“Supporting overwhelmed parents is a key intervention for preventing child abuse,” say Mueller. “The COVID crisis made an already challenging life ten times harder for many of our families, and I am so grateful to the angels – my staff, our volunteers and donors – that made it possible for us to continue to be there for them.”
In June, Pony Bird will finalize its merger with Next Step for Life, creating a “continuum of support across the lifespan of those with developmental disabilities that currently does not exist.”
“It’s amazing to think that we have this incredible benefactor and we don’t know who it is – that they care this much but don’t care about the recognition,” says Bonnie Barczykowski, Chief Executive Officer of the Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri. Recently, the organization received a multi-year gift from an anonymous donor that was connected through YouthBridge.
The Jefferson County Library has big plans. After the disruption of COVID, the library district is back on track with its growth strategies including the opening of a fourth branch later this year, the development of programs and services for users from preschoolers to older adults, and its reliance on technology to elevate its impact on the community.
When WEPOWER was awarded a $150,000 Think Big for Kids grant by YouthBridge in 2020, it was an investment in change. Change led by communities of color for communities of color in the system disparities that are limiting their potential to thrive. “The funding has been transformational,” says Charli Cooksey, WEPOWER Founder and CEO. “At the same time, YouthBridge has proven themselves more than a funder, but a real champion of our work.”
Through a $120,000, two-year, Think Big for Kids grant from YouthBridge, Story Stitchers is creating a series of public service announcements (PSAs) to help change the stigma around mental health care and provide information on accessing it.
Making meaningful connections is a specialty of YouthBridge. “When I first shared the vision of College Bound with YouthBridge, they loved the concept. At the same time, they were honest about the grants and funders in their portfolio that they thought would and would not … More →
Lift For Life Academy had a good problem to solve. A donor expressed the desire to establish an Endowment Fund for the school, but “the problem was, we had no idea how to set one up,” says Marshall Cohen, Lift For Life Executive Director and Co-Founder. Cohen says the Finance Committee of the Board decided to send out requests for proposals to three potential managers, including YouthBridge.
In 2022, we have selected the first recipients of our Organizational Capacity Building grant: HOME WORKS! and Springboard to Learning. Through these one-time matching grants, YouthBridge will cover 75% – or up to $7,500 – of costs related to projects intended to strengthen the capacity and sustainability of nonprofit organizations.
2020 was a pivotal year in a lot of ways. For the St. Louis Area Diaper Bank, it marked six years of serving the region, more than six million diapers distributed through 60 partner agencies, and the launch of a new initiative to expand resources for low-income women.
We honor our veterans this month and salute the organizations dedicated to helping them live productive and rewarding lives after service, such as FOCUS Marines Foundation. YouthBridge partner Wayne C. Kaufmann Foundation has faithfully funded FOCUS since 2016, helping the organization to continue its mission of serving our nation’s veterans in their transition to civilian life.
YouthBridge is committed to the sustainability of vital community services that build strong individuals and families. In this article, we highlight a 2020 recipient of our Nonprofit Recovery and Resilience grant, which has also received ongoing support through YouthBridge donor clients.
As the second deployment of our Nonprofit Recovery and Resiliency Fund, this summer we awarded 10 child-serving charitable organizations with weeklong training in building fundraising capacity. In this article, the Megan Meier Foundation shares how it gained a new perspective and approach to fundraising after attending the workshop.
YouthBridge is an active partner and provides support for collaborative community initiatives. As part of our ongoing commitment to youth literacy and its role in developing strong citizens and communities, YouthBridge provided a grant for The Believe Project in partnership with St. Louis Public Schools and St. Louis Black Authors of Children’s Literature.
To honor our mission of partnering with donors around the sustainability of nonprofits, YouthBridge awards two Heritage Grants each year to child and youth serving organizations that are regularly supported by our clients. Heritage Grants provide $75,000 in unrestricted support over three years. This month, we highlight 2021 Heritage Grant recipient, Annie’s Hope.
A family practitioner and medical educator with over 35 years of experience, Dr. Campbell started IFM in 2000 as a way to take healthcare services directly to the most disadvantaged communities in St. Louis, and offer services at little to no cost.
“You’d be amazed at how well our volunteers can communicate with their students without yet speaking the same language,” says Julie Fox, Executive Director of Immigrant Home English Learning Program (IHELP), formerly the Immigrant and Refugee Women’s Program. “It’s about connecting on a primal level … More →
Time and again, the newborn nursery nurse at St. Anthony’s Medical Center in South St. Louis County (now Mercy South) would see newborns that had just been released from the hospital return to the emergency room with preventable injuries and illnesses.
Generate Health is leading the charge to improve outcomes in infant mortality and maternal health for black and brown families through a Home Visiting Collaborative.
The Wayne C. Kaufmann Charitable Foundation seeks to improve the care and welfare of people in the community so that human beings can live up to their God-given potential.