The Potthoff Family Foundation concentrates its giving on local K–12 education in the St. Louis area, with a strong emphasis on scholarships and financial aid. A large majority of funding has gone repeatedly to a single Lutheran high school and to a suburban public school district foundation, indicating a preference for supporting student access to secondary education in its home community.
Concentrated, local giving: few, relatively large grants with repeat support to the same grantees, focused on scholarship/financial-aid for secondary students rather than broad program diversification.
A recurring pattern defines Potthoff Family Foundation grantmaking: large scholarship checks to the same St. Louis-area schools and education funds over multiple years. The foundation’s largest recent grants include $50,000 to Kirkwood School District Foundation for educational scholarships and $50,000 to Lutheran North High School for scholarship support, signaling a clear preference for tuition and fee assistance tied to local secondary education. That emphasis continues in later years, with additional scholarship grants to Lutheran North High School in 2024 and 2025. The foundation also backs community-based organizations that sit alongside its education work, including United Way of Greater St. Louis, Kirkwood Performing Arts Center, and other local nonprofits. Even within that broader set of gifts, the center of gravity remains local and institution-based rather than project-based. The grant record shows support for students, scholarship recipients, and school-affiliated funds in Chesterfield, Kirkwood, St. Louis, and nearby communities. Its giving pattern suggests a foundation that prioritizes direct financial aid for learners and steady support for organizations serving the St. Louis area.
Education is the clearest throughline in Potthoff Family Foundation’s recent grants. In 2023, it gave $50,000 to Kirkwood School District Foundation for educational scholarships, and it continued support for scholarship programs in Kirkwood through later local gifts. Faith-affiliated secondary education is another repeated theme. The foundation awarded $30,000 in 2024 and $30,000 in 2025 to Lutheran North High School for scholarship support, following a larger $50,000 grant in 2023. Its broader community giving extends to civic and cultural institutions. The foundation gave $20,000 to United Way of Greater St. Louis for general purposes in both 2023 and 2025, and $20,000 to Kirkwood Performing Arts Center in 2024 for general purpose support. Other local gifts include Forest Park Forever, Sheldon Concert Hall, and NAMI St. Louis.
Typical grants are clustered around a narrow range: p25 is $3,000, the median is $5,000, and p75 is $5,000. The recent record also includes a small number of larger, repeated awards, especially in the $20,000 to $50,000 range for schools and community organizations. The grant list shows multi-year support to the same recipients, especially Lutheran North High School, United Way of Greater St. Louis, and Backstoppers, which points to recurring rather than one-off giving. Potthoff Family Foundation is a regular funder, and the profile indicates it funds individuals through scholarships and direct financial aid.
$254K
$1.8M
$190K
$309K
Most grants fall between $3K and $5K, with a median of $5K.
25th Percentile
$3K
Median
$5K
75th Percentile
$5K
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Notable grantees: Lutheran North High School, Kirkwood School District Foundation, Local K–12 scholarship programs in St. Louis suburbs
Grantmaking is concentrated in Missouri, with 88% of grants going to recipients in the foundation’s HQ state. The strongest city clusters are St. Louis, Kirkwood, Chesterfield, and Maryland Heights. Examples from the recent record include Kirkwood School District Foundation in Kirkwood, Lutheran North High School in St. Louis, Coldwater Conservation Foundation in Chesterfield, and Ranken Jordan Home in Maryland Heights. Outside Missouri, the foundation has also supported organizations in La Quinta and Palm Springs, California.
Its clearest pattern is support for education, especially scholarships and student financial aid tied to St. Louis-area schools. Recent examples include $50,000 to Kirkwood School District Foundation for educational scholarships and repeated scholarship gifts to Lutheran North High School in 2023, 2024, and 2025.
The grant-size distribution is tightly clustered: p25 is $3,000, the median is $5,000, and p75 is $5,000. Alongside those smaller awards, the foundation also makes larger recurring gifts such as $20,000 and $30,000 grants, with a few $50,000 scholarship awards in the recent record.
