What We Fund

Marillac Mission Fund is a St. Louis-based charitable foundation that supports and partners in efforts to care for and encourage the wellbeing and dignity of people experiencing poverty through funding grants, community engagements, research, and advocacy.  Our Grant Award Committee conducts environmental scans and literature reviews to affirm current focus areas and identify critical unmet issues in metro St. Louis.

Focus Areas for Funding

In support of our concern for persons experiencing poverty and vulnerability, we provide funding for projects in the following four focus areas, as well as Advocacy & Coalition-Building in those four focus areas:

Older Adults Living Independently

The focus of Older Adults Living Independently is on programs for those who are low-income or cost-burdened and wish to live in their own homes as long as possible.

Immigrants & Refugees

Local Immigrants & Refugees face challenges related to education and health, resources and services, transportation, employment, and language barriers.

Veterans

Intended for community-based nonprofit organizations that offer support and services to US Veterans and their families that are not otherwise available through public organizations, such as the Veteran's Administration. Funding priority is given to programs serving veterans returning from post-9/11 conflicts.

Human Trafficking Prevention

The Human Trafficking Prevention goal is to equip vulnerable youth with skills and knowledge that lead to a more positive lifestyle, helping prevent them from becoming victims of human trafficking.

Advocacy & Coalition-Building

Supporting advocacy is an investment that can lead to systemic, long-lasting change that can affect large segments of the population in our focus areas for long periods of time.

Methods of Providing Funds

We fund efforts to serve those experiencing poverty and vulnerability with grants in response to project proposals, and by initiating programs.

Responsive Grants

We provide Responsive Grants in two funding cycles- Spring and Fall. Applicants may select from two types of support: program/project or general operations.

Capacity Building

The Capacity Building Program is designed to provide support for improvements in key organizational functions within grantee organizations aligned with the MMF mission and focus areas.