The Milford & Lee Bohm Charitable Foundation concentrates almost exclusively on sustaining and strengthening Jewish life in the St. Louis region, funding communal infrastructure, congregational life, and social services. Their grants support both institutional capacity (federation, synagogue) and direct services that serve Jewish and broader local populations. The foundation appears mission-focused and locally oriented, prioritizing organizations that preserve Jewish identity, community cohesion, and care for vulnerable people.
The Milford & Lee Bohm Charitable Foundation’s largest recent grant went to the Jewish Federation of St Louis for $2,084,651 to preserve and enhance Jewish life in St. Louis, Israel and around the world. That single award captures the foundation’s center of gravity: sustained support for Jewish communal life, with St. Louis organizations receiving most of its recent gifts. The foundation also backed Congregation Shaare Emeth with $1,402,740 to create a compassionate and inclusive community that makes Judaism meaningful, and Jewish Family Services of St Louis with $852,539 for social services to the Jewish and general communities. These awards show a pattern of institution-level support rather than small, one-off charitable checks. Grants extend beyond core Jewish infrastructure to health care, social service delivery, Holocaust education, advocacy, arts, and civic partnerships, but the Jewish community remains the clearest throughline. The foundation’s recent giving also reaches organizations working on patient care, senior support, and public education, suggesting a broad local network of partners that serve both Jewish residents and the wider St. Louis region.
Jewish communal life anchors the foundation’s giving. In 2023, it gave $2,084,651 to the Jewish Federation of St Louis to preserve and enhance Jewish life in St. Louis, Israel and around the world. It also supported Congregation Shaare Emeth with $1,402,740 for a compassionate and inclusive community that makes Judaism meaningful, showing interest in congregational vitality and participation. The foundation also funds direct social services and care infrastructure. Jewish Family Services of St Louis received $852,539 to provide quality social services to the Jewish and general communities, while Covenant Place Foundation received $100,000 to provide caring support services to seniors. Health-related giving includes $498,285 to Barnes Jewish Hospital Foundation to enrich lives, save lives, and transform patient care. Its program support reaches education, advocacy, and cultural life. The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum received $498,080 for Holocaust education and survivors, and the Jewish Community Center received $151,515 for the book festival.
$6.5M
$0
$145K
$6.5M
Most grants fall between $22K and $498K, with a median of $102K.
25th Percentile
$22K
Median
$102K
75th Percentile
$498K
Sign up for a free Kindora account to access AI-generated insights into this funder's giving patterns, decision-makers, and fit signals.
Get Started FreeFree Kindora accounts unlock side-by-side comparisons with foundations that share this funder's focus areas and giving profile.
Get Started FreeSign up free to see how well your nonprofit fits this funder, get an AI-generated pitch, and unlock similar foundations.
Highly concentrated, small portfolio of very large awards to a few core local Jewish organizations rather than many small grants; multi-purpose support spanning operations, programming, and social services.
Notable grantees: Jewish Federation of St. Louis, Congregation Shaare Emeth, Jewish Family Services of St. Louis
Recent grants cluster around larger institutional awards: the 25th percentile is $22,133, the median is $102,492, and the 75th percentile is $498,080. That spread shows a mix of major commitments and smaller program-specific gifts. The 2023 list is dominated by Missouri recipients, especially St. Louis organizations, with one Washington, DC grant and a smaller set of national organizations. The data show a regional funder rather than a national or individual-grantmaking institution. The latest 990 year on file is 2023, and the foundation does not fund individuals or make program-related investments.
Grants land overwhelmingly in Missouri, with 71% of gifts going to recipients in the HQ state. St. Louis is the primary city in the grant list, appearing across Jewish communal, health, arts, and social service recipients. Outside Missouri, the foundation made a $498,080 grant to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC, and smaller gifts to organizations in New York, Chicago, and Merrifield, Virginia. All recent grants in the data were to US recipients.
The middle of its recent grant distribution is $102,492. The 25th percentile is $22,133 and the 75th percentile is $498,080, showing that the foundation makes both mid-sized program gifts and much larger institutional awards.
Its recent grants support Jewish communal life, Holocaust education and survivor services, social services, healthcare and patient care, senior support, arts and cultural programming, environmental legal advocacy, and STEM or technical education.
Most grants go to Missouri recipients, which account for 71% of the grants in the data. St. Louis organizations make up the core of the recipient list, with additional awards going to Washington, DC, New York, Chicago, and Merrifield, Virginia.
No. The foundation does not fund individuals, and it does not make program-related investments.
They are mostly local and regional. The foundation is described as regional, and all recent grants in the data went to US recipients, with a strong concentration in St. Louis organizations.
