The Rita B Keeffe Charitable Foundation concentrates its giving on local, community-based nonprofits in the Belleville / St. Louis metro area that provide direct human services, youth development, and neighborhood education/workforce supports. It favors a small number of sizable grants and often renews support to organizations delivering hands-on programs and basic needs assistance rather than national or arts institutions. Recipients are typically operational charities (YMCAs, neighborhood education centers, and emergency assistance societies) that serve low-income families and youth in the region.
Concentrated, regional giving with a small number of large grants; frequent repeat funding to core local grantees rather than many one-off gifts.
Rita B Keefe Charitable Foundation Inc’s giving is anchored by repeated support for the Gateway Region YMCA and The Soulard Education Center, two St. Louis-area organizations that each received six-figure grants across multiple years. That pattern points to a funder that backs operating capacity for local service providers rather than one-time projects. In the recent grant list, the foundation also made a $210,000 grant to Griffin Center and continued funding to community-based groups serving East St. Louis, St. Louis, and nearby Illinois and Missouri communities. The foundation’s portfolio favors direct human services, youth development, adult education, workforce support, and emergency assistance. Its grants are typically made to organizations that run hands-on programs for low-income families, youth, and neighborhood residents. Recent recipients include Society of St Vincent de Paul, Our Brother’s Keeper, and Land of Lincoln Legal Aid, which sit alongside YMCA, education, and support-service awards. The mix shows a regional funder with a consistent emphasis on core organizational support for nonprofits delivering everyday services in the Belleville and St. Louis metro area.
Youth development appears through support for the Gateway Region YMCA, which received $102,500 in 2025 for general support after prior grants of the same size in 2023 and 2024. Education and workforce support is also a clear thread: The Soulard Education Center received $100,000 in 2023, 2024, and 2025, with the latest grant described as general support. Basic needs and poverty relief show up in grants to Society of St Vincent de Paul, including $75,000 in 2024 and $20,000 in 2023, as well as a $50,000 2025 grant to St Vincent Depaul for general support. Behavioral health and support services are represented by Griffin Center, which received $210,000 in 2023 and another $20,000 in 2025. The foundation also backed legal aid with a $56,500 2025 grant to Land of Lincoln Legal Aid.
Typical grant size clusters around a $24,000 median, with a $5,000 p25 and $50,000 p75. The recent list shows repeated support for the same organizations across 2023, 2024, and 2025, suggesting ongoing relationships rather than isolated awards. Grants are mostly tagged as charitable or general support, which aligns with a core-support approach. The foundation is not a fund for individuals and does not make program-related investments.
$1.7M
$76K
$1.3M
$808K
Most grants fall between $5K and $50K, with a median of $24K.
25th Percentile
$5K
Median
$24K
75th Percentile
$50K
About 54% of grants go to recipients in CA.
Top 2 recipient countries by grant volume for Rita B Keefe Charitable Foundation.
| Rank | Country | Grants | Total | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United StatesDomestic | 48 | $1.7M | 98.0% |
| 2 | Ireland | 1 | $25K |
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Notable grantees: Gateway Region YMCA, Soulard Education Center, Griffin Center, Society of St. Vincent de Paul
Grants are concentrated in the St. Louis–Belleville region, with 54% of grants going to recipients in Illinois. East St. Louis appears often, including grants to Griffin Center, Our Brother’s Keeper, Land of Lincoln Legal Aid, Catholic Urban Programs, and Join Hands. St. Louis and Maryland Heights, Missouri, are also frequent recipient locations. Outside the Midwest, the recent list includes recipients in Bellflower, California, New York, Port Washington, New York, and Dublin, with nearly all grants going to U.S. organizations.
The foundation supports community-based nonprofits that provide direct services. Recent grants include youth programming through the Gateway Region YMCA, adult education through The Soulard Education Center, poverty relief through Society of St Vincent de Paul, and support services through Griffin Center and Land of Lincoln Legal Aid.
Its grants tend to be sizable. The typical range in the data is $5,000 at the 25th percentile, $24,000 at the median, and $50,000 at the 75th percentile. Recent awards also include six-figure grants such as $102,500 and $100,000.