Yes. The recent grant list shows repeat support across multiple years for Lutheran North High School, United Way of Greater St. Louis, Backstoppers, Ranken Jordan Home, Sheldon Concert Hall, Forest Park Forever, Palm Springs Friends of Philharmonic, and Old Towne Artisan Studio. That pattern suggests ongoing relationships rather than isolated awards.
Giving is heavily centered in Missouri, which accounts for 88% of grants to recipients in the HQ state. The recent record also shows gifts to California organizations in La Quinta and Palm Springs, but the main concentration is in St. Louis, Kirkwood, Chesterfield, and Maryland Heights.
The foundation supports students and scholarship recipients directly, along with school-affiliated funds and local nonprofits. Its listed philosophy tags include direct financial aid to individuals, scholarship-specific funding, and general or unrestricted support for institutions or programs.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UNITED WAY OF GREATER ST LOUIS | ST louis, MO | $30,000 | 2026 | GENERAL PURPOSES |
| LUTHERAN NORTH HIGH SCHOOL | ST LOUIS, MO | $30,000 | 2026 | SCHOLARSHIP |
| PALM SPRINGS FRIENDS OF PHILHARMONIC | PALM SPRINGS, CA | $20,000 | 2026 | GENERAL PURPOSES |
| CHANNEL 9 PBS | St louis, MO | $10,000 | 2026 | GENERAL PURPOSES |
| ST LOUIS ZOO | ST LOUIS, MO | $10,000 | 2026 | GENERAL PURPOSES |
| ST LOUIS PUBLIC RADIO | St louis, MO | $10,000 | 2026 | GENERAL PURPOSES |
| OLD TOWN ARTISAN STUDIO | La Quinta, CA | $10,000 | 2026 | GENERAL PURPOSES |
| WASHINGTON UNIVSERISTY DEPT OF CARDIOLOGY | St louis, MO | $10,000 | 2026 | GENERAL PURPOSES |
| forest park forever | st louis, MO | $10,000 | 2026 | GENERAL PURPOSES |
| ST LOUIS SYMPHONY | ST LOUIS, MO | $10,000 | 2026 | GENERAL PURPOSES |
| RANKEN JORDAN HOME | MARYLAND HEIGHTS, MO | $8,000 | 2026 | GENEAL PURPOSES |
| SHELDON CONCERT HALL | ST LOUIS, MO | $6,000 | 2026 | GENERAL PURPOSES |
| ST LOUIS REPRTORY THEATRE | WEBSTER GROVES, MO | $5,000 | 2026 | GENERAL PURPOSES |
| backstoppers | st louis, MO | $5,000 | 2026 | GENERAL PURPOSES |
| ST PATRICKS CENTER | ST LOUIS, MO | $5,000 | 2026 | GENERAL PURPOSES |
| kirk care | kirkwood, MO | $5,000 | 2026 | GENERAL PURPOSES |
| TRINITY LUTHERAN CENTER | st louis, MO | $5,000 | 2026 | GENERAL PURPOSES |
| food outreach | st louis, MO | $5,000 | 2026 | GENERAL PURPOSES |
| JAZZ ST LOUIS | St louis, MO | $5,000 | 2026 | GENERAL PURPOSES |
| coldwater conservation foundation | CHESTERFIELD, MO | $5,000 | 2026 | GENERAL PURPOSES |
| st vincent home for children | ST LOUIS, MO | $5,000 | 2026 | GENERAL PURPOSES |
| NAMI ST LOUIS | St Louis, MO | $5,000 | 2026 | GENERAL PURPOSES |
| New Music Circle | University City, MO | $5,000 | 2026 | GENERAL PURPOSES |
| MISSOURI BOTANICAL GARDENS | ST LOUIS, MO | $4,000 | 2026 | GENERAL PURPOSES |
| jensen schmidt tennis down syndrome | florissant, MO | $4,000 | 2026 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| BEYOND HOUSING | ST louis, MO | $4,000 | 2026 | GENERAL PURPOSES |
| Ava's grace scholarship program | st louis, MO | $3,000 | 2026 | scholarship |
| SOUTHEAST MISSOURI UNIVERSITY | CAPE GIRADEAU, MO | $3,000 | 2026 | GENERAL PURPOSES |
