Overview
The St. Louis Community Foundation assembled a coalition of local influential organizations to create the COVID-19 Regional Response Fund, which directs resources to regional nonprofits that are serving local communities disproportionately affected by the coronavirus crisis and its economic fallout.
To date, the COVID-19 Regional Response Fund has raised nearly $6.7 million through the extraordinary generosity of the Coalition members and individual donors comprised of 1,041 gifts to the Fund. As of today, total grants from the Fund are approaching $4.4 million.
Click here to view the 2020 IMPACT REPORT OF COVID-19 REGIONAL RESPONSE
*Report data through November 2020*
COVID-19 Regional Response Fund
COVID-19 Regional Response Fund
*This fund is not currently accepting applications*
Click here to view the 2020 IMPACT REPORT OF COVID-19 REGIONAL RESPONSE
The coalition of businesses, foundations and individual donors have raised a total of $6.7 million, with nearly $4.4 million granted to 154 regional nonprofits working with vulnerable populations, such as the elderly, the unhoused and those who are food insecure. Grants from the fund are directed by an Advisory Council.

$4.4M
granted to nonprofits in the bi-state & Illinois regions


Over 450
nonprofits impacted
Community Carry Out Fund
Community Carry Out Fund
The St. Louis Community Foundation is excited to announce and host the Community Carry Out Fund, a charitable fundraising effort in St. Louis aimed to help local restaurants and caterers struggling during the pandemic with a focus on feeding and supporting those who are suffering from food insecurities in our community. As part of the Foundation’s ongoing work of supporting COVID-19 relief, this important initiative will serve a role of helping those in our community who need it most.
Eligible restaurants and/or caterers will receive grants in exchange for the preparation of healthy and delicious meals, to be delivered to participating nonprofits and then distributed to neighbors in need.
Donate to the Community Carry Out Fund here (please be sure to click Community Carry Out on the drop-down menu).
To apply contact Nikki Martinez at nmartinez@stlgives.org.
For more information email stlcommunitycarryout@gmail.com or call Liz Kniep Engelsmann at 314-922-4856.
$312,500
granted to date

52
local restaurants and businesses

16
local nonprofits
16,000
meals distributed to those in need
HomeBound Coordinated Response Initiative
HomeBound Coordinated Response Initiative
With grants totaling $625,000 from the COVID-19 Regional Response Fund, the COVID-19 Regional Response Team (C19RRT) brought together a network of 14 nonprofits for The Homebound Older Adults and People with Disabilities Coordinated Response Initiative.
The Initiative responds to the needs of individuals identified through a coordinated approach. Developed in conjunction with the COVID-19 Regional Response Team, the Salvation Army, Catholic Charities, and the United Way, the Initiative uses the 2-1-1 system to connect isolated older adults and people with disabilities to the food, basic supplies, rent and utilities assistance they need.
Learn more about the initiative here.

$625,000
allocated to outreach effort


14
nonprofit funded partners
Gateway Resilience Fund
Gateway Resilience Fund
*This fund is no longer accepting applications or donations*
Started at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic by a St. Louis Community Foundation donor, the Gateway Resilience Fund,provided short-term financial relief to employees and owners of bars and restaurants, and other small businesses.
The Fund raised $2.1 million from more than 1,500 individual donors and has granted that money to 3,500 individuals and businesses.

