A Year In Focus
2024 Annual Impact Report
YouthBridge Community Foundation of Greater St. Louis partners with donors to help charities in the St. Louis region, especially those focused on children, through leadership, grants, and donor services.
Message from Our CEO
Dear Friends,
When we hear the word “focus,” we often picture the adjustment of a camera lens—the sharpening of an image to bring clarity and detail to what matters most. For YouthBridge Community Foundation of Greater St. Louis, 2024 was a year where that focus became sharper than ever.
Our mission—partnering with donors to support charitable organizations, particularly those impacting children in the St. Louis region—has remained steady. Last year, as we concentrated our efforts and resources, we were able to bring certain needs, partnerships, and opportunities into clearer view. Our 2024 Annual Impact Report, A Year in Focus, tells the story of how purposeful attention and concentrated efforts alongside our valued partners—individuals, families, businesses, nonprofits, and advisors—allowed us to magnify our impact while staying true to our broader mission.
As a community foundation, YouthBridge is focused on aligning resources with opportunities, sharpening connections that foster partnerships and strengthen the St. Louis Metro Area. Thank you for trusting us to keep this focus clear and steady. We invite you to stay connected with us—because even a simple conversation, when focused on shared goals, can create lasting impact for tomorrow.
Warmly,
Barbara Carswell, Chief Executive Officer
YouthBridge By the Numbers
(a 63% increase from 2023!)
stayed in the St. Louis region in 2024
to the community since 2005
redistributed into the community
YouthBridge Offers:
Charitable Funds • Private Foundation Administration • Philanthropy for Businesses • Professional Advisor Partnerships • Endowment Building • Grants and Assistance • Charitable Giving Cards
* Unaudited
**YouthBridge is fortunate to operate off of its own endowment, allowing every single dollar collected from Fundholders’ “administrative fees” to be used for discretionary grantmaking.
Nonprofit organizations awarded grants in the St. Louis Metro Area
St. Louis Metro Area zip codes reached
YouthBridge continues its focus on impacting children.
YouthBridge partners with private foundations, like the Wayne C. Kaufmann Charitable Foundation, to provide comprehensive administrative and grantmaking support. The Haven of Grace, a shelter for homeless mothers and their children, received a grant from the Kaufmann Family to expand support for the children.
“The grant from the Wayne C. Kaufmann Charitable Foundation shows an unwavering commitment to the well-being of mothers and children and has been a beacon of hope for the women we serve at Haven of Grace. Their dedication is not only changing lives today but shaping brighter futures for generations to come. We are deeply grateful for this partnership in this vital mission.”
– Patricia Bosman, President & CEO, The Haven of Grace
YouthBridge is proud to partner with the Wayne C. Kaufmann Charitable Foundation to support children facing homelessness and to address other critical issues impacting our region’s youth.
Read MoreNumber of local nonprofits supported by Wayne C. Kaufmann Charitable Foundation in 2024
Total value of Wayne C. Kaufmann Charitable Foundation grants made in 2024
Number of youth reached by local organizations fueled by grants from the Kaufmann Family in 2024
YouthBridge focuses on an ecosystem of support and relationships.
Pathways to Independence has long embraced collaboration, working closely with like-minded organizations to share ideas and resources to support people with disabilities. Motivated by the advice and past support from YouthBridge Fundholder, Kevin Beckmann, Pathways to Independence sought YouthBridge’s support in strengthening its alliance with LifeBridge Partnership and Options for Justice. This connection resulted in a YouthBridge Partnership or Merger Grant.
“My relationship with Pathways to Independence revealed that they could benefit from collaborating and sharing administrative functions with Options for Justice and LifeBridge Partnership. A YouthBridge Partnership Grant was a clear solution.”
– Kevin Beckmann, YouthBridge Fundholder
YouthBridge’s network branches out in many directions, uniting nonprofits with the resources needed to drive change. Often, it’s a Fundholder who sparks these connections, bringing solutions to life.
Read More
Number of individuals collectively served by Pathways, LifeBridge Partnership, and Options for Justice
Total Partnership/Merger Grants awarded in 2024
Number of local agencies impacted by Partnership/Merger Grant awards since the program started in 2021
YouthBridge keeps a clear focus on the many forms that treasure can take.
YouthBridge is dedicated to identifying community needs and linking them with philanthropic resources in all forms. Connecting Ray Massey, who wanted to donate usage of family land, to The Wyman Center, an organization established as a place for children to enjoy nature, nourishing food, and fun, was particularly fulfilling. The partnership between Ray and The Wyman Center highlights YouthBridge’s role as a multi-faceted community resource, fostering impactful and sometimes unexpected connections.
“YouthBridge helped our family find a way to give kids unique learning opportunities and experiences in nature—leveraging an organization who already had the necessary tools and expertise for such adventures.”
– Ray Massey, YouthBridge Fundholder
YouthBridge specializes in facilitating philanthropic gifts of all kinds, including funding, physical assets, and time.
