Application Guidelines
Making St. Louis A Great Place to Live
The Berges Family Foundation supports organizations that make St. Louis a great place to live, work, visit, and invest. Our goal is to invest philanthropic dollars in ways that lead to specific and systemic change over time and benefit communities on a meaningful, measurable level.
Our Focus
We accept grant requests for programming, general operations, and/or capital projects within the following funding areas:
- Empowering Youth & Strengthening Families – Addressing the needs of our most vulnerable young people to help them reach their full potential.
- Nurturing S.T.E.M. Futures – Developing curiosity, problem-solving abilities, and technical skills in future leaders in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math.
- Supporting Our Heroes – Providing equipment, skill development, and resources that support first responders and veterans in our community.
- Thriving St. Louis – Investing in arts, cultural, and civic-minded organizations that improve the quality of life for St. Louisans.
Application Guidelines
The Berges Family Foundation seeks organizations that build deep relationships with those they serve, and over time, deliver lasting change for individuals, families, and communities across the St. Louis region.
In selecting nonprofit partners, we seek:
Measurable impact
Organizations that are capable of measuring progress toward a well-defined set of outcomes. We believe rigorously and consistently tracking results, over time, is key to achieving successful outcomes and adapting programs/operations as circumstances change.
Engaged and effective leadership
Nonprofits who have high functioning staff and board leaders who work together to: define strategy, manage resources, maintain healthy internal operations, execute and assess quality programming, and engage with stakeholders.
Diversified financials
Healthy organizations have a sustainable revenue stream, with funding from a diverse range of sources. Recognizing that the external environment is constantly evolving, taking a proactive approach to understanding, managing, cultivating, and advocating for these diverse revenue streams is important for longer-term sustainability.
Network mindset
Organizations who collaborate with and through other organizations to exchange ideas, share resources, lean on core strengths, and amplify impact.
Community Building
Organization who build relationships and utilize feedback from their beneficiaries, and intentionally implement practices that contribute to an equitable, diverse, and inclusive culture within the organization and the communities it serves.
While the Berges Family Foundation seeks mature organizations who exhibit all of these elements over a sustained period of time, younger, early-stage organizations who have demonstrated exceptionally high-impact early in their tenure may be considered if a robust plan for organizational development is established.
Grants Process
To start an application you must first complete a Letter of Inquiry (LOI). This is Phase 1 of the grant application process. LOIs are reviewed by the Foundation and a response is typically provided to applicants within 60 days of submission.
Upon review, a limited number of applicants will be asked to submit full applications (Phase 2) for consideration at a quarterly Trustee meeting (4 meetings/year). Phase 2 applications are accepted by invitation only.
To start an application, please click the button below to register your organization in the BFF online grants portal and begin your application process.