Over 3,500
St. Louisans impacted
20
local businesses supported


$2.085M
distributed for short-term financial assistance
Eligibility
Applying for Funding
Community Carry Out Fund
An Advisory Board has been formed to administer the program and review applications. The St. Louis Community Foundation will consider recommendations from the Committee and will determine which businesses will receive funding.
To apply contact Nikki Martinez at nmartinez@stlgives.org.
For more information email stlcommunitycarryout@gmail.com or call Liz Kniep Engelsmann at 314-922-4856.
Timeline
Application Timeline
Community Carry Out Fund
The Community Carry Out Fund is actively accepting applications. To apply contact Nikki Martinez at nmartinez@stlgives.org.
Apply
How to Apply for Relief Funding
Community Carry Out Fund
To apply contact Nikki Martinez at nmartinez@stlgives.org.
Contribute
Donate to support our local restaurants and caterers and help feed those who are suffering from food insecurities
Community Carry Out Fund
Donate to the Community Carry Out Fund here.
Criteria
Does your organization qualify?
The COVID-19 Regional Response Fund is not currently accepting applications.
Timeline
Important Dates
- Monday, April 13, 2020 – Request for Proposals released
- Tuesday, April 21, 2020 – Proposals due by 3pm
- Friday, May 1, 2020 – Grants announced
- Week of May 4, 2020 – Funds disbursed
Grantees
Organizations that have received funding
These organizations are a mix of targeted and response grants. We worked closely with the Advisory Council and the Regional Response Team to make these decisions.
- Targeted “Crisis” Grants
-
- Aging Ahead
- Alive & Well Communities
- ArchCity Defenders
- Behavioral Health Network
- Behavioral Health Response
- Bilingual International Assistant Services
- Community Action Agency of St. Louis County
- Community Care Center
- Community Council of St. Charles
- Connections to Success
- Employment Connection
- Jamaa Birth Village
- Little Bit Foundation
- Metro Trans Umbrella Group
- Operation Food Search
- Paraquad
- Project Compassion
- Saint Louis Crisis Nursery
- Saint Patrick’s Center
- Salvation Army
- Francis Community Service
- St. Louis Area Agency on Aging
- St. Louis Area Diaper Bank
- St. Louis Area Food Bank
- St. Louis County Library
- St. Louis Public Schools Foundation
- St. Vincent de Paul
- The Bail Project
- United 4 Children
- Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis
Homebound Initiative
- Bilingual International Assistant Services
- Cardinal Ritter Senior Services
- Catholic Charities
- Deaconess Nurse Ministry
- HOSCO-Shift
- Integrated Health Network
- LINC, Inc
- Metropolitan Congregations United
- Paraquad
- Rx Outreach
- Salvation Army
- St. Andrew’s Senior Services
- St. Louis University – Center for Counseling and Family Therapy
- United Way of Greater St. Louis
- VOYCE
Responsive Grants
- A Red Circle
- Affinia Healthcare
- Angel’s Arms
- Annie Malone
- Backstoppers
- Beyond Housing
- Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Missouri
- Call for Help
- Cardinal Glennon
- Care and Counseling
- Center for Women in Transition
- Christian Friends of New Americans
- Community Forward
- Community Life Line
- Communities First
- Comprehensive Behavioral Health St Clair
- Construction Forum
- Covenant Place
- Criminal Justice Ministry
- DeSales Community Development
- EarthDance
- East Side Health District
- Easterseals Midwest
- Edwardsville Community Foundation
- Faith That Works dba The Collective Thread
- Family Care Health Centers
- FamilyForward
- FEED MY PEEPS
- Feed My People
- Finding Grace Ministries
- Fit and Food Connection
- Foster & Adoptive Care Coalition
- Freedom Arts and Education Center
- Great Circle
- Haven Recovery
- Healing Action Network
- Health Protection and Education Service
- Hope House STL
- Horizon Housing Development Co
- Independence Center
- Isaiah 58
- Jefferson County Hunger Taskforce
- Join Hands East St. Louis
- Kingdom House dba LifeWise
- KIPP St. Louis
- LinkStL
- Loaves and Fishes
- Lupus Foundation
- Lutheran Family & Children’s Services
- Lutheran Senior Services
- Lydia’s House
- Metro Trans Umbrella Group
- Midtown Neighborhood Opportunity Corp
- Mission St. Louis
- Missouri EnergyCare
- Missouri Veteran’s Endeavor
- MO Network for Opiate Reform & Recovery
- NAMI
- Nehemiah Program
- New Heights Community Resource Center
- North Side Youth & Senior Services
- Npower
- Nurses for Newborns
- Oasis International Ministries
- Our Lady’s Inn
- Our Little Haven
- Park Central Development
- Peter & Paul Community Services
- Pink Ribbon Girls
- Planned Parenthood
- Rebuilding Together
- Regional Family Crisis Center
- Room at the Inn
- Safe Connections
- Safe Families of Children Alliance
- Southeast Ferguson Community Association
- SPARK dba MARSH
- SSM Health Foundation
- St. Louis Interfaith Committee on Latin America
- Vincent Community Services
- Step Up of St. Louis
- Sts Joachim and Anne
