we're meeting the needs of our communities and making an even greater collective impact, we focus on three key giving areas when awarding grants.

Volunteer engagement is a priority across all focus areas:

The engagement of Ameriprise employees and financial advisors is a critical component of our philanthropy. Whether it’s serving on a nonprofit board, engaging friends, clients and community members in volunteering or providing skills-based support, our relationships with nonprofits go deep. For this reason, we give priority across all focus areas to applications where there is active volunteer engagement of Ameriprise advisors and employees. 

Meeting Basic Needs

At Ameriprise Financial, we help clients achieve financial security and peace of mind. That’s satisfying, meaningful work. We also help the people in our neighborhoods who struggle to meet basic needs such as where their next meal comes from, where they’ll sleep tonight or how they’ll find a higher wage job. We’re here to help them through the three platforms of our Meeting Basic Needs focus area.

Consideration is given to applications addressing the following: 

• Hunger
• Food banks, food shelves and food pantries, daily meal programs or meal services for the homebound
• Hunger-relief programs targeted to meet the special needs of children, ethnic populations or veterans
• Food programs run by nonprofits where hunger is not their sole focus, for example a youth meal program at the YWCA or a backpack program run by a Boys & Girls Club
• Shelter
• Emergency shelter, including youth homelessness
• Transitional housing, permanent supportive housing and efforts to end chronic homelessness
• Housing-first models (programs quickly providing housing and then addressing needed services)
• Achieving and maintaining home ownership, repair and maintenance efforts helping keep seniors, veterans and other populations in their homes 
• Adult Self-Sufficiency: Programs serving adults age 21 and older that help address the following areas:
• Basic hard and soft skills that help adults achieve economic and family stability
• Basic financial and budgeting skills
• Increase employability and wages, including work readiness and job transitions
• Employment of disabled adults

Supporting Community Vitality

We believe communities should be strong, healthy and resilient. We want livable places for all, where neighbors look out for one another, cultural events are well-attended and people pull together in times of crisis and joy. We work to create economic vitality and cultural enrichment through the following areas of focus.

Consideration is given to applications addressing the following: 

• Community Development
• Neighborhood revitalization
• Economic development
• Strengthening and supporting small businesses and nonprofits through technical expertise
• Cultural Enrichment
• Arts education
• Access for underserved populations
• Diverse artists and performances that spark topical community conversations 

Volunteer Driven Causes: Ameriprise employees and financial advisors are outstanding volunteers who serve in teams and also as individuals bringing personal skill-sets to nonprofits. Volunteering is part of the culture at Ameriprise and we are proud to support communities through contributions of both service and financial resources. 

Funding for Volunteer-Driven Causes is determined by current Ameriprise volunteerism. In general, funding is in proportion to the size of the Ameriprise volunteer team supporting a nonprofit. A team may include employees, financial advisors and/or staff or a combination of any Ameriprise volunteers. 

The Foundation is dedicated to providing financial assistance to organizations committed to improving our world. Solutions to the problems of today's world still lie in the values of innovation, practicality, hard work, and compassion.

The Foundation considers applications for grants in the following areas:

• Education
• Social Service
• Health care
• Civic and cultural
• Environmental

The categories above are not intended to limit the interest of the Foundation from considering other worthwhile projects. In general, the Foundation guidelines are broad to give us flexibility in providing grants.

The majority of our grants are made in the U.S. However, like Dr. Scholl, we recognize the need for a global outlook. Non-U.S. grants are given to organizations where directors have knowledge of the grantee.

Funding Priorities

• Education
  • Focus on early childhood through post-secondary education
  • Target students in under-served, under-resourced school districts. 
• Conservation
• St. Louis Civic Institutions

Types of Grants

Grant categories include: Program, Operating, Capital and Endowment.

Rules and Regulations

The primary purpose of Dana Brown Charitable Trust is to provide grants to organizations in the St. Louis area that support financially disadvantaged children (up to age 18) and programs that enable children to expand their knowledge of the world and nature through programs featuring wild animals in the St. Louis, Missouri, Metropolitan area (MSA).

Your grant request will be required to satisfy the above expectations. Specifically:

• Your funding request must directly positively impact the health, education, and welfare of underprivileged/economically disadvantaged children and/or support programs that enable children to expand their knowledge of the world and nature through programs featuring wild animals and/or zoology.
  • Secondarily, for animals, the Dana Brown Charitable Trust will continue to consider grant requests for programs with animals that provide services and resources for financially disadvantaged children, focusing on mental health, support, and community building.
• Your funding request must be allocated to organizations in the St. Louis, Missouri—Illinois Metro Area. Visit our Frequently Asked Questions section to see which counties this includes.

