About Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra
To enrich lives through the power of music, fostering a vibrant and connected community.
Focus Areas
orchestral musicmusic educationcommunity programsyouth orchestrachoruses
Who They Fund
St. Louis regional communitymusic students / learnersconcert audiences / general publicbroader regional/national audiences (beyond St. Louis)
Funding Style
direct service / program deliverycommunity engagementarts education
About Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra
A defining feature of Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra’s recent giving is its large-scale support for the Saint Louis Symphony Endowment Trust, including a $1,282,642 investment in 2023 and a $688,973 investment in 2025. That pattern points to a funder closely tied to sustaining its own institutional capacity while advancing music-centered community work. The organization’s stated purpose is to enrich lives through the power of music and foster a vibrant, connected community, and its giving aligns with that mission through orchestral music, music education, community programs, youth orchestra, choruses, cultural enrichment, and public outreach. Its active grant program, the SLSYO Need-Based Scholarship, provides financial assistance to members of the St. Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra. That places youth access and training within the center of its philanthropic activity. The foundation’s grantmaking is local and concentrated in Missouri, with recipients located in the St. Louis area. Across the available data, the picture is of a music institution funding both its own endowment structure and educational pathways for young musicians in the region.
What Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra Funds
Music education is a clear thread in the grant program through the SLSYO Need-Based Scholarship, which provides need-based financial assistance for members of the St. Louis Symphony Youth Orchestra. That support connects directly to youth orchestra participation and financial access. The foundation also supports institutional stewardship through investment activity. In 2025, it gave $688,973 to Saint Louis Symphony Endowment Trust, following a $1,282,642 investment in 2023. Those grants show a substantial commitment to long-term financial support for the organization’s musical work. Its stated focus areas extend beyond training to orchestral music, choruses, community programs, cultural enrichment and access, and public outreach. The beneficiary profile includes the St. Louis regional community, music students and learners, and concert audiences.
How Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra Gives
Typical grant size is very large: the 25th percentile is $837,390, the median is $985,808, and the 75th percentile is $1,134,225. The recent record shows repeated support to the same recipient across multiple years, with Saint Louis Symphony Endowment Trust appearing in both 2023 and 2025. The foundation is a nonprofit arts organization rather than a family foundation or DAF, and it makes direct grants and investments. It also accepts unsolicited applications for the SLSYO Need-Based Scholarship program.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$6.9M
Total Assets
$232.2M
Total Revenue
$54.7M
Total Expenses
$40.4M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $837K and $1.1M, with a median of $986K.
25th Percentile
$837K
Median
$986K
75th Percentile
$1.1M
Geographic Reach
Local1 state funded
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
MARIE-HELENE BERNARD
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