St. Louis Community Foundation Grants Nearly $104 Million to Nonprofits in 2021; Second-highest total in its history
(ST. LOUIS, MARCH 8, 2022) — The St. Louis Community Foundation and its donors directed nearly $104 million to more than 3,100 nonprofits, scholarships and employee care recipients in 2021, Foundation officials announced today.
The grant total is the Foundation’s second-highest in its 107-year history, and follows a record-setting year in 2020 that saw $107 million granted to 2,300 entities. The majority of the donated funds remain in the St. Louis area.
“The region again exhibited its generous spirit to support regional organizations and activities that enrich our community, inspire equity, and foster understanding,” said Amelia Bond, president and CEO of the St. Louis Community Foundation. “These philanthropy dollars reflect an investment in our region, its nonprofits, and its future. Their impact is nothing short of astounding.”
Grants to nonprofits have steadily increased over the last decade, nearly quadrupling since 2012.
“I believe our comprehensive knowledge of St. Louis and philanthropy has made this type of growth possible, and it’s also what sets our fund offerings apart,” said Bond. “Whether a donor, funder, or a community stakeholder, our fund service and our commitment to grant making in our community are what the Foundation is all about.”
Donor gifts to the Foundation in 2021 totaled $101.5 million, also the second-highest amount in the Foundation’s history. Assets held at the foundation stand at $554 million, up from $502 million a year ago.
Endowing St. Louis and Community Initiatives
In the years ahead, Bond intends to focus the Foundation toward building an endowment for the St. Louis region to ensure it has funds available to quickly and efficiently address emergencies or take advantage of opportunities.
“Our region is dependent on an annual fundraising cycle, which makes long-term planning for broad community needs and complex initiatives especially difficult,” said Bond. “We must do better by having a pool of funds in place that will provide flexibility and strength as we grapple with the challenges of the future.”
A key community initiative executed by the Foundation in 2021 was the creation of a community healthcare program that will deliver healthcare services to more than 70,000 people living within a four-mile radius of the Bridgeton Landfill.
Seeding the project is a $5.4 million grant to the SSM Health Foundation and IFM Community Medicine from the Bridgeton Landfill Community Project Fund, which the Community Foundation administers after a $12.5 million legal settlement in 2018. To date, the Bridgeton fund has made grants to 55 Bridgeton-area nonprofits.
“Overseeing community initiatives like the Bridgeton Fund is a growing part of our project portfolio,” said Bond. “In recent years, efforts housed at the Foundation include: Covid relief activities, Invest STL (community development), St. Louis Graduates (equity gaps in post-secondary education), and the Regional Response Team, which coordinates emergency relief efforts.”
Currently, the Foundation has $33 million community-based field of interest funds earmarked for such initiatives. In 2011, that figure stood at $3 million.
Give STL Day Coming Up
In 2021, Give STL Day, the region’s day of online giving, raised nearly $4.5 million. The Foundation is already gearing up for the 2022 effort, which will take place on Thursday, May 5, with early giving scheduled to get underway April 5.
“Give STL Day is catalyst for the region to join together and help hundreds of our local nonprofits,” said Bond. “Since 2017, the dollars raised have more than doubled ($2.1 million to $4.5 million), and the number of donors have nearly doubled (19,000 to 35,000) — this event reminds our community about the joy of giving and the rich tapestry of nonprofits that serve the region.”
Praytor Promoted
Finally, Bond announced the promotion of Jenny Praytor to Director of Administration. In that capacity, she specializes in policy and compliance issues for the Foundation. She joined the Foundation in 2011 after working at the Parsons Blewett Memorial Fund.
About the St. Louis Community Foundation
The Foundation is a nonprofit foundation with approximately 800 charitable funds and total assets of $554 million. Each fund represents a unique charitable giving partnership between nonprofit recipients and an individual, family, or business. The St. Louis Community Foundation inspires purposeful philanthropy that connects the community and donors to build and preserve a more equitable and vibrant region, now and forever.
Over the last five years, the St. Louis Community Foundation and its donors contributed nearly $590 million to nonprofits, initiatives, and regional efforts.
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