Additionally, The Dana Brown Charitable Trust is focused on high-impact, low-risk funding and places high importance on those organizations that work collaboratively with other nonprofits.

Awareness. Education. Prevention.  These are three key tenets of Bayer Fund’s investments in health and wellness.  With a focus on cancer and cardiovascular disease, we provide resources to organizations dedicated to educating and/or providing services to patients, caregivers and at-risk populations.

Health & Wellness Grants

Programs that Bayer Fund will support include those that focus on patients and their families needing assistance with issues to managing cardiovascular disease and cancer. This includes education, disease awareness, and supportive services for these diseases. In areas related to cardiovascular disease, priority (though not exclusivity) will be given to charitable organizations that focus on programs and support for the African American community due to the high incidence rate of disease in this population.

Giving in this category will focus on support services such as education, disease awareness, and general access to care (e.g., housing for families traveling for cancer or heart care).

All funding requests and budgets must be for program activities and expenses that start after funding decisions are made. All programs must be completed within one year of the start date, except in limited situations where longer term programs have been agreed upon. Grant award amounts vary, depending on the size of the community, the type of programming, and the reach of the organization.

Please see FAQs for additional guidelines.

Deaconess Foundation

Our Mission

In the spirit of our faith heritage, the mission of Deaconess Foundation is the improved health of the community and people of Eastern Missouri and Southern Illinois.

Our Vision

Deaconess Foundation envisions a community that values the health and well-being of all and gives priority attention to the most invisiblized. This community only thrives if the allocation of power and distribution of resources, benefits, opportunities and burdens are not predictable by, nor predicated on race.

Seeding the Future Grants

Seeding the Future Grants are general operating funds awarded for one year to organizations with proposals that align with Deaconess’ intended impact. Funding supports organizational and civic infrastructure expansion, advancement of public policies, and/or efforts impacting systems transformation through an intergenerational approach for the improved health and wellness of people in Eastern Missouri and Southern Illinois. This grant is designed to cultivate a partnership pipeline for the Movement Transformation Cohort.

What are examples of efforts funding may support?

• Advancement of coordinated local or state public policy advocacy and organizing campaigns driving meaningful, systemic change that may include voter engagement, education and mobilization;
• Expansion of organizing capacity to respond to the ever-evolving legislative and electoral landscape;
• Development of research and analysis, convenings and community campaigns that generate innovative approaches to solving policy challenges; and/or
• The testing and incubating of opportunistic or innovative initiatives that are well-positioned to advance policy change such as ballot initiatives.

Award

General operating awards are $20,000 annually per awarded organization. Grants will be awarded for one year and are non-renewable.

Deaconess supports policy development, advocacy and organizing efforts that pursue positive systemic change for the well-being of children and families in the metropolitan region including Eastern Missouri and Southern Illinois in alignment with Deaconess policy priorities. 

Policy Campaign/Collaborative Grants

Deaconess Foundation recognizes that significant gaps in civic infrastructure, resources and power inhibit the health and well-being of children and families in the St. Louis region. Our strategy is designed to address these gaps by strengthening the region, system, and community’s capability to achieve positive outcomes through collaborative engagement and investment with diverse partners.

Policy Campaign/Collaborative Grants will offer up to $100,000 general operating support to advance public policy change efforts which pursues change through grassroots advocacy, civic engagement and community organizing aligned with our evolving public policy priorities, investments, and desired impacts. Policy Campaign/Collaborative Grants are designed to support expanded capacity to movement infrastructure. This strategy propels our work and the movement of child and community well-being in alignment with our 100-year vision.

Grants will be awarded for one year and can be made to one or more partners.

About the Foundation

Jesse W. Couch lived a life of zeal, honor, and dedication to the betterment of his community. The Couch family now humbly stewards the foundation he created to carry on his legacy of service for future generations. We believe that impact is best accomplished through partnerships with local organizations that know the people and communities they serve. We invest in and support efforts to protect the environment, further conservation and preservation initiatives, and save historical architecture that preserves community heritage. We also support initiatives that promote wellness and mental health and organizations seeking to provide and further education for all communities.

