With all the changes we have witnessed in our region and our world, we rest assured that one thing remains constant at YouthBridge—our core purpose of Connecting Resources and Community Needs.
YouthBridge Community Foundation of Greater St. Louis exists to connect resources and community needs. We often think of that in terms of a grant to a nonprofit that directly benefits those served. In some cases, the assistance is more “behind the scenes.” The YouthBridge Partnership … More →
At this time of year our thoughts tend to turn toward gifts. Despite the intensity of our search for perfect presents, few have any lasting impact. The gift of increased financial sustainability is an enduring one that YouthBridge Community Foundation of Greater St. Louis aims … More →
It is not easy to find 126-year-old organizations today, and when you do, very few are more relevant now than when they began. Wyman Center, commonly called Wyman, fits that category. YouthBridge Community Foundation of Greater St. Louis celebrates its recent $75,000 Heritage Grant to … More →
Founded seventeen years ago by Executive Director, Josh Wilson, Mission: St. Louis exists to empower individuals for social and economic growth through relationship and opportunity. At its core is the belief that poverty is addressed at the individual level, with dignity at the center. Josh explained, “We want to remove barriers to ensure that people can flourish.”
What does National Nonprofit Day mean to YouthBridge Community Foundation of Greater St. Louis? It could be called our birthday—and the birthday of every U.S. nonprofit organization! On August 17, 1894, the Tariff Act of 1894 was signed into law. This law provided exclusions from … More →
The YEP STL! (Youth Engaged in Philanthropy) program, developed by YouthBridge Community Foundation of Greater St. Louis, recently awarded grants for 2024. This program, begun in the fall of 2016, is led by high school students from across the region who apply for the opportunity … More →
CONNECT TODAY, IMPACT TOMORROW, our 2023 Annual Report, is now available to view online or download as a PDF.
By seeking out investment opportunities that are aligned with our organizational goals and mission, we can celebrate generating financial returns as well as achieving positive social impact to improve our community.
One of the fundholders at YouthBridge Community Foundation of Greater St. Louis delights in supporting organizations that provide health-related services to children. Ranken Jordan Pediatric Bridge Hospital, with its “Care Beyond the Bedside” model of care, has been a natural fit for partnership.
The U.S. Marines website states that Marines share a belonging that is more than mere togetherness. This is quite evident at FOCUS Marines Foundation (FMF), a YouthBridge fundholder grant recipient. Founded in 2010 by Marines, the organization is led by volunteer veterans.
When Barbara Carswell, YouthBridge Community Foundation of Greater St. Louis CEO, became aware of Rung for Women a few years ago, she was impressed with the group’s mission and successes. As she learned more, she automatically began pondering a possible match to a YouthBridge fundholder.
Pony Bird has received several grants from a major YouthBridge Community Foundation of Greater St. Louis fundholder over the last eight years. Pony Bird’s mission of enriching the lives of individuals with disabilities is a perfect match for YouthBridge and for this fundholder.
Ymani received a grant award to place vending machines with free books in places where children congregate and to expand the community activities at the bookshop. After learning she had won the grant, however, she discovered that the money could only be received by a qualified nonprofit organization. Far from being disheartened, Ymani began the search for a fiscal sponsor, and soon realized that YouthBridge was the partner she was looking for.
February is sometimes called the month of love, and YouthBridge Community Foundation of Greater St. Louis is joining in the celebration. Rather than honor Cupid, we are focused on the love that comes from the Ancient Greek word philanthropia, the root word of philanthropy.
Sometimes the most obvious solutions are right under your nose. Progress 64 West has been awarding scholarships to young entrepreneurs for decades, but last year the Scholarship Committee began discussing ways to be more effective. The group needed help to expand its reach and deepen its impact through larger scholarships. Unbeknownst to the committee, the solution it was looking for all along existed within its own backyard at YouthBridge Community Foundation of Greater St. Louis.
YouthBridge Community Foundation of Greater St. Louis has been busy! As the new year begins and we dive into goals and plans for 2024, we want to take a moment to celebrate the growth and successes of last year. More than simply celebrating, we want to examine those successes to determine not only how to recreate them, but how to build upon them.
Only in the world of YouthBridge Community Foundation would it seem commonplace to host a board meeting for an organization whose members live across the country – and who have never met in person! Restore Orphan Fund (ROF) members recently took advantage of YouthBridge’s invitation to visit St. Louis to meet each other and meet the YouthBridge staff, while bringing a little joy to the lives of area children living in foster care.
Working with The Scholarship Foundation of St. Louis, a 2023 recipient of a Heritage Grant, is one example of YouthBridge’s commitment to older youth. According to The Scholarship Foundation Executive Director, Faith Sandler, the agency has benefited from donor-designated gifts from YouthBridge fundholders over the years. Now as a Heritage Grant recipient, The Scholarship Foundation is honored to be “selected based on what [they] do rather than who [they] know.”
Heritage Grants awarded by YouthBridge Community Foundation of Greater St. Louis are inspired by fundholders with big hearts who care about the financial sustainability of the nonprofits they love. After careful research and much consideration, YouthBridge determined that CASA of St. Louis fit the Heritage Grant requirements perfectly this year.