Spirit of St Louis Women's Fund (SOS)

What Spirit of St Louis Women's Fund (SOS) does

Spirit of St. Louis Women's Fund (SOS) is a 501(c)(3) component fund of the St. Louis Community Foundation, founded in 2006 to practice and teach collective philanthropy among women in the Greater St. Louis region. The organization recruits women members who pay $1,200 in annual dues, of which $1,080 is directed to grants and $120 supports educational programs and operations; a $100/month ACH option is also offered. Members participate in a "One Member, One Vote" democratic process to select grant recipients from a pool of small nonprofits with annual budgets under $1.5 million working in Arts and Culture, Education, Environment, Health, and Social Services. SOS operates on a two-year grant cycle and has cumulatively delivered more than $3.8 million in grants to 106 nonprofits over 20 years, with the 2025 Grantee Showcase awarding nearly $215,000 to 11 grantees.

The organization's product surface centers on a collective giving membership program, a competitive grantmaking process, and supplemental donation channels including an Annual Granting Fund and a Greater Good Fund for strategic and urgent nonprofit needs. Operational infrastructure is provided by the parent foundation, including Wild Apricot membership management software, FC Suite donation processing, and Donor Advised Fund integration. Distribution is community-led: prospective members join directly through the website without invitation, attend virtual information sessions, and engage through Grantee Showcase events, quarterly newsletters, website content, and earned media. SOS operates under a rotating leadership model in which governance roles cycle among members rather than being permanently assigned, and the organization is affiliated with Philanos and Philanthropy Together within the broader women's collective giving movement.

Revenue is sourced almost entirely from member dues and donations, with no venture, private equity, or public funding. The primary customer base is the membership of regional women philanthropists; the secondary customer base comprises small St. Louis-area nonprofits that apply for and receive two-year grants. Leadership includes Founder Shelby Schagrin, President Katy Dowd, and Treasurer Becky Courtney. There is no disclosed AI/ML capability, proprietary technology platform, or app product; the technology stack is limited to standard SaaS administrative tools.

Name

Spirit of St Louis Women's Fund (SOS)

Legal name

Spirit of St. Louis Women's Fund

Website

https://spiritstlwomensfund.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Spirit of St. Louis Women's Fund is a 501(c)(3) collective giving organization founded in 2006 that pools $1,200 annual dues from women members to democratically award two-year grants to small St. Louis nonprofits with budgets under $1.5 million.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Collective Philanthropy Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Grantmaking & Philanthropic Funds (Institutional Donors) (BPADAOAB)

Keywords

• Collective philanthropy
• Women's giving circle
• Community grantmaking
• Nonprofit funding
• Charitable membership

Headquarters

HQ city

St Louis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Members pay annual dues of $1,200, with $1,080 directed to grants and $120 supporting educational programs and operations. Monthly payment option of $100 available through ACH with St. Louis Community Foundation.
2. Donations to Granting Fund: Both members and non-members can contribute to the Annual Granting Fund. Ninety percent of proceeds are dedicated to annual granting with remainder supporting operations. Can be recurring, one-time, or memorial/tribute gifts.
3. Greater Good Fund: Special fund for initiatives beyond annual grants including strategic initiatives, urgent nonprofit needs, educational offerings, and membership programs. Accepts one-time or recurring donations from members and non-members.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Spirit of St. Louis Women's Fund is a member-driven collective giving organization that pools annual contributions from women members ($1,200 per year, with $1,080 directed to grants) to award two-year grants to small nonprofits in the Greater St. Louis region. Members participate in democratic, one-member-one-vote selection of grant recipients across focus areas including Arts and Culture, Education, Environment, Health, and Social Services. The organization operates as a component fund of the St. Louis Community Foundation.

Product overview

Spirit of St. Louis Women's Fund (SOS) is a collective giving organization that operates primarily as a membership-based charitable fund. The core product is the Collective Giving Membership Program ($1,200 annual contribution), through which members participate in democratic grantmaking to small St. Louis nonprofits. Supporting offerings include the Annual Granting Fund and Greater Good Fund for donations, Donor-Advised Fund facilitation through the St. Louis Community Foundation, Virtual Membership Information Sessions for prospective members, and a Resource Center providing philanthropy education and nonprofit tools. The organization uses Wild Apricot membership management software to operate its member portal and event registration.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Collective Giving Membership Program Annual membership program where individual women in the St. Louis region contribute $1,200 ($1,080 to grants, $120 to operations and education) and participate in one-member-one-vote democratic grantmaking to select nonprofit grantees.
• Two-Year Grantmaking Program Competitive grant program providing two-year grants to small nonprofits in the Greater St. Louis region with annual budgets under $1.5 million, operating in Arts and Culture, Education, Environment, Health, and Social Services. Since 2006, the program has invested more than $3.8 million across 106 nonprofits.

Quantifiable outcome

• $3.8 million delivered to 106 nonprofits since 2006
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• St. Louis Community FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSOS is a component fund of the St. Louis Community Foundation, a 501(c)(3) public charity (EIN 43-1758789). The foundation provides administrative infrastructure including membership management via Wild Apricot software, donation processing via FC Suite, and ACH payment processing. Members can make contributions through the foundation's Donor Advised Fund.
• PhilanosminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPhilanos is referenced as the organization behind the collective giving movement. SOS participates in this broader network of women's collective giving funds.
• Philanthropy TogetherminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerReferenced as a partner organization promoting collective giving. Their mission is to democratize and diversify philanthropy through collective giving.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Impact 100: National network of women's collective giving circles pooling $1,000+ contributions to award large grants to nonprofits. Closely mirrors SOS's pooled-resources, member-voted grantmaking model.
• Asian Women's Giving Circle: Member-led collective giving circle pooling resources from Asian American women to fund community projects. Highly comparable to SOS's model of member dues funding democratic grant decisions, though identity-focused.

Regional players

• Washington Area Women's Foundation: Regional funder focused on economic security for women and girls in the DC metro. Comparable women's-focused grantmaking mission but operates in a different geography with greater scale.
• Chicago Foundation for Women: Regional women's foundation serving the Chicago area through grantmaking and advocacy. Similar mission to support women and girls through philanthropy, though at materially greater scale.
• Dallas Women's Foundation: Regional women's foundation supporting economic security and leadership programs in North Texas. Similar model of pooling philanthropic resources to advance women and girls, though larger in scale and assets.
• The Women's Foundation of Colorado: Colorado-based foundation advancing economic opportunities for women and girls through grantmaking and research. Comparable as a regional women's giving organization with similar philanthropic mission.
• Women's Foundation of Minnesota: Regional women's foundation awarding grants across Minnesota using pooled and endowed resources. Comparable as a place-based women's funder though larger and more established than SOS.

Broad incumbents

• St. Louis Community Foundation: Parent organization and local community foundation serving the St. Louis region. SOS operates as a component fund under this foundation, making it the most structurally connected entity in the local market.
• Ms. Foundation for Women: National women's foundation supporting grassroots movements. Comparable mission focus on women and gender equity through grantmaking, though operates nationally and at significantly larger scale than SOS.

Emerging players

• Philanos: National network supporting women's collective giving funds; SOS explicitly cites Philanos as the movement behind its model and participates in this peer network. Highly comparable in mission and operating philosophy.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Spirit of St Louis Women's Fund (SOS)