Annual Grant Focus

Each year, we seek to partner with and support non-profit organizations making an impact in the focus areas listed here.  The focus areas for 2025 are:

• Animal Wellbeing: We are dedicated to helping nonprofit organizations that nurture compassion and respect for all living animals. We must have animal-focused organizations that advocate for animal rights and provide humane treatment across all spectrums.
• Early Childhood Education: We are looking for schools that are providing young children with a creative and balanced approach to education. Things we love in early childhood curriculums:
  • Life Skills
  • Collaboration With Their Peers and Teachers   
  • Having Fun   
  • Montessori Teachings   
  • Project Based Teachings   
  • Diversity   
  • More Time Outside   
  • Less Screen Time
• Teachers: Teachers are essential to providing children with the best possible education. We must invest in their future and are always looking for teams that help them succeed in educating future generations.
• Get Outside: Being outside can improve memory, fight depression, lower blood pressure, and more! We support organizations that facilitate and encourage more outdoor activities that help create healthier communities. 

The BJC Scholars Fund was established and funded by BJC HealthCare in response to community needs identified by the Ferguson Commission. It is administered through The Scholarship Foundation of St. Louis for college-bound high school seniors who reside in counties where BJC hospitals are located.

BJC HealthCare is the largest employer in the St. Louis region and one of the largest nonprofit health care organizations in the United States, delivering services to residents primarily in the greater St. Louis, southern Illinois and mid-Missouri regions. Serving the health care needs of urban, suburban and rural communities, BJC includes 15 hospitals and multiple health service organizations. Services include inpatient and outpatient care, primary care, community health and wellness, workplace health, home health, community mental health, rehabilitation, long-term care and hospice. BJC’s nationally recognized academic hospitals, Barnes-Jewish and St. Louis Children’s hospitals, are affiliated with Washington University School of Medicine. BJC HealthCare is committed to improving the health and well-being of the people and communities it serves through leadership, education, innovation and excellence in medicine.

The BJC Scholars Fund is intended to serve youth in pursuit of higher education from communities and surrounding areas in which BJC hospitals are located. Awarded students will receive a scholarship of up to $12,000 per academic year, which is renewable through graduation or up to ten semesters, provided the student continues to meet eligibility and selection criteria.

The Insuring Rural Communities Scholarship was created to support students from rural areas of Missouri and Illinois. It is funded by grants from Valley Insurance Agency Alliance (VIAA), its member insurance agencies and various insurance company partners and friends, matched by Travelers Foundation. IRC is administered through The Scholarship Foundation of St. Louis. Students of all ages who have graduated high school or have a GED are eligible to apply for annual, renewable scholarships of up to $5,000 to pursue information technology, healthcare, or risk management degrees or certificates.

Travelers Foundation, the charitable arm of Travelers, focuses on equity and inclusion in support for initiatives that improve academic and career success, develop thriving neighborhoods, and create culturally enriched communities.

VIAA is an insurance agency network dedicated to supporting the profitable growth and sustainability of independent insurance agencies throughout Missouri and central and southern Illinois.

This scholarship is renewable through graduation or up to ten semesters, and is available in amounts up to $5,000 per academic year.

Deaconess Foundation

Our Mission

In the spirit of our faith heritage, the mission of Deaconess Foundation is the improved health of the community and people of Eastern Missouri and Southern Illinois.

Our Vision

Deaconess Foundation envisions a community that values the health and well-being of all and gives priority attention to the most invisiblized. This community only thrives if the allocation of power and distribution of resources, benefits, opportunities and burdens are not predictable by, nor predicated on race.

Nursing Scholarship Grants

The Deaconess Nursing Scholarship Program honors the nursing heritage of the Deaconess mission by supporting local students with demonstrated financial need. These grants are administered through a partnership with the Scholarship Foundation of St. Louis and the St. Louis American Foundation.

Calling to Serve

Since its inception in 2016, the Robinson Foundation has sought to demonstrate God’s love through sharing the gifts we have received. We understand the often unspoken hardships and struggles that people in and outside of our community face everyday. As such, our contributions are focused on relieving these hardships for the betterment of our world.

As a family-operated foundation, we pray that our small efforts will not only create immediate change in the lives of our neighbors, but will help set those lives on a course for success in the future. We are thankful for each and every day we have on this earth to use what God has granted us to make a difference.

Areas of Interest

• Animal Welfare
• Children & Families
• Disaster Relief
• Education
• Medical Assistance
• Nature & Wildlife Conservation
• Poverty Relief
• Religious & Spiritual Endeavors
• Veterans' Issues

Grant Considerations

We take many different aspects of applications into account when making grant issuing decisions, however these are some of the high-level questions we ask ourselves during the process:

• How does the organization serve their key audience goals?
• Is the organization fiscally responsible?
• Will a grant have a tangible, meaningful impact?
• Will we see direct results from this grant?
• Does the organization have other financial contributors?

