What The Scholarship Foundation Of St Louis Inc does

The Scholarship Foundation of St. Louis is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1920 that provides interest-free loans, renewable scholarship grants, advising, mental health support, and policy advocacy to students pursuing postsecondary education in the St. Louis metropolitan region. Its core products are interest-free, fee-free loans with income-based repayment set at 15% of discretionary income, and a portfolio of named scholarship grants (Alton Memorial Health Equity, Ameren All In, Edward Jones, and 20+ others) funded by individuals, corporations, and foundations. The Student Advising Program places full-time advisors directly at high schools and community agencies throughout the region, complemented by free financial aid workshops and a one-on-one FAFSA completion service.

The Foundation runs on a donation-based revenue model. Private contributions from individuals, corporations, and foundations are supplemented by a self-recycling capital pool in which loan repayments from previous borrowers are redeployed into new loans, creating a sustainable 循环 (recirculating) fund. Additional program revenue includes the $1.5M James S. McDonnell Foundation investment that funds the 2025 St. Louis Junior Bonds program, plus Stripe-processed online donations. Technology infrastructure consists of Salesforce CRM as the primary system of record for donors, students, and loans; the MyScholarshipCentral.org application portal for scholarship and loan applications; and a Salesforce-based Student Loan Portal for repayment, deferment, and account management. Google Analytics supports web traffic analysis.

The Foundation is governed by a volunteer board, led by long-tenured Executive Director Faith Sandler (since 1989), with a 20-person staff across Advancement, Advocacy, Finance & HR, IT, and Program departments. Service is restricted geographically to students who are permanent residents of specified Missouri and Illinois counties in the St. Louis metro, attending accredited nonprofit postsecondary institutions; for-profit schools are excluded. The organization maintains BBB Charity Accreditation (all 20 accountability standards), GuideStar Platinum transparency, Charity Navigator registration, and memberships in the National College Attainment Network and the National Scholarship Providers Association.

Name

The Scholarship Foundation Of St Louis Inc

Legal name

The Scholarship Foundation of St. Louis

Website

https://sfstl.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1920

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The Scholarship Foundation of St. Louis is a 1920-founded 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides interest-free loans, scholarship grants, advising, and advocacy to over 500 financially needy students annually pursuing postsecondary education in the St. Louis metropolitan region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Educational Financial Aid Services

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Personal Credit Institutions (6141)

akta.pro primary industry

Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Scholarship, Financial Aid & FAFSA Support Platforms (EDAFAMAF), Scholarships, Grants & Education Benefits Administration (Financing-adjacent) (FSAKAEAM)

Keywords

• Scholarship grants
• Interest-free loans
• Student advising
• Financial aid services
• Postsecondary education access

Headquarters

HQ city

St Louis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Private Contributions: Revenue from individuals, corporations, and foundations including donations, tribute gifts, and planned giving. The Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit with generous contributions making programming possible.
2. Student Loan Repayments: Repayments of interest-free student loans by previous borrowers are recycled into new loans for qualifying students. This creates a sustainable循环 model for continued student support.
3. Donation Processing: Online donation platform accepting one-time gifts, monthly recurring donations, with options for restricted and unrestricted giving. Uses Stripe for credit card processing.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Scholarship Foundation of St. Louis provides scholarship grants and renewable interest-free, fee-free loans to students with financial need pursuing postsecondary education at accredited nonprofit institutions. It complements this financial support with hands-on student advising (FAFSA completion, financial aid navigation, college application support), a Policy Fellowship Program for student advocacy, Flourish mental health support, and the St. Louis Junior Bonds financial education program for middle schoolers.

Product overview

The Scholarship Foundation of St. Louis is a nonprofit organization founded in 1920 that provides access to postsecondary education through a portfolio of financial aid products and support services. The core offerings include an Interest-Free Loan Program (the Foundation's original function since 1920) and Scholarship Grant Programs (renewable awards in partnership with donors). These are complemented by the Student Advising Program providing hands-on guidance, the Policy Fellowship Program for student advocacy, and the Flourish Mental Health Support program. The St. Louis Junior Bonds program provides financial education and investment to middle school students. All services are accessible through the Student Loan Portal and MyScholarshipCentral application platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Interest-Free Loan Program Interest-free, fee-free loans for postsecondary education awarded to students with financial need attending accredited, nonprofit postsecondary institutions. Repayment is income-based at 15% of discretionary income with no co-signer required.
• Scholarship Grant Programs

