The St. Louis Area Foodbank is building a stronger bi-state region by nourishing people, empowering communities, and transforming systems.
St Louis Area Food Bank Inc’s largest recent grants are not cash awards to outside charities in the usual sense; they are food distribution grants routed to member agencies, including $80,672,510 in 2025 and $88,596,226 in 2023 for various food bank member agencies. That pattern points to an intermediary funder that operates through a network rather than through one-off project grants. Alongside those large distribution awards, the food bank also supports program-specific work such as Share the Harvest with Mo Conservation Federation in Jefferson City, Missouri. Its stated work centers on food security, hunger relief, senior assistance, emergency food, youth and family programs, and nutrition and health and wellness. The organization’s structure emphasizes direct service funding and program-restricted support, with recipients receiving product allocations and program resources through partner agencies. The active programs show a strong operational role: it administers Commodity Supplemental Food Program boxes for low-income seniors, runs The Emergency Food Assistance Program, and manages partner agency onboarding for a network of nearly 600 agencies.
Food distribution is the core of the foundation’s grantmaking model. In 2025, St Louis Area Food Bank Inc gave $64,435 to Various Food Bank Member Agencies, and in 2023 it gave $110,055 to the same recipient category, both tied to agency distribution activity. Senior food assistance is another clear line of work: the Commodity Supplemental Food Program sends USDA-provided food boxes to local agencies and senior housing providers across the eastern Missouri and southwestern Illinois service area. Emergency food support is also built into operations through The Emergency Food Assistance Program, which distributes USDA-purchased food to soup kitchens, food pantries, and shelters. Beyond food access, the foundation supports food-system collaboration; one recent grant went to Mo Conservation Federation in Jefferson City for the Share the Harvest program.
Grant size is highly uneven. The listed distribution shows a median grant of $87,245, with a p25 of $57,981 and a p75 of $60,531,896, reflecting the gap between large agency-distribution awards and much smaller program grants. The recent record shows repeat giving across years: Various Food Bank Member Agencies received grants in both 2023 and 2025, and Mo Conservation Federation appears in both years as well. The foundation is an operating food bank rather than a private family foundation, and its grantmaking is program-restricted and tied to direct service. Unsolicited applications are accepted for active programs such as CSFP, TEFAP, and partner agency onboarding.
$169.6M
$50.3M
$99M
$93.3M
Most grants fall between $58K and $60.5M, with a median of $87K.
25th Percentile
$58K
Median
$87K
75th Percentile
$60.5M
About 100% of grants go to recipients in MO.
MEREDITH KNOPP
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The foundation gives locally, with 100% of grants going to recipients in Missouri. Recipient locations in the recent grants include Jefferson City through Mo Conservation Federation, while the largest awards go to Various Food Bank Member Agencies within the food bank’s service network. Program geography is broader than the city-level recipients: active distribution covers eastern Missouri and southwestern Illinois across a 26-county bi-state region. The grant record provided shows only U.S. recipients.
The foundation supports food bank member agencies, local partner agencies, and nonprofit organizations involved in food pantries, meal programs, shelters, and residential programs. It also makes program-restricted grants tied to food distribution and related food security work, including senior food assistance and emergency food support.
The stated distribution is p25 $57,981, median $87,245, and p75 $60,531,896. That spread reflects a mix of smaller program grants and very large agency-distribution awards to member agencies.
Yes. Various Food Bank Member Agencies appears in both 2023 and 2025, and Mo Conservation Federation in Jefferson City, Missouri appears in both years as well, indicating repeat support across years rather than only one-time grants.
Yes. The active programs list says unsolicited applications are accepted for Commodity Supplemental Food Program distribution, The Emergency Food Assistance Program distribution, and partner agency onboarding. Those programs are tied to the food bank’s agency network and service area.
The foundation’s stated focus areas include food security and hunger relief, food distribution and pantry support, senior assistance through CSFP, emergency food through TEFAP, youth and family programs, nutrition and health & wellness, volunteer and community engagement, and planned giving or legacy gifts.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VARIOUS FOOD BANK MEMBER AGENCIES | — | $80,672,510 | 2025 | SEE AGENCY DISTRIBUTION PROGRAM DESCRIPTION IN PART III |
| VARIOUS FOOD BANK MEMBER AGENCIES | — | $64,435 | 2025 | SEE AGENCY DISTRIBUTION PROGRAM DESCRIPTION IN PART III |
| MO CONSERVATION FEDERATION | JEFFERSON CITY, MO | $55,830 | 2025 | SHARE THE HARVEST PROGRAM |
| VARIOUS FOOD BANK MEMBER AGENCIES | — | $88,596,226 | 2023 | SEE AGENCY DISTRIBUTION PROGRAM DESCRIPTION IN PART III |
| VARIOUS FOOD BANK MEMBER AGENCIES | — | $110,055 | 2023 | SEE AGENCY DISTRIBUTION PROGRAM DESCRIPTION IN PART III |
| MO CONSERVATION FEDERATION | JEFFERSON CITY, MO | $55,820 | 2023 | SHARE THE HARVEST PROGRAM |
VARIOUS FOOD BANK MEMBER AGENCIES
$80,672,510SEE AGENCY DISTRIBUTION PROGRAM DESCRIPTION IN PART III
VARIOUS FOOD BANK MEMBER AGENCIES
$64,435SEE AGENCY DISTRIBUTION PROGRAM DESCRIPTION IN PART III
MO CONSERVATION FEDERATION
$55,830SHARE THE HARVEST PROGRAM
VARIOUS FOOD BANK MEMBER AGENCIES
$88,596,226SEE AGENCY DISTRIBUTION PROGRAM DESCRIPTION IN PART III
VARIOUS FOOD BANK MEMBER AGENCIES
$110,055SEE AGENCY DISTRIBUTION PROGRAM DESCRIPTION IN PART III
MO CONSERVATION FEDERATION
$55,820SHARE THE HARVEST PROGRAM
Current and upcoming funding from St Louis Area Food Bank that your nonprofit may be able to apply for.
Who can apply: Organizations providing direct food assistance within the Foodbank’s service area. Agencies must complete onboarding/registration and meet partner requirements set by the Foodbank.
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Create a free accountDeadlines and eligibility are summarized from public sources and may change — always confirm the details on the funder's official application page before applying.