The Spirit of St. Louis Women’s Fund (SOS) strengthens the Greater St. Louis community through informed, focused grant-making by educating and inspiring women to engage in significant giving.

SOS Commitment To Diversity, Equity And Inclusion

SOS is committed to equity, diversity, collaboration, inclusiveness, transparency, and accountability because all people deserve to live full and abundant lives free of prejudice, discrimination and oppression.

We will prioritize diversity, equity and inclusion in our philanthropy.

means full participation of all individuals regardless of race, ethnicity, gender orientation, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, ability, citizenship status, language, religion, geographic location, and national origin, among other identities.

is the condition that would be achieved if one’s identity no longer predicted how one fared in life.

creates a culture and environment for diverse individuals to bring their authentic and full selves. Inclusion results when underrepresented people are seen as fully belonging in a community.

Focus Areas

Grants are not restricted to issues dealing exclusively with women, but are made to organizations focusing on at least one of the following areas:

• Arts and Culture
• Education
• Environment
• Health
• Social Services

Single-year Eligibility

Single-year grants of $5,000 – $25,000 are awarded to nonprofit organizations in the Greater St. Louis community. Applicants are encouraged to submit Letters of Inquiry for general operating support, project/program support, and capacity building. Capacity building strengthens the development of an organization’s core skills and capabilities, such as leadership, management, finance/fund-raising, programs, and evaluation, in order to build the organization’s effectiveness and sustainability.

Multi-year Eligibility

In the 2022-2023 granting cycle, SOS will be investing in one, renewable, three year accelerator grant for $33,333 a year, totaling $100,000. The application can be for a specific project or for general operating support.

Organizations that apply for multi-year grants must:

• Demonstrate a history of successful programming and financial stability
• Show collaboration with other agencies
• Exhibit strong leadership in board and organizational management
• Have a clear multi-year plan that is visionary, meets an urgent community need and significantly enhances the applicant organization’s ability to serve their mission into the future
• Demonstrate how having consistent funding will allow your agency to think big and take chances
• Have specific and numerically measurable project goals, objectives/actions and outcomes/impact described for each year
• Include a three year budget:
  • If applying for a project include a separate project budget for each year
  • If applying for general operating support, submit the organization’s budget for the current year and two subsequent years
  • Have the option to include up to 2 additional supporting documents such as an Annual Report or Strategic Plan
• Organizations that have received single-year SOS grants for the past two consecutive years CAN apply for a multi-year grant. However, organizations applying for a multi-year grant CANNOT apply for an SOS single-year grant in the same grant cycle.

Employees Community Fund (ECF) of The Boeing Company

One of the largest employee-managed funds of its kind in the world, the Employees Community Fund (ECF) of The Boeing Company has been empowering employees to make a greater impact by pooling their tax-deductible donations for more than 60 years. Employee-led grantmaking committees at 20 Boeing sites- provide combined employee donations to nonprofits in their communities through ECF grants.

Charitable or educational organizations can apply for grants from the Employees Community Fund (ECF) of The Boeing Company.

2024 ECF Grantmaking Guidelines St. Louis Chapter

The ECF St. Louis Chapter prides itself on giving to a breadth of organizations making an impact in the St. Louis metropolitan area. ECF St. Louis has invested more than $165 million into the greater St. Louis community through grants to hundreds of nonprofits. We look forward to continuing our support for all the great nonprofits in our region for years to come!

Focus Areas

Our grantmaking efforts focus on supporting organizations that work in the areas of Health and Human Services, Education, Arts & Culture, and Civic Engagement. We use donor surveys to determine this allocation of giving. Our chapter operates on a biennial cycle: with odd-numbered years focused on Health and Human Services organizations and even-numbered years on Education, Arts and Culture, and Civic Engagement.

Who We Are

A unique nonprofit partnership has formed to continue and strengthen the impact of the arts in the St. Louis region. Arts and Education Council, (A&E), which has a 60+ year legacy of supporting arts organizations across the St. Louis region, has merged with Network for Strong Communities.

A&E, a united arts fund supported by corporations, foundations, and individuals, has been a catalyst in supporting new arts nonprofits, signature arts organizations and art educators across the St. Louis region with over $100m of grants through the decades. A&E remains an important partner to the arts ecosystem across the St. Louis region and art educators at a time when dollars for school-based arts programs are diminishing.

