Grants Management

The Berges Family Foundation supports the institutions and organizations that make Saint Louis a great place to live, work, and invest. Our contributions help fund cultural engagement, STEM preparedness, youth empowerment, and support for our heroes and first responders.

The Berges Family Foundation chooses our beneficiaries carefully. We support those who have proven results, demonstrate measurable impact, show organizational excellence, demonstrate sustainability, collaborate with others, and ignite real and lasting change.

Organizations that align with our goals – to give St. Louis a positive foot forward and instill hope in the lives of those who may not have that hope – are those we aim to partner with while encouraging others to share in their missions.

The Fund’s Scope and Restrictions

• The terms of the settlement require that the Bridgeton Fund be used for community betterment in the areas of public health, public safety, and the environment for communities impacted by the subsurface smoldering event.
• Priority will be given to programs and projects within a four-mile radius from the Landfill.
• Grants may be made to 501(c)3 nonprofit organizations only.
• The St. Louis Community Foundation will award all funds within four years.

The settlement also specified some restrictions on the Fund.  Specifically, the funds may NOT be used for the following:

• Payments to individuals
• Acquisition of any property
• Support of any type of legal proceeding
• Reimbursement or payment for any past expenses, damages, or losses incurred by any person
• Any project or initiative created or funded by the State of Missouri except that distributions to fund any environmental cleanup project explicitly authorized by Missouri law are permitted

Funding Initiatives

Funding initiatives fall into four areas:

• Physical Health
• Behavioral and Mental Health
• Public Safety
• Community Greening and Healthy Living

Applying for a Grant

The Bridgeton Landfill Fund is not accepting applications at this time. Please check back for updates.

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.”

The Charless Foundation is seeking nonprofit partners who work with economically underserved seniors in the St. Louis region, with priority given to those in South St. Louis City and County. Broadly, the goal of these grants is to promote the health, welfare, and wellness of older adults. More specifically, the Charless Foundation is interested in organizations and initiatives that

• Support the needs of older adults in residential facilities,
• Increase the ability for older adults to age in place,
• Provide health and safety resources for older adults, and/or
• Provide social support to older adults.

The Charless Foundation is open to proposals for program, project or initiative funding, general operating support.

Program expansion proposals must address sustainability after this funding is completed. The directors particularly favor applications that demonstrate multiple funding partners as they seek to leverage the Foundation’s assets to strengthen nonprofits working toward the Foundation’s goals.

The Charless Foundation application process is currently closed. For questions, please contact: grants@stlgives.org.

The Chiron Fund was established in 2019 to fund promising projects of nonprofit organizations with a strong track record of facilitating positive change for individuals living in economically challenging circumstances in St. Louis City and St. Louis County.

In 2020 and 2021 funding cycles, The Chiron Fund awarded grants to fund projects designed to increase access to high-quality affordable mental health care. Funds were awarded to several organizations including: Angel Band Project, Circle of Concern, Freedom Community Center, St. Louis Queer+ Support Helpline, The Scholarship Foundation of St,. Louis, and Walter’s Walk.

In 2022, The Chiron Fund’s founders established Chiron Community Giving Foundation (CCGF.) More information on the CCGF’s grantmaking programs, funding priorities, and impact strategies may be found on their website by clicking here.

EPHT, formally the Episcopal Presbyterian Charitable Health and Medical Trust, is dedicated to providing access to health care for under-served populations. Our mission grew out of a commitment to a healthcare ministry in our community and is stewarded by volunteer leadership from both the Episcopal and Presbyterian faiths.

The mission of EPHT is to support organizations that provide quality healthcare services to St. Louisans. We seek to create partnerships with effective, community-based organizations that work to improve the lives of others through access healthcare.

EPHT is now accepting applications for consideration in 2^nd and 3^rd quarters of 2022.

• 2^nd Quarter Deadline – Friday, April 15 by 5pm
• 3^rd Quarter Deadline – Monday, July 29, 2022 by 5pm

The purpose of the Gateway Regional Environment Fund (“GREF”) is to support projects in the St. Louis metro area that advance community efforts to reduce the region’s carbon footprint.  Greenhouse gases are global and, though their effects may not be felt directly, greenhouse gases do and will continue to negatively impact the St. Louis region.

