Charless Foundation Grant

The Charless Foundation, part of the St. Louis Community Foundation, aims to support charitable organizations that promote the health and wellness of Missouri senior citizens, especially in South St. Louis City. Starting in 2025, grantmaking will focus on housing assistance, including home repairs and modifications for older adults. Additionally, funding for food banks will be available, capped at $10,000 per site. Grants can range from $10,000 to $50,000 annually, depending on the applicant's history with the foundation.

The St. Louis Community Foundation provides grants management and administrative support for private and family foundations.  We assist foundation trustees with their grantmaking decisions in an effort to help them fund creative and sustainable programs. We provide assistance to nonprofits in navigating the diverse funding structures of our clients and provide the foundations with information about the nonprofit landscape as a whole, as well as their particular area of interest. Each foundation has its own set of funding criteria and submission deadlines. In order to be considered for a grant, we recommend that nonprofit organizations review the list below and reach out to the St. Louis Community Foundation staff to learn more about each funder’s priorities and process.
The purpose of the Charless Foundation is “to provide support to other charitable organizations providing services and assistance to promote the health, welfare, and wellness of Missouri Senior Citizens, with an emphasis, where possible, in the South St. Louis City neighborhoods.”
As part of its 2024-2028 strategic framework, the Community Foundation established two strategic priority areas: Economic Mobility and Youth Connections. The Economic Mobility priority includes grantmaking in the areas of housing, financial health, and job access and creation; these sub priority areas were identified as areas of community need and partnership opportunities, as well as high interest areas of community stakeholders.
Beginning in 2025, therefore, the Community Foundation will be aligning Charless Foundation grantmaking with our strategic priority focusing on housing. In particular, Charless Foundation will concentrate funding on assisting older adults in South St. Louis City through home repairs, modifications, weatherization, and preservation.
In recognition of the number of older adults who face food insecurity, Charless Foundation will also provide some funding for food banks and food pantries in South St. Louis city, limited to $10,000 per distribution site.
Funding
Grants may range from $10,000 to $50,000 per year. Awards for food banks and food pantries will be limited to $10,000 per year per distribution site. For new applicants, funding is available for one year. For past Charless grantees, funding is available for up to three years, with eligibility for second- and third-year funding based on annual reporting. All funded organizations will be required to complete a final report.

Eligibility

Any nonprofit that is a 501(c)3 and meets the requirements outlined in the RFP may apply for funding from the Charless Foundation. Capital expenses that allow older adults to remain in their homes, such as home repairs, will be considered.

Ineligibility

Land or building purchases
Repairs, modifications, weatherization, or preservation of commercial buildings
Political campaigns or to support attempts to influence legislation of any governmental body other than through making available the results of non-partisan analysis, study, and research