| grace hill | st louis, MO | $3,000 | 2026 | GENERAL PURPOSES |
| USO OF MISSOURI | ST LOUIS, MO | $3,000 | 2026 | GENERAL PURPOSES |
| AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION | ST LOUIS, MO | $3,000 | 2026 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| coca | st louis, MO | $2,000 | 2026 | GENEAL PURPOSES |
| ANIMAL PROTECTIVE ASSN OF MISSOURI | St louis, MO | $2,000 | 2026 | GENEAL PURPOSES |
| TRAIL NET | St louis, MO | $2,000 | 2026 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| dwight davis tennis center | st louis, MO | $2,000 | 2026 | GENERAL PURPOSES |
| LUTHERAN NORTH HIGH SCHOOL | st louis, MO | $30,000 | 2025 | SCHOLARSHIP |
| united way of greater st louis | ST louis, MO | $20,000 | 2025 | general purposes |
| st louis symphony | st louis, MO | $15,000 | 2025 | general purposes |
| old towne Artisan studio | La Quinta, CA | $15,000 | 2025 | General Purpose |
| forest park forever | st louis, MO | $10,000 | 2025 | general purpose |
| backstoppers | st louis, MO | $10,000 | 2025 | general purposes |
| PALM SPRINGS FRIENDS OF PHILHARMONIC | PALM SPRINGS, CA | $10,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSES |
| ranken jordan home | maryland hgts, MO | $8,000 | 2025 | general purposes |
| sheldon concert hall | st louis, MO | $6,000 | 2025 | general purposes |
| MON PETITE MOJAVE | YUCCA VALLEY, CA | $5,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSE |
| ST LOUIS REPRTORY THEATRE | WEBSTER GROVES, MO | $5,000 | 2025 | GENERAL PURPOSES |
| kirk care | kirkwood, MO | $5,000 | 2025 | general purposes |
| food outreach | st louis, MO | $5,000 | 2025 | general purposegeneral purpose |
| New Music Circle | University City, MO | $5,000 | 2025 | general purposes |
| coldwater conservation foundation | CHESTERFIELD, MO | $5,000 | 2025 | general purposes |
LUTHERAN NORTH HIGH SCHOOL
$30,000SCHOLARSHIP
CHANNEL 9 PBS
$10,000GENERAL PURPOSES
ST LOUIS PUBLIC RADIO
GENERAL PURPOSES
forest park forever
$10,000GENERAL PURPOSES
ST LOUIS SYMPHONY
$10,000GENERAL PURPOSES
SHELDON CONCERT HALL
$6,000GENERAL PURPOSES
backstoppers
$5,000GENERAL PURPOSES
kirk care
$5,000GENERAL PURPOSES
TRINITY LUTHERAN CENTER
$5,000GENERAL PURPOSES
coldwater conservation foundation
$5,000GENERAL PURPOSES
st vincent home for children
$5,000GENERAL PURPOSES
New Music Circle
$5,000GENERAL PURPOSES
jensen schmidt tennis down syndrome
$4,000GENERAL PURPOSE
Ava's grace scholarship program
$3,000scholarship
SOUTHEAST MISSOURI UNIVERSITY
$3,000GENERAL PURPOSES
grace hill
$3,000GENERAL PURPOSES
USO OF MISSOURI
$3,000GENERAL PURPOSES
AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION
$3,000GENERAL PURPOSE
coca
$2,000GENEAL PURPOSES
TRAIL NET
$2,000GENERAL PURPOSE
dwight davis tennis center
$2,000GENERAL PURPOSES
LUTHERAN NORTH HIGH SCHOOL
$30,000SCHOLARSHIP
forest park forever
$10,000general purpose
backstoppers
$10,000general purposes
ranken jordan home
$8,000general purposes
sheldon concert hall
$6,000general purposes
MON PETITE MOJAVE
$5,000GENERAL PURPOSE
kirk care
$5,000general purposes
New Music Circle
$5,000general purposes
coldwater conservation foundation
$5,000general purposes