What Is Give STL Day and How Much Has It Raised?

Updated

Give STL Day is a community fundraising event run by the St. Louis Community Foundation, and it has raised $40 million since 2014, according to the foundation's own reporting. The money supports local nonprofits in the St. Louis area and sits within the foundation's broader community impact work, which granted $118 million in 2025 to nonprofits, scholarship, and employee care recipients—with 81% of grants staying in the St. Louis metro area.

What Give STL Day Is

Give STL Day is a recurring, foundation-run giving event rather than a standalone charity. The St. Louis Community Foundation describes itself as helping donors, nonprofits, businesses, and professional advisors "navigate" the region's philanthropic landscape, and Give STL Day is one expression of that mission: a concentrated moment for the community to direct money to local organizations.

Two facts frame its scale:

Measure Figure Source
Raised by Give STL Day since 2014 $40M Foundation impact figures
Granted by the foundation and its donors in 2025 $118M Foundation impact figures
Share of grants staying in the St. Louis metro area 81% Foundation impact figures

The $40 million figure is cumulative across all years since 2014, not an annual total. The foundation does not publish a year-by-year breakdown on the page reviewed, so treat the cumulative number as the reliable headline and avoid assuming a per-year average.

How It Fits the Foundation's Community Impact Work

Give STL Day is one channel within a wider portfolio. The foundation's 2025 impact materials group its work under themes such as "Giving With Purpose, Together," "Creating Pathways to Opportunity," "Investing in the Leaders of Tomorrow," and "Supporting Recovery Across St. Louis"—each tied to specific partner organizations and stories.

That context matters for interpretation: the $40 million raised through Give STL Day is part of, not separate from, the $118 million granted in 2025. The foundation frames its role as placing "a renewed emphasis on 'community'" through partnerships with donors, nonprofits, and community leaders.

Who It's For

  • Donors who want a time-bound, community-focused way to give locally, alongside ongoing options like Donor Advised Funds.
  • Nonprofits seeking a fundraising moment tied to a recognized regional foundation.
  • Professional advisors looking for a philanthropic vehicle for clients.
  • Businesses interested in community giving partnerships.

If your goal is year-round planned giving or a donor-advised fund, Give STL Day is not the right entry point—the foundation's Donor Services and Donor Advised Funds pages are. If your goal is participating in a collective local giving push, Give STL Day is the relevant program.

What to Verify Before Acting

The foundation's site does not state Give STL Day's 2026 date, eligibility rules for participating nonprofits, or fee structure on the page reviewed. Before committing:

  1. Confirm the current event date and registration deadlines directly with the foundation.
  2. For nonprofits, check participation requirements and any platform fees.
  3. For donors, confirm which organizations are participating in the current cycle.
  4. Use the foundation's contact channel for questions—its site explicitly invites donors and community members to reach out.

The foundation has operated since 1915, so its institutional track record is long; the specific mechanics of any given Give STL Day cycle are what you need to confirm fresh each year.