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How To Apply.

At the St. Louis County Children’s Service Fund (CSF), we are continually working to meet mental and behavioral health needs of kids in St. Louis County. We do this by funding nonprofits and governmental agencies that provide mental and behavioral health and substance use prevention services to kids ages 0-19 and their families. We traditionally fund in cycles, and when we have an opportunity available, we will post it here.

The letter of intent for the 2023-2025 Grassroots Funding Opportunity is now closed.

Young child swinging and smiling

What To Expect.

At CSF, we have several funding opportunities, and each application process is a little different. However, each of our funding opportunities follows the same general process.

 

  1. Through conversations with our partners and community leaders, we identify a need and develop a funding opportunity to support it. Most of our funding opportunities are multiyear awards. For example, our first funding cycle, the Core Funding Opportunity is a three-year grant, and in 2021 we launched our Grassroots Funding Opportunity, which is a two-year grant.
  2. Before a funding opportunity opens for applications, we heavily advertise through several mediums, we hold community meetings in person and virtually, and provide additional guidance on how to apply and what our criteria is.
  3. Applications are open for several weeks, giving organizations time to complete and submit the application.
  4. Community members are enlisted to help us review applications and make recommendations on which organizations best fit our funding criteria and meet the needs of the community.
  5. We present those recommendations to our Board of Directors, which approves the final awards.
  6. We share the good news with awardees, finalize the funding contracts, and celebrate with our new partners!

What We Are Looking For.

At CSF, we fund 501(c)3 and governmental organizations that offer programs for kids ages 0-19 in St. Louis County in the following focus areas:

Crisis Intervention
Homeless Support
Intensive Outpatient Programs
Respite Care
Substance Use Treatment
Temporary Shelter And Transitional Living

Psychological Testing and Assessment
Therapeutic Counseling
Non-Therapeutic Counseling
Educational, Skill-Building And Prevention
Psychiatry And Psychiatric Diagnostics
Case Management And Child Advocacy

Inpatient medical, psychiatric, and chemical dependency services and transportation services are not eligible for CSF support.

Core Funding Opportunity.

The Core Funding Opportunity was the first funding mechanism we created as a new organization. Core is on a three-year funding cycle that aligns with the school year rather than the calendar year. Core is a good fit for organizations that use proven methods of mental and behavioral health care, have strong track records of positive impact, and have capacity for a unit rate model of funding. Learn more on our Core Funding Opportunity page.

Grassroots Funding Opportunity.

We established the Grassroots Funding Opportunity in 2021, recognizing that we could serve more kids by expanding the organizations we invest in. Grassroots is a two-year funding cycle that is aligned with the school year. Your organization may be a good fit for Grassroots if it has a smaller operating budget (under $1 million), is community based, and your staff and leadership reflect the community you serve. Learn more on our Grassroots Funding Opportunity page.

Emergency Funding.

Our Emergency Funding Opportunity was created in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This allocation supported agencies with technology, cleaning supplies, PPE and other emergent needs to keep clients and staff safe. Learn more about our past emergency funding opportunities and what we envision for the future on our Emergency Funding page.

If you’re interested in being informed of upcoming funding opportunities, sign up here.