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:
- Cultural Engagement– Supporting cultural institutions – arts, parks, museums – that improve the quality of life, ensure access to creative experiences for young people, and make St. Louis a unique, vibrant place to live and visit.
- STEM Preparedness– Engaging youth in community and school-based science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) programs that provide them with pathways for a lifetime career and future leadership opportunities.
- Youth Empowerment– Investing in relationship-based programming that delivers measurable, long-lasting positive outcomes for vulnerable children and their families.
- Support for Our Heroes– Honoring St. Louis’ first responders and veterans with support for their health, welfare, and career pathways.
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.
Typically, the Foundation does not provide event sponsorships, fund pilot projects, or support general operations of individual schools.
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.
Proven results and measurable impact
Organizational excellence in financial management, staff and board leadership, and operations
Sustainability with diverse contributor base and revenue streams
Collaboration with community partners
Commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion
Completing this Letter of Inquiry (LOI) is Phase 1 of the grant process. These Phase 1 – 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.
For capital campaign requests, it is recommended that all applicants contact Berges Family Foundation CEO, Kelly Pollock, before submitting an LOI.
Newsroom
Berges Family Foundation Hires Kelly Pollock as Chief Executive OfficerJuly 13, 2022 - 3:06 pm
The Missouri History Museum & The Future Lab: St. Louis’ Past and Present Inspiring a Better FutureDecember 9, 2021 - 11:15 am
St. Louis Public Schools Foundation: Helping 20,000 Students Through COVID-19October 20, 2021 - 4:30 pm
College Bound St. Louis – Holistic Support for Youth to Achieve a College DegreeSeptember 17, 2021 - 2:17 pm