- The Arnold Food Pantry
- The Eagle’s Nest of St. Clair County
- The National Kidney Foundation
- The Oasis Institute
- The Scholarship Foundation
- The Ville Community Development Found
- The Wellston Center
- University City Education Foundation
- Urban Strategies
- Visiting Nurses Association of Greater St. Louis
- Vivent Health
- Walter’s Walk
- WEPower
- With Open Arms
- Young Voices with Action
- Youth in Need
PPE Grant
- Prepare STL – Regional Health Commission fiscal sponsor
- Capacity Building
- Regional Response Team
- STL Mutual Aid
Eviction Prevention
- ArchCity Defenders
- Employment Connection
- Eviction Prevention Collaborative
- Family Care Health Centers
- Land of Lincoln Legal Aid
- Legal Services of Eastern Missouri
- Capacity Building
- Center for Civic Research and Development
- Regional Response Team
- St. Louis Mutual Aid
- PPE & Vaccine Education
- Prepare STL
FAQs
Commonly Asked Questions
How do I get money from the COVID-19 Regional Response Fund?
The COVID-19 Regional Response Fund is not currently accepting applications. This fund is being used for targeted grants for the time being and any future grant announcements can be found here.
Is there a geographic focus for the fund?
Service area within one or more of the following: St. Louis City, St. Louis County, St. Charles County, Jefferson County, St. Clair County and Madison County.
What criteria are you using to make your decisions?
St. Louis Community Foundation defined eligible organizations as any 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that met the following criteria (note: we cannot provide individual support):
- Two years of operating/financial history
- Service area within one or more of the following: Louis City, St. Louis County, St. Charles County, Jefferson County, Madison County and St. Clair County
- A strong track record of responding to needs within low-income communities and among vulnerable populations
- Ability to use innovative methods to deliver services, particularly given limitations to face-to-face contact
As St. Louis reflects the national trend of COVID-19 disproportionally impacting African-Americans, priority will be given to projects or programs operating with a racial equity focus.
This criteria is based on information gathered from the COVID-19 Regional Response Team, advisory council and other community partners.
What organizations have been selected for funding?
A complete list of organizations that have been funded can be found in the “Grantees” tab.
Who serves on the Advisory Council?
The advisory council is comprised of public health experts, foundation partners, and corporate and community representatives — individuals who can help us apply an equity lens to this work.
How are funds being raised?
Funds continue to be raised thanks to the efforts of a coalition of foundations, businesses and individual donors.
How will the fund shift gears, if needed?
The fund priorities have evolved as our region has adapted to the COVID-19 outbreak and we recognize that the crisis is not over. As of August 31, after several robust conversations resulting from presentations by the Regional Response Team and topic experts on the impending housing and eviction crisis, the Advisory Council entered a new phase of its grantmaking with significant investment in the Regional Response Team and providing for legal services and utility assistance for those most vulnerable facing eviction.
We will continue to make decisions about funding to address both long-term and short-term problems and prioritize communities most affected recognizing deep and historic inequities that are likely to be magnified in times of crisis. The coalition recognizes the need to provide immediate resources for triage, as well as the importance of recovery resources to ensure community resilience. Please note future grants and recovery efforts will be contingent on the amount of funds raised.
Regional
COVID-19 Regional Response Fund
To direct aid to local nonprofit organizations delivering services to people affected by the virus including children, the elderly, and isolated.
Donate to the Regional Response Fund here.
Local Restaurants
Community Carry Out Fund
A charitable fundraising effort in St. Louis aimed to help local restaurants and caterers struggling during the pandemic with a focus on feeding and supporting those who are suffering from food insecurities in our community.
Donate to the Community Carry Out Fund here (please be sure to click Community Carry Out on the drop-down menu).
Fund Coalition Members
Review a list of all Fund Partners and Donors who have contributed to COVID19 Regional Response.
Latest COVID Response News
Interested in Applying for a Grant?
If you think your organization is a great mission-fit for one of our Foundation clients or if you would like to apply for a grant, we can help you get started.


Looking Forward
Connect 
We believe in a better, brighter St. Louis. One that thrives for generations to come.