Yes. Several recipients appear across multiple years, including Gateway Region YMCA with grants in 2023, 2024, and 2025; The Soulard Education Center in 2023, 2024, and 2025; and Griffin Center in 2023 and 2025. That suggests recurring support is part of its pattern.
Most grants go to Illinois recipients, and 54% of grants are to organizations in the HQ state of Illinois. East St. Louis and St. Louis are especially common recipient cities, while California appears as the top state by grant count outside the HQ-state measure.
The recent grants point to youth development, education and workforce support, poverty relief, and behavioral health or support services. Named recipients tied to those areas include Gateway Region YMCA, The Soulard Education Center, Society of St Vincent de Paul, Griffin Center, and Land of Lincoln Legal Aid.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
2.0% |
Recipient country reflects the grantee's headquarters per IRS 990-PF and Schedule F filings, not the program's implementation country.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GATEWAY REGION YMCA | SAINT LOUIS, MO | $102,500 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| THE SOULARD EDUCATION CENTER | SAINT LOUIS, MO | $100,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| THE GRIFFIN CENTER | EAST SAINT LOUIS, IL | $59,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| LAND OF LINCOLN LEGAL AID | EAST SAINT LOUIS, IL | $56,500 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| JACKIE JOYNER KERCEE FOUNDATION | EAST SAINT LOUIS, IL | $50,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| ST VINCENT DEPAUL | MARYLAND HEIGHTS, MO | $50,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| OUR BROTHER'S KEEPER | EAST SAINT LOUIS, IL | $50,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| THE BENJA PROJECT | MARION, IL | $50,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| CHAPEL & YORK US FOUNDATION | NEW YORK, NY | $30,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| BOSCO FOOTBALL | BELLFLOWER, CA | $25,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| LEO HIGH SCHOOL SCHOLARSHIP BENEFIT | CHICAGO, IL | $25,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| CATHOLIC URBAN PROGRAMS | EAST SAINT LOUIS, IL | $25,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| THE MARFAN FOUNDATION | PORT WASHINGTON, NY | $24,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| LUTHERN SOUTH HIGH SCHOOL | SAINT LOUIS, MO | $20,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| GRIFFIN CENTER | EAST SAINT LOUIS, IL | $20,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| MAPO - METRO AREA PROFESSIONALS ORGANIZATION | MARYVILLE, IL | $10,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| GIDDO SIMMONS MINISTRIES | BALLWIN, MO | $10,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| HOLY REDEEMER | SAINT LOUIS, MO | $5,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| MIKE KELLY FOUNDATION | SWANSEA, IL | $5,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| 42 FOUNDATION | SWANSEA, IL | $2,500 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| SCHINDLER FAMILY FOUNDATION | BALLWIN, MO | $1,500 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| MOUND CITY HEALING | PITTSBURG, KS | $1,000 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| NEW OPPORTUNITIES INC | CARROLL, IA | $500 | 2025 | GENERAL SUPPORT |
| Gateway Region YMCA | St Louis, MO | $102,500 | 2024 | Charitable |
| The Soulard Education Center | St Louis, MO | $100,000 | 2024 | Charitable |
| Society of St Vincent de Paul | Maryland Heights, MO | $75,000 | 2024 | Charitable |
| Our Brother's Keeper | East St Louis, IL | $65,000 | 2024 | Charitable |