Arts and Healing Initiative

Grants will provide funds to arts, social service and/or health organizations to bring in arts-based wellness programs that aid in the healing process and improve the quality of life for individuals and their families.

Gupta Family Foundation is a private, nonprofit foundation headquartered in Herndon, Virginia, USA. Our mission is to support organizations that provide focused intervention in the lives of people who have been disadvantaged in some way to help them become self-reliant. We take a very broad view of “disadvantage” to include anything that holds a person back from realizing their potential, such as poverty, physical or mental disability, social alienation, etc. The foundation also supports relief agencies that serve people affected by emergencies such as natural disasters.

The foundation evaluates and awards annual and multi-year grants ranging from $5,000 to over $250,000 (USD). Our focus is on funding smaller organizations all around the world that are led by individuals with a deep personal commitment to their missions. 

Our selection criteria include:

• Mission alignment
• The organization is run by the founder or, if not, by a successor who embodies the original inspiration, passion and commitment of the founder.
• At least 90% of grant monies reaches the intended beneficiaries.
• The organization is non-sectarian, i.e.,
  • It does not, directly or indirectly, support or condone the proselytization of any religion,
  • It is not supported by or affiliated to a religious organization.

The St. Louis Community Foundation provides grants management and administrative support for private and family foundations.  We assist foundation trustees with their grantmaking decisions in an effort to help them fund creative and sustainable programs. We provide assistance to nonprofits in navigating the diverse funding structures of our clients and provide the foundations with information about the nonprofit landscape as a whole, as well as their particular area of interest. Each foundation has its own set of funding criteria and submission deadlines. In order to be considered for a grant, we recommend that nonprofit organizations review the list below and reach out to the St. Louis Community Foundation staff to learn more about each funder’s priorities and process.

Charless Foundation

The purpose of the Charless Foundation is “to provide support to other charitable organizations providing services and assistance to promote the health, welfare, and wellness of Missouri Senior Citizens, with an emphasis, where possible, in the South St. Louis City neighborhoods.”

As part of its 2024-2028 strategic framework, the Community Foundation established two strategic priority areas: Economic Mobility and Youth Connections. The Economic Mobility priority includes grantmaking in the areas of housing, financial health, and job access and creation; these sub priority areas were identified as areas of community need and partnership opportunities, as well as high interest areas of community stakeholders.

Beginning in 2025, therefore, the Community Foundation will be aligning Charless Foundation grantmaking with our strategic priority focusing on housing. In particular, Charless Foundation will concentrate funding on assisting older adults in South St. Louis City through home repairs, modifications, weatherization, and preservation.

In recognition of the number of older adults who face food insecurity, Charless Foundation will also provide some funding for food banks and food pantries in South St. Louis city, limited to $10,000 per distribution site.

Funding

Grants may range from $10,000 to $50,000 per year. Awards for food banks and food pantries will be limited to $10,000 per year per distribution site. For new applicants, funding is available for one year. For past Charless grantees, funding is available for up to three years, with eligibility for second- and third-year funding based on annual reporting. All funded organizations will be required to complete a final report.

Deaconess Foundation

Our Mission

In the spirit of our faith heritage, the mission of Deaconess Foundation is the improved health of the community and people of Eastern Missouri and Southern Illinois.

Our Vision

Deaconess Foundation envisions a community that values the health and well-being of all and gives priority attention to the most invisiblized. This community only thrives if the allocation of power and distribution of resources, benefits, opportunities and burdens are not predictable by, nor predicated on race.

Seniors Community Revitalization & Development Fund

The Seniors Community Revitalization & Development Fund (Seniors Community Fund) aims to improve the public health system infrastructure to better serve residents 55 years of age and older and promote transparency and accountability. The Seniors Community Fund is done in partnership with the St. Louis Regional Health Commission to support services for seniors in the region.

Priority Areas

Proposals must support services for seniors ages 55 and above in one or more of the following priority areas:

• Transportation
  • includes transportation to more than just health-related services (transportation to grocery stores, self-care appointments, social activities, etc.)
• Safety
  • focuses on measures that increase overall safety AND the feeling of safety within neighborhoods (outdoor lighting, home maintenance and landscaping, security cameras)
• Navigation Support
  • includes support staff or programming that makes accessing social and health services more transparent, understandable, and accessible for seniors.

Funding

Applicants can request and be awarded up to $30,000 for each proposal.