The GREF is a component fund of the St. Louis Community Foundation.

The GREF is currently accepting Letters of Interest for projects that are both innovative and will have a lasting measurable impact on St. Louis. We seek ideas which will produce:

• Measurable reduction of carbon (or other GHGs) in the environment
• Replicable and sustainable programming
• New synergies or take advantage of existing synergies

The GREF will evaluate proposals in significant part based on their ability to credibly mitigate emissions, and at what scale.  Mitigation may be affected via direct or indirect strategies, but a credible plan for mitigation to actually occur is critical.  While it is not a requirement, the GREF prefers proposals that use funding to maximum effect by facilitating end-user access to already-existing resources, incentives, or efficiencies.  Such facilitation might occur by attempting to correct for issues such as lack of knowledge or awareness, market inefficiencies, split incentives, fragmented opportunities, measurement challenges, and constraints on access to capital.

In this LOI phase we welcome project ideas that may have a one-year lifespan or may require multiple years for planning and implementation.  Organizations may propose up to four potential projects that would support the Fund’s efforts to decrease carbonization.  Organizations with a project or projects of potential interest to the GREF, based on review of the LOIs, will be asked for a full proposal and site visit with the donors.  If, after the site visit, the donors have additional questions, the organization will be given an opportunity to submit additional material.  Grant decisions will be announced after all materials have been reviewed and site visits conducted.

One-year grants may range from $10,000 to $50,000. Successful grants may be renewed for up to two additional years. Eligibility for a second and third year of funding will be based on an annual evaluation and report.

Where possible, ongoing programs should have the potential to self-fund or operate without need for additional funding from the GREF after the term of the grant.

Eligibility

Applicants must meet the following criteria:

• Be a 501c3 nonprofit organization
• Have a minimum of two permanent staff members
• Have a minimum budget of $200,000

While the Gateway Regional Environment Fund recognizes the importance and value of the range of efforts that will result in a more sustainable environment, the following types of projects are not the focus of this request for proposals:

• Advocacy and litigation
• Conservation efforts
• Food production
• Recycling programs
• Research initiatives

Letters of interest are due by 3 p.m. on Friday, March 18, 2022. Access the request for letters of interest here. Apply here.

For questions, please contact:

Nikki Martinez, Community Investment Manager, 314.880.4961, nmartinez@stlgives.org
Elizabeth George, Director of Community Investment, 314.880.4956, egeorge@stlgives.org

Recognizing that education and economic development foster individual and community growth, the Guy B. Jaffe and Judy Schwartz Jaffe Charitable Foundation supports nonprofits that offer scholarships, cultivate the cultural arts, and promote entrepreneurship and job creation.

The Guy B. Jaffe and Judy Schwartz Jaffe Charitable Foundation is a component fund of the St. Louis Community Foundation that provides funding through three different programs:

1. Annual grants in the three priority areas of entrepreneurship, job creation, and cultural arts. These grants are the focus of this request for proposals and are described below.
2. One annual IMPACT grant to a St. Louis-based Jewish organization that provides innovative programming to their community. Information on these grants may be found on the St. Louis Community Foundation’s website.
3. Scholarship funding for students studying entrepreneurship.

The Guy B. Jaffe and Judy Schwartz Jaffe Charitable Foundation is currently seeking partners demonstrating commitment to providing programs and/or services to individuals living in economically challenging circumstances. Projects accepted for funding will be designed to significantly impact one of the following priority areas:

• Impact Area 1:  Entrepreneurship
• Impact Area 2:  Job Creation
• Impact Area 3:  Cultural arts

For questions, please contact: grants@stlgives.org.

The Pettus Foundation is the philanthropic legacy of Mr. James T. Pettus of International Shoe Company and his son, James T. Pettus, Jr.  Core to the Pettus Foundation’s giving is Mr. Pettus’s desire “to enable people who might not have opportunities to have opportunities,” thus the Pettus Foundation prioritizes programs which create self-reliance, independence, and citizen productivity.

The St. Louis Community Foundation has the honor and privilege of working with the Trustees of the Pettus Foundation to continue to ensure that the philanthropic wishes of Mr. Pettus live on in the St. Louis Region.

