Giving Giants. Highlighting Local Nonprofits for Give STL Day 2026
Give STL Day is the St. Louis Community Foundation’s annual 24-hour signature community giving event, raising money and awareness for over one thousand local nonprofits serving the Greater St. Louis Metropolitan area year after year.
We are just one week away from Give STL Day 2026! Early Giving opened last week on April 22nd, and runs through May 6th, 2026. We are absolutely thrilled to celebrate the region’s nonprofits through a joyous day of giving. In our last blog post, we showcased a few of the region’s “Large” non profit organizations. To learn more about these “large legends” make sure to click the links.
We want to provide some recognition to the “Giant” nonprofits in our region for our final installment in this blog post series. The St. Louis Community Foundation categorizes “Giant” nonprofits as organizations with an operating budget of $5,000,001 – and above. Generous in their endeavors to serve our community, these organizations can best be described as “Giving”
The following organizations are some of the “Giant” organizations operating locally.
As a nationally accredited organization serving more than 8,000 children, youth, and families annually at nearly 100 locations throughout the eastern Missouri region, Youth in Need’s mission is, “To build on the strengths of children, youth and families so they find safety, hope and success in life.”
Believing when young people have resources to succeed, lives change, Youth in Need provides resources that change the lives of the region’s youth and families. These resources include early learning programs such as Head Start and Early Head Start for ages of birth to 5 years old. For the region’s at risk, runaway, and homeless youth, Youth in Need’s Street Outreach program provides continuous outreach and services on the streets of the St. Louis metropolitan area.
Youth in Need’s Transitional Living Program group home is a 10-bed transitional living program for youth, ages 16 to 21. Moreover, their Emergency Shelter is a 12-bed emergency residential group home for ages 10 to 19 who are in crisis and provides case management and counseling services. Children in Alternative Care can receive foster care and adoption case management services through Youth in Need’s partnership with Family Forward and Epworth Children & Family Services. As the regional provider of the national Safe Place program, which partners with area business to offer “safe places” to children and teens in crises, Youth in Need has 850+ area stationary and mobile locations making them the largest Safe Place provider in the country.
Learn more about Youth in Need and their phenomenal 50+ years of serving the community by visiting their website, here.
Created to fill an existing gap in services for women in St. Louis, Rung for Women’s mission is “inspiring all women to climb the economic opportunity ladder.” Guiding women to explore and pursue successful career pathways, through career coaching and community support, Rung for Women encourages members to take action towards a better future for themselves – with more salary, respect, and fulfillment.
Members of Rung for Women are assisted through Career Development Coaches, who assist members in choosing a career pathway, establishing goals, and connecting to training programs. Through a strengths-based approach that provides room for autonomous growth, Rung for Women does “with” rather than “for.” Rung’s comprehensive support services range from access to grab-and-go meals, on-site childcare, and laptops to wellness amenities like yoga, gardening classes, and on-site medical care. As a member of the Credit Builders Alliance, Rung for Women offers members compensation and financial coaching through individual coaching and classes on topics like credit and finance 101. After members complete Rung’s Career Attainment and Professional Power Skills, Rung for Women’s “Member Success Network” offers members ongoing development opportunities in career advancement.
Rung for Women’s 2024 impact includes $230,440 in debt reduction for members alongside 18 salary increases, 2,128 wellness hours, 21 promotions in new roles, and 190 women who were served.
Rung for Women is closing the gender wage gap, one woman at a time. Learn more about Rung for Women and their work in the St. Louis community by visiting their website here.
Fewer than 200 people purchased tickets to the Opera Theatre of St. Louis’ (OTSL) very first performance. By the end of their first three-week season, the Theatre was playing to sold out houses. Dozens of performances later, the Opera Theatre of St. Louis marks fifty years of high-quality opera for the St. Louis region, with more to come.
Opera Theatre St. Louis provides an array of opportunities to learn more, get involved, and get connected. Through student dress rehearsals, young people’s operas, art intensives, virtual field trips, and more, teachers and schools can incorporate Opera Theatre St. Louis’ programs and resources into the classroom. The nationally acclaimed Bayer Fund Artists-in-Training Program, identifies, coaches, and encourages promising young high school singers on and offstage. Opera Theatre St. Louis’ also creates spaces for young artists lovers to engage and connect through their “Young Friends Nights” for those under 45.
The Opera Theatre of St. Louis was born in the Spring of 1976, arising from the passion of music lovers determined to bring high-quality opera to St. Louis. Five decades later, Opera Theatre St. Louis has produced 45 world premier operas, as of the 2025 Season. The theatre’s impact is far and wide, including having reached 19,444 audience members, 75,976 students in 312 schools, 42 states and Canada through their educational programs, and employing 500+ during their festival season.
Celebrate 50 years of Opera Theatre St. Louis and learn more about their upcoming productions from May through June, by visiting their website here.
Find More Organizations
Give STL Day’s website hosts a directory of nonprofits in the Greater St. Louis region who have registered for the philanthropic day of giving. If you’re curious about the ginormous impact of the “Giving” nonprofits in the area, visit the website at www.givestlday.org or click here to be taken to the site.
This Give STL Day, consider donating to support the “Giant” nonprofits cultivating transformative change. Early giving started April 22nd, 2026, and runs through May 6th, 2026. Give STL Day starts at 12 AM on May 7th, 2026.
