简体中文
EnglishHow Donors Can Give Through the St. Louis Community Foundation
Updated
The St. Louis Community Foundation offers several ways to give, with donor-advised funds and donor services as the core vehicles, plus scholarships and community impact funds as additional paths. The foundation, which has operated since 1915, positions itself as a matchmaker between donors and causes—so the practical first step is deciding what you want your giving to accomplish, then choosing the vehicle that fits. For donors who want help thinking it through, the foundation invites you to contact its team directly.
Core Giving Vehicles
Donor-Advised Funds
A donor-advised fund is the foundation's primary giving account structure. You contribute assets to a fund held at the foundation, then recommend grants to nonprofits over time. This suits donors who want to give flexibly across multiple organizations rather than commit to a single cause up front.
Donor Services
Donor services support fundholders through the giving process. The foundation describes this as helping donors "navigate" the St. Louis philanthropic landscape—useful if you know your priorities but not yet which organizations address them.
Additional Giving Paths
| Path | What it supports | Best suited for |
|---|---|---|
| Scholarships | Students pursuing education | Donors who want to fund education access |
| Community impact | Foundation-directed priorities across the region | Donors who prefer the foundation to identify needs |
| Give STL Day | A regional giving day (has raised $40M since 2014) | Donors who want to join a collective, time-bound campaign |
What Your Giving Supports
The foundation publishes concrete outcomes that help donors gauge scale. In 2025, the foundation and its donors granted $118 million to nonprofits, scholarship recipients, and employee care recipients, with 81% of grants staying in the St. Louis metro area. Its 2025 Impact Report highlights specific partnerships—the Fathers & Families Support Center, the School District of University City, and St. Paul AME Church's recovery work—as examples of how funds translate into community results.
Choosing Among the Options
- You want ongoing control over which nonprofits receive grants: a donor-advised fund.
- You have a cause area but need help finding organizations: start with donor services and ask the team to help match you.
- You want to fund students: ask about the scholarship path.
- You want the foundation to direct dollars to regional priorities: community impact giving.
- You want to participate in a shared regional moment: Give STL Day.
Getting Started
The foundation's site lists Donor Advised Funds, Donor Services, Community Impact, Nonprofits, Scholarships, and Professional Advisors as quick links, and provides a contact channel for questions. The site does not publish minimum fund sizes, fees, or application requirements, so those details need to come from the team. A practical first message: state your giving goals, the approximate scale you have in mind, and whether you want ongoing grant recommendations or a one-time contribution—then ask which vehicle fits and what the setup process involves.