How We Fund.
At the St. Louis County Children’s Service Fund, we help create brighter futures by investing in local nonprofits and governmental entities that provide mental and behavioral health services to kids in St. Louis County. We pride ourselves on being not just a funder, but a partner. We know that when our funded partners succeed, so do the kids and families of St. Louis County.
“Putting Kids First” Sales Tax
Since 2010, we have invested roughly $700 million in local nonprofits and governmental entities to provide funding for mental and behavioral health services for kids and families in St. Louis County. This is made possible because of a quarter-cent sales tax that was approved by St. Louis County voters in 2008. Watch the video to learn how shopping in St. Louis County helps create brighter futures for kids.
Services We Fund.
Through the “Putting Kids First” sales tax, we fund nonprofits and governmental entities that provide one or more of the following mental or behavioral health services to kids and families in St. Louis County.
Under Missouri law, we are able to provide funding to organizations whose work falls into the following service areas:
Counseling Services
Crisis Intervention Services
Home Community Based Services
Psychiatric Services
Respite Care Services
Prevention Services
Temporary Shelter and Transitional Living Services
Substance Use Treatment Services
Teen Parents Services
Our Focus Areas
Through the “Putting Kids First” sales tax, we fund nonprofits and governmental entities that provide one or more of the following mental or behavioral health services to kids and families in St. Louis County:
Core Funding Opportunity
As our largest allocation, the Core Funding Opportunity supports many different services. When awarding funding, we seek organizations that align with our values and are addressing community needs through impact-driven approaches to mental and behavioral heathcare.
Grassroots Funding Opportunity
Our Grassroots Funding Opportunity focuses on organizations that are of and for the community. We prioritize smaller nonprofits whose staff and leadership reflect their clients, and who focus on historically underserved communities.
Special Projects
Our special project funding focuses on addressing needs that are not met through our other investments. Special projects may involve direct support to kids and families, or they may work to address issues with existing systems.
Emergency Funding
At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Children’s Service Fund Board of Directors moved to allocate resources to an emergency fund to help address changing needs in the community.
It’s our goal to make applying for funding as streamlined as possible. Visit our “How to Apply” page for more information about our application process and funding criteria.