PLATINUM2024

The Scholarship Foundation of St. Louis

Opening Doors to Education

St. Louis, MO   |  www.sfstl.org

Mission

The Scholarship Foundation of St. Louis, a nonprofit organization founded in 1920, is based upon the conviction that an educated society is essential to a healthy democracy. The Scholarship Foundation provides access to postsecondary education to members of our community who otherwise would not have the financial means to fulfill their educational goals.The Foundation sees higher education as a catalyst, an agent of change for individuals, families, communities, and nations. We envision a community that recognizes the importance of educational attainment and assures positive educational outcomes are accessible to all regardless of economic circumstance.

Ruling year info

1983

Executive Director

Faith Sandler

Main address

6825 Clayton Avenue Suite 100

St. Louis, MO 63139 USA

Show more contact info

EIN

43-6031234

NTEE code info

Scholarships, Student Financial Aid, Awards (B82)

IRS filing requirement

This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.

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Communication

Blog

Programs and results

What we aim to solve

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

A quote from our founder:
"As modern life becomes more complicated, it is more difficult for individuals to gain honorable positions, and greater effort and higher ability are required. Education together with honest labor are, perhaps, the greatest contributing factors to the welfare of society as a whole. But education is very costly. It would seem that only those blessed with means may benefit thereby.
To provide scholarships for worthy girls and boys for the purpose of cultivating their ideals, developing their characters and their intelligence is a social strategy of the first order. It is the permanent line of social defense. It is moreover a vital part of public economy."
- Meta Bettman, The Social Utility of Scholarships, c. 1926

Our programs

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?

Scholarship Grants and Interest-free Student Loans

The Foundation’s core financial aid programs provide scholarship grants and interest-free, fee-free loans to students for postsecondary education. In 2023, the Foundation distributed $5.8 million to 527 qualified students who are pursuing degrees and certificates at accredited educational institutions throughout the United States. Loan repayments are recycled into new loans for additional qualified students.

Population(s) Served
Economically disadvantaged people
Students

The Student Advising Program provides information and guidance to assist over 5,000 students and family members annually in determining what educational opportunities they want to pursue. The program operates through active partnerships with dozens of public and private schools and community service organizations.

Population(s) Served
Economically disadvantaged people
Students

Founded upon the conviction that an educated society is essential to democracy, The Scholarship Foundation is committed to policy and systems change that will increase college access and affordability. Core to The Foundation’s policy work are the experiences of students. Current and recent college students lead the Advocacy Program by crafting policy positions, researching and analyzing existing policy, and involving other students in advocacy at the state, institutional, and federal levels.

Population(s) Served
Economically disadvantaged people
Ethnic and racial groups

Where we work

External assessments

Evaluated via the Impact Genome Project (2019)

Our results

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.

Percentage of students eligible for federal Pell Grants

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Related Program

Scholarship Grants and Interest-free Student Loans

Type of Metric

Output - describing our activities and reach

Direction of Success

Increasing

Percent of students graduating within 6 years

This metric is no longer tracked.
Totals By Year
Type of Metric

Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues

Direction of Success

Holding steady

Our Sustainable Development Goals

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.

Goals & Strategy

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.

Charting impact

Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.

The Foundation sees higher education as a catalyst, an agent of change for individuals, families, communities, and nations. We envision a community that recognizes the importance of educational attainment and assures positive educational outcomes are accessible to all regardless of economic circumstance. In our community, doors will not be closed to those who lack financial resources, and postsecondary education will be available to all with the potential to succeed.

To fulfill its mission, The Scholarship Foundation will:

• Promote and provide financial support for postsecondary education;
• Assure that students have the information necessary to make sound financial decisions;
• Lead a collaborative network of community and educational partners aligned to support student preparation, transition, and persistence to degree completion.

• The Foundation's core financial aid programs provide scholarship grants and interest-free, fee-free loans to students for postsecondary education.
• The Student Advising program operates through active partnerships with dozens of public and private schools and community service organizations.
• The Foundation conducts free public workshops at which students and their family members can learn more about financial aid, decipher confusing official notifications of aid eligibility, and become familiar with basic principles of financial literacy.
• The Foundation's student-led Advocacy program works to influence policy at state, federal, and institutional levels to increase access and support for students from low-income families.
• The Scholarship Foundation provides a variety of philanthropic options to donors who choose to support its educational programs. These include donations of cash and securities, and planned giving through trusts, gift annuities, and bequests.

For each of the key performance indicators mentioned, the Scholarship Foundation consistently demonstrates excellent results.

Pell Eligibility - About 42% of students nationwide are Pell eligible. Annually about 85% of all students served by The Scholarship Foundation are Pell Eligible and students reported an average EFC of under $2,500.

GPA - Scholarship Foundation students maintain a College GPA of around 3.2 on a 4 point scale, exceeding their peer groups, and putting them on par with all students nationwide.

Graduation Rate - Nationally, 64% of students successfully complete a degree within 6 years. Students who are funded by The Scholarship Foundation maintain a rolling 6-year graduation rate of 73%.

Please visit SFSTL.ORG to review our most recent annual reports and program dashboards.

How we listen

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.

done We shared information about our current feedback practices.

  • How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?

    To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups

  • Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?

  • What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?

Financials

The Scholarship Foundation of St. Louis
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Operations

The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.

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Connect with nonprofit leaders

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lock

Connect with nonprofit leaders

Subscribe

Build relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.

  • Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
  • Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
  • Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations

Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.

The Scholarship Foundation of St. Louis

Board of directors
as of 06/21/2024
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Board chair

Mr. Tom Ruwitch

Board leadership practices

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.

  • Board orientation and education
    Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes
  • CEO oversight
    Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes
  • Ethics and transparency
    Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes
  • Board composition
    Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes
  • Board performance
    Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes

Organizational demographics

SOURCE: Self-reported; last updated 6/21/2024
info Candid has made improvements to the race and ethnicity options.

Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.

Leadership

The organization's leader identifies as:

Race & ethnicity
White/Caucasian/European
Gender identity
Female, Not transgender
Sexual orientation
Heterosexual or Straight
Disability status
Person without a disability

Race & ethnicity

Gender identity

Transgender Identity

Sexual orientation

No data

Disability

No data

Equity strategies

Last updated: 08/22/2023

GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more

Data
  • We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
  • We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
  • We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
  • We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
  • We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
  • We disaggregate data by demographics, including race, in every policy and program measured.
  • We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
Policies and processes
  • We have a promotion process that anticipates and mitigates implicit and explicit biases about people of color serving in leadership positions.
  • We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
  • We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
  • We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
  • We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.