Read MoreTotal grants awarded to Wyman in 2024, facilitated by YouthBridge
Total grants awarded in 2024 from new donor-organization relationships recommended by YouthBridge
Number of young people reached by local organizations fueled by YouthBridge discretionary grants in 2024
YouthBridge’s impact investing and grant support align for maximum community effect.
The expansion of YouthBridge’s Impact Investing program to include Tabernacle Community Development Corporation (CDC), along with Capacity Building Grants to Mission: St. Louis and Boys and Girls Club of Greater St. Louis, reflects our ongoing commitment to strengthening community.
“We are incredibly grateful for this funding, which allows us to move forward with our mission of providing safe, affordable housing for low-income residents in our community. What makes this even more meaningful is seeing support extended to two other incredible nonprofits working alongside us. Together, we can create a deeper, more lasting impact in our community—building not just houses, but homes with families leading to stronger futures for everyone in our community.”
– Pastor Andre Alexander, President of Tabernacle CDC
With a clear focus on both financial gain and community benefit, impact investing is a true “win-win” strategy.
Read More
2024 Impact Investment made to Tabernacle, by way of YouthBridge’s relationship with St. Louis Community Credit Union
Single family homes built in the 63107 zip code partially due to YouthBridge investments
Value of Impact Investments made. Partners include: IFF, Justine Petersen, St. Louis Community Credit Union
YouthBridge focuses on increasing sustainability.
YouthBridge Agency Endowment Funds can be an important component in supporting lasting growth for nonprofits. In addition to delivering access to low-cost, high-quality investment solutions and education on endowments, YouthBridge manages the administrative load and provides matching funds each year to child-serving nonprofits that start or add to their endowment.
“Our Endowment Fund managed by YouthBridge ensures that St. Louis City’s oldest charter school continues to provide an excellent learning environment for future generations of students. The matching fund program is a special attraction for donors.”
– Claire Deane, Marketing & Volunteer Manager, Lift For Life Academy
Healthy nonprofits plan to generate income for operations, programs, unexpected expenses, or longer-term initiatives. YouthBridge’s endowment building expertise is a welcome solution for its Agency Fund Partners.
Read MoreTotal number of Agency Fund Partners in 2024
Total value of Agency Endowment Funds
Percentage increase in Agency Endowment Fund value from 2023 to 2024
YouthBridge focuses on partnering with Advisors who have shared philanthropic values.
Wealth Advisor, Kathleen Youngerman, regularly integrates philanthropy into her wealth advisory practice and values her collaboration with YouthBridge.
“Incorporating philanthropy into our wealth advisory practice often starts with a strategy to address taxation, but clients’ decisions to proceed are in the end driven foremost by a desire to give back. I have a picture in my office containing the inscription ‘Prosperity Follows Service.’ This phrase has proven itself to be true many times over. It continues to inspire me to incorporate philanthropic discussions in our planning options.”
– Kathleen Youngerman, Managing Director, The Harmony Family Office at Morgan Stanley Private Wealth Management
YouthBridge understands the importance of making thoughtful investments and using both income and principal wisely, always in line with the goals and purpose of each fund. Financial advisors work closely with us, following clear and supportive guidelines to ensure the best outcomes for all involved.
Read More
Number of financial firms YouthBridge partners with to enhance its philanthropic investments
YouthBridge assets managed by donor-recommended advisors
YouthBridge charitable funds managed by donor-recommended advisors
YouthBridge Discretionary Grants
Thanks to the generosity of our Fundholders and our ability to repurpose 100% of fees collected from Funds, YouthBridge is able to offer these community grant programs:
Capacity Building
YouthBridge has developed this grant program to assist nonprofits in building, strengthening, and sustaining their organizations.
Endowment Building
YouthBridge provides matching grants for nonprofit Endowment Funds to encourage organizations to build long-term sustainability.
Heritage
To honor our mission of partnering with donors around sustainability of nonprofits, YouthBridge provides grants to child or youth-serving organizations that are regularly supported by our Fundholders.
Partnerships and Mergers
YouthBridge has developed this grant program to assist nonprofits who are looking to, or have already found, ways to partner or merge with other nonprofits.
Think Big for Kids
The Think Big for Kids Fund provides grants designed to stimulate innovative thinking and fund big ideas from nonprofits that serve children and youth in our community.
YEP STL!
YEP STL! is a group of teenagers in the St. Louis area, with diverse backgrounds and perspectives. “We are passionate about helping St. Louis children and youth. We do this by reviewing applications for grant money and evaluating where we think the money will be best spent.” First Bank is the presenting sponsor for the YEP STL! program and provides the funding.
Photo: Unleashing Potential. Students in Unleashing Potential’s Summer Enrichment Camp put their engineering skills to the test. Unleashing Potential was a recipient of a 2024 YouthBridge Heritage Grant.