The Foundation’s giving occurs in three ways:

• Through a competitive grant process in St. Louis, where Mr. Pettus, Jr. was born and went to school
• To pre-selected organizations in Hawaii, where Mr. Pettus Jr. lived in his later years
• Each of the seven children of James T. Pettus Jr. (family advisors) has an allocated amount to give to charities of their choice

The Trustees for the Pettus Foundation are:

• Lisa Hamilton, Family Trustee
• Al Castle, Trustee
• The Northern Trust Company, Corporate Trustee

St. Louis Guidelines and Processes

In St. Louis, the Pettus Foundation provides funding to nonprofit organizations working in the following areas:

• Workforce Development
  • Direct job, technical, and career training
  • Soft skills necessary for success

• Youth Development
  • Preparation for the work force including soft skills
  • Preparation for life after high school including higher education, technical school, military, or apprenticeship programs
• Education
  • Early childhood education
  • K – 12 public schools with a focus on the middle school years
  • Note: public charter schools are not a focus of the Foundation

Please note the following:

• Understanding how significant a robust early education platform is for putting children on an excellent educational and social trajectory, the Trustees are interested in programs that impact many preschools through teacher training and innovative curriculum design.
• The Trustees believe that there are many paths to job and career success. Funding interests include human services organizations and K-12 schools that are providing direct job training, STEM-related projects, technical training, or “soft skills” development needed to obtain and hold a job.
• The Trustees require evidence of stable, effective governance, solid financials, and multiple funders for programs and projects the Foundation supports.
• The Pettus Foundation typically funds direct services and small capital improvement. The Foundation does not fund advocacy, research programs, or systems-level initiatives.
• The Pettus Foundation does not consider grant applications requesting funds for computer technology.
• The Pettus Foundation’s typical grant range is from $5,000 to $25,000.  The trustees particularly favor applications that demonstrate multiple funding partners and match or challenge grant opportunities.  The trustees seek to leverage the Foundation’s assets to strengthen Saint Louis non-profits working toward the Foundation’s goals.

Pettus Foundation will accept applications on an invitation-only basis twice a year.  Inquiries into funding may be made through the St. Louis Community Foundation.  If deemed a potential fit for funding, the St. Louis Community Foundation will request a letter of intent which, upon review may lead to a Trustee site visit.  The final step in the application process is to submit a customized version of the Missouri Common Grant Application 2.0.

Organizations interested in pursuing funding from the Pettus Foundation should contact Elizabeth George, Director of Community Investment at egeorge@stlgives.org or 314.880.4956 or Nikki Martinez, Community Investment Manager 314.880.4961, nmartinez@stlgives.org

Hawaii Guidelines and Process

In the past decade, Hawaii grants have tended to favor

• Early childhood education
• Literacy
• Job training
• Homelessness
• Hunger
• Programs increasing the independence and the self-sufficiency of citizens.

Hawaii gives to pre-selected organizations and does not accept unsolicited applications for grants.

Click here to review a listing of recent Hawaii grants. Questions related to Hawaii grants can be referred to:

Alfred L. Castle
Pettus Foundation Trustee
733 Bishop Street, Suite 1275
Honolulu, Hawaii 96813
Phone 808-522-1101.

In 2021, St. Louis became home to a record number of refugees and asylum seekers, including over 500 people from Afghanistan. Even more people seeking safety in the US will be coming to St. Louis in 2022. To respond to these ongoing resettlement needs, a number of funding partners have established the St. Louis Welcome Fund.    

Fund Focus

The fund will focus on organizations working with refugees and asylum seekers in the first 90 days of resettlement to one year after arrival in St. Louis. Over time, the Welcome Fund will also look at the systems that support ongoing services. Areas for funding consideration, as identified through conversations with service providers, may include the following:  

• Early Resettlement Services: Basic Needs and Language Acquisition 
• Education: K-12 and Adult Learning 
• Financial Literacy 
• Housing 
• Legal Assistance 
• Mental Health 
• Social Enrichment/Engagements 
• Systems-level Support 
• Workforce Development 

Applying for a Grant

The St. Louis Welcome Fund is not accepting applications at this time. Please check back for updates.