2023
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2023.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JEWISH FEDERATION OF ST LOUIS | ST LOUIS, MO | $2,084,651 | 2023 | PRESERVE AND ENHANCE JEWISH LIFE IN ST. LOUIS, ISRAEL AND AROUND THE WORLD |
| CONGREGATION SHAARE EMETH | ST LOUIS, MO | $1,402,740 | 2023 | TO CREATE A COMPASSIONATE AND INCLUSIVE COMMUNITY THAT MAKES JUDAISM MEANINGFUL |
| JEWISH FAMILY SERVICES OF ST LOUIS | ST LOUIS, MO | $852,539 | 2023 | PROVIDE QUALITY SOCIAL SERVICES TO THE JEWISH & GENERAL COMMUNITIES EMPOWERING PEOPLE IN NEED |
| BARNES JEWISH HOSPITAL FOUNDATION | ST LOUIS, MO | $498,285 | 2023 | ENRICH LIVES, SAVE LIVES, AND TRANSFORM PATIENT CARE |
| UNITED STATES HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL MUSEUM | WASHINGTON, DC | $498,080 | 2023 | TO SUPPORT HOLOCAUST EDUCATION AND SURVIVORS |
| JEWISH COUNCIL FOR PUBLIC AFFAIRS | NEW YORK, NY | $300,000 | 2023 | TO REPRESENT THE ORGANIZED AMERICAN JEWISH COMMUNITY IN ADDRESSING COMMUNITY RELATIONS |
| AMERICAN JEWISH COMMITTEE | ST LOUIS, MO | $257,125 | 2023 | GLOBAL ADVOCACY TO ENHANCE THE WELL-BEING OF THE JEWISH PEOPLE AND ISRAEL |
| JEWISH COMMUNITY CENTER | ST LOUIS, MO | $151,515 | 2023 | SUPPORT FOR THE BOOK FESTIVAL |
| AMERICAN TECHNION SOCIETY | NEW YORK, NY | $102,492 | 2023 | PROMOTE, ENCOURAGE AND ADVANCE TECHNOLOGICAL, SCIENTIFIC AND INDUSTRIAL EDUCATION |
| REPERTORY THEATRE OF ST LOUIS | ST LOUIS, MO | $100,122 | 2023 | TO SUPPORT THE ARTS |
| UNITED WAY OF GREATER ST LOUIS | ST LOUIS, MO | $100,000 | 2023 | TO SUPPORT FUND ALLOCATION SERVICES |
| COVENANT PLACE FOUNDATION | ST LOUIS, MO | $100,000 | 2023 | TO PROVIDE CARING SUPPORT SERVICES TO SENIORS |
| GREAT RIVERS ENVIRONMENTAL LAW CENTER | ST LOUIS, MO | $22,133 | 2023 | LEGAL SERVICES FOR ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION |
| CENTER OF CREATIVE ARTS | ST LOUIS, MO | $20,000 | 2023 | ENRICHING LIVES & BUILDING COMMUNITY VIA THE ARTS |
| AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY | ST LOUIS, MO | $200 | 2023 | PROVIDE SERVICES TO HELP MANAGE CANCER TREATMENT AND RECOVERY |
| AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION | CHICAGO, IL | $200 | 2023 | PROMOTING HEALTHIER LIVING IN THE MIDWEST |
| AMERICAN DIABETES ASSOCIATION | MERRIFIELD, VA | $100 | 2023 | EDUCATING THE PUBLIC ABOUT HOW TO STOP DIABETES AND SUPPORTING THOSE WITH DIABETES |
PRESERVE AND ENHANCE JEWISH LIFE IN ST. LOUIS, ISRAEL AND AROUND THE WORLD
CONGREGATION SHAARE EMETH
$1,402,740TO CREATE A COMPASSIONATE AND INCLUSIVE COMMUNITY THAT MAKES JUDAISM MEANINGFUL
PROVIDE QUALITY SOCIAL SERVICES TO THE JEWISH & GENERAL COMMUNITIES EMPOWERING PEOPLE IN NEED
ENRICH LIVES, SAVE LIVES, AND TRANSFORM PATIENT CARE
TO SUPPORT HOLOCAUST EDUCATION AND SURVIVORS
TO REPRESENT THE ORGANIZED AMERICAN JEWISH COMMUNITY IN ADDRESSING COMMUNITY RELATIONS
AMERICAN JEWISH COMMITTEE
$257,125GLOBAL ADVOCACY TO ENHANCE THE WELL-BEING OF THE JEWISH PEOPLE AND ISRAEL
PROMOTE, ENCOURAGE AND ADVANCE TECHNOLOGICAL, SCIENTIFIC AND INDUSTRIAL EDUCATION
COVENANT PLACE FOUNDATION
$100,000TO PROVIDE CARING SUPPORT SERVICES TO SENIORS
GREAT RIVERS ENVIRONMENTAL LAW CENTER
$22,133LEGAL SERVICES FOR ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY
$200PROVIDE SERVICES TO HELP MANAGE CANCER TREATMENT AND RECOVERY
AMERICAN DIABETES ASSOCIATION
$100EDUCATING THE PUBLIC ABOUT HOW TO STOP DIABETES AND SUPPORTING THOSE WITH DIABETES