| Join Hands | East Saint Louis, IL | $27,000 | 2024 | Charitable |
| Chapel & York US Foundation | New York, NY | $25,000 | 2024 | Charitable |
| St John Bosco High School | Bellflower, CA | $25,000 | 2024 | Charitable |
| Leo High School Scholarship Benefit | Chicago, IL | $10,000 | 2024 | Charitable |
| Land of Lincoln Legal Aid | East St Louis, IL | $6,500 | 2024 | Charitable |
| MAPO - Metro Area Professionals Organization | Maryville, IL | $6,000 | 2024 | Charitable |
| Mike Kelly Foundation | Swansea, IL | $5,000 | 2024 | Charitable |
| SIU Foundation | Carbondale, IL | $5,000 | 2024 | Charitable |
| Giddo Simmons Ministries | Ballwin, MO | $5,000 | 2024 | Charitable |
| The Tenth Man | Belleville, IL | $1,500 | 2024 | Charitable |
| Ron Ortyl Memorial Fund | Belleville, IL | $1,000 | 2024 | Charitable |
| 42 Foundation | Swansea, IL | $1,000 | 2024 | Charitable |
| Griffin Center | East St Louis, IL | $210,000 | 2023 | Charitable |
| Gateway Region YMCA | St Louis, MO | $102,500 | 2023 | Charitable |
| Soulard Education Center | St Louis, MO | $100,000 | 2023 | Charitable |
| The Iveagh Trust | Dublin | $25,000 | 2023 | Charitable |
| Join Hands | East Saint Louis, IL | $25,000 | 2023 | Charitable |
| The Benja Project | Marion, IL | $20,000 | 2023 | Charitable |
| Society of St Vincent de Paul | Maryland Heights, MO | $20,000 | 2023 | Charitable |
| Leo High School Scholarship Benefit | Chicago, IL | $10,000 | 2023 | Charitable |
| Giddo Simon Ministries | Ballwin, MO | $5,000 | 2023 | Charitable |
| Mike Kelley Foundation | Swansea, IL | $5,000 | 2023 | Charitable |
GATEWAY REGION YMCA
$102,500GENERAL SUPPORT
THE SOULARD EDUCATION CENTER
$100,000GENERAL SUPPORT
THE GRIFFIN CENTER
$59,000GENERAL SUPPORT
LAND OF LINCOLN LEGAL AID
$56,500GENERAL SUPPORT
JACKIE JOYNER KERCEE FOUNDATION
$50,000GENERAL SUPPORT
ST VINCENT DEPAUL
$50,000GENERAL SUPPORT
OUR BROTHER'S KEEPER
$50,000GENERAL SUPPORT
THE BENJA PROJECT
$50,000GENERAL SUPPORT
CHAPEL & YORK US FOUNDATION
$30,000GENERAL SUPPORT
BOSCO FOOTBALL
$25,000GENERAL SUPPORT
LEO HIGH SCHOOL SCHOLARSHIP BENEFIT
$25,000GENERAL SUPPORT
CATHOLIC URBAN PROGRAMS
$25,000GENERAL SUPPORT
THE MARFAN FOUNDATION
$24,000GENERAL SUPPORT
LUTHERN SOUTH HIGH SCHOOL
$20,000GENERAL SUPPORT
GRIFFIN CENTER
$20,000GENERAL SUPPORT
MAPO - METRO AREA PROFESSIONALS ORGANIZATION
$10,000GENERAL SUPPORT
GIDDO SIMMONS MINISTRIES
$10,000GENERAL SUPPORT
HOLY REDEEMER
$5,000GENERAL SUPPORT
MIKE KELLY FOUNDATION
$5,000GENERAL SUPPORT
42 FOUNDATION
$2,500GENERAL SUPPORT
SCHINDLER FAMILY FOUNDATION
$1,500GENERAL SUPPORT
MOUND CITY HEALING
$1,000GENERAL SUPPORT
NEW OPPORTUNITIES INC
$500GENERAL SUPPORT
Gateway Region YMCA
$102,500Charitable
The Soulard Education Center
$100,000Charitable
Society of St Vincent de Paul
$75,000Charitable
Our Brother's Keeper
$65,000Charitable
Join Hands
$27,000Charitable
Chapel & York US Foundation
$25,000Charitable
St John Bosco High School
$25,000Charitable
Leo High School Scholarship Benefit
$10,000Charitable
Land of Lincoln Legal Aid
$6,500Charitable
MAPO - Metro Area Professionals Organization
$6,000Charitable
Mike Kelly Foundation
$5,000Charitable
SIU Foundation
$5,000Charitable
Giddo Simmons Ministries
$5,000Charitable
The Tenth Man
$1,500Charitable
Ron Ortyl Memorial Fund
$1,000Charitable
42 Foundation
$1,000Charitable
Griffin Center
$210,000Charitable
Gateway Region YMCA
$102,500Charitable
Soulard Education Center
$100,000Charitable
The Iveagh Trust
$25,000Charitable
Join Hands
$25,000Charitable
The Benja Project
$20,000Charitable
Society of St Vincent de Paul
$20,000Charitable
Leo High School Scholarship Benefit
$10,000Charitable
Giddo Simon Ministries
$5,000Charitable
Mike Kelley Foundation
$5,000Charitable