Quantifiable outcome

• Scholarship Foundation students continue to succeed in ways and at levels well above their peers nationwide
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• National College Attainment Network (NCAN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Scholarship Foundation is a proud member of NCAN, a national organization dedicated to closing equity gaps in postsecondary attainment. This membership supports the Foundation's advocacy efforts and connects it to national best practices in college access.
• National Scholarship Providers Association (NSPA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProud member of the National Scholarship Providers Association, connecting the Foundation to a network of scholarship providers and best practices in scholarship administration.
• Edward JonescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEdward Jones provides professional management of the $1.5 million Junior Bonds fund and financial education workshops for program participants. Also partner on the Edward Jones Financial Futures Internship program mentioned in Fall 2025 Opening Doors magazine.
• MoneyByrdcoreTechnology or IntegrationOnline financial education platform provider for the St. Louis Junior Bonds program. Provides the digital curriculum participants complete before receiving their share of funds.
• Small Business Empowerment CenterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for the St. Louis Junior Bonds program, providing online and in-person workshops on allowable fund use areas including small business startup.
• St. Louis Community Credit UnionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for the St. Louis Junior Bonds program, providing workshops on financial topics including home buying and financial wellness.
• St. Louis Graduates / MOCANcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn 2009, the Foundation helped lead the effort to create St. Louis Graduates, a nonprofit collaborative project with the goal of radically increasing postsecondary degree attainment. In 2021, it merged with Missouri College Access Network to become MOCAN (Missouri College & Career Attainment Network).
• Advising Partners (Youth-serving nonprofits, schools, community agencies)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRelationships with youth-serving nonprofits, schools, and community agencies are essential to the Foundation's ability to reach young people seeking higher education opportunities and guidance. These partnerships enable Student Advisors to work throughout the metropolitan St. Louis region.
• Advocacy PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Foundation fosters relationships with others who share a commitment to creating better pathways to and through college for low-income students, Black and brown students, and those who will be the first in their families to attain higher education.
• Missouri Attorney General - Charity Information ServiceminorOthersThe Foundation is registered with the Secretary of State of Missouri and participates in the charity information service coordinated by the Missouri Attorney General.
• Collaborative Strategies, Inc.minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSt. Louis-based consulting firm managing the hiring process for the Director of Data, Systems & Strategy position. Has been connecting talent with opportunity since 1994.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Scholarship America: National nonprofit scholarship administrator managing donor-restricted and need-based scholarships for students across the U.S. Operates a similar award-and-advising model as the Scholarship Foundation of St. Louis but at a much larger national scale.
• Thurgood Marshall College Fund: National organization providing scholarships, leadership development, and support to students at HBCUs and PBIs. Comparable scholarship + support model at a national scale, with deep institutional partnerships.
• United Negro College Fund (UNCF): National scholarship and capacity-building organization that administers scholarships, supports member HBCUs, and provides student advising. Highly comparable mission and product set (interest-free loans, scholarships, wraparound support), with a different demographic focus.
• Hispanic Scholarship Fund: National nonprofit providing scholarships, resources, and advising to Hispanic students pursuing higher education. Directly comparable model of scholarship + advising + support services, with a national rather than regional footprint.
• Jack Kent Cooke Foundation: National scholarship foundation supporting high-achieving low-income students through multi-year scholarships and advising. Comparable model of large, renewable awards plus wraparound support, serving a similar student persona.

Direct peers

• College Greenlight: Online platform connecting first-generation and low-income students with scholarships, colleges, and advising. Highly comparable technology-enabled college access and scholarship matching platform, overlapping with the Scholarship Foundation's MyScholarshipCentral portal.
• Questbridge: National nonprofit connecting high-achieving low-income students with full scholarships at top colleges. Closest peer in terms of serving a low-income, high-need student segment with scholarship funding plus advising support, though at a national scale.
• MOCAN (Missouri College & Career Attainment Network): Statewide college access network formed in 2021 from the merger of St. Louis Graduates (co-founded by the Scholarship Foundation) and Missouri College Access Network. Direct peer in the college access and advising space within the same geography.

Regional players

• St. Louis Community Foundation: Regional community foundation managing donor funds and grantmaking in the St. Louis area. Comparable grantmaking and donor-advised structure in the same geography, though focused on broader community grantmaking rather than solely education.

Emerging players

• Dell Scholars Program: Michael & Susan Dell Foundation scholarship program for low-income and first-generation college students, offering financial support plus wraparound services. Comparable target student and integrated support model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-scholarship-foundation-of-st.-louis

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about The Scholarship Foundation Of St Louis Inc