Serving St. Louis Since 2009
About
The sisters
Barbara and Helen Brown were unique women who have left a legacy that will far outlive them and created an impact that extends beyond their reach to change and bless and better our world. They remain an example of stewardship, generosity, and possibility.
Core values
There are a few values that drive our work, including:
- We believe God’s heart beats first for the poor.
- We believe the image of the immortal God is present in every person.
- We believe everyone has inherent value and something to contribute.
Our priorities
We view our investment in grantees as a partnership towards common objectives. We’re looking for “Fit” in a few primary ways:
Check out our Grant Process to consider applying.
How we invest
The Brown Sisters Foundation offers challenge grants or grants that are intended to generate leverage for your organization during critical junctures or unique opportunities. There are also specific types of projects we are most interested in funding.
Grant Process
We consider it a priority to be as candid and accessible as possible for organizations seeking funding.
2026 Grant Cycle
LOIs are not currently being accepted. Those organizations whose LOIs demonstrate the strongest fit will be invited to submit a full application. These invitations are issued via email in mid-July and full applications are due in August. A subset of those applicants will be invited to present to our Board of Directors in mid-October, and the grant period will run from November 1 through December 31 of the following year.
Please note: In order to preserve the value and uniqueness of a challenge grant campaign, agencies will generally not be funded for two consecutive years, but are welcome to re-apply after a 1 year hiatus.
We do not require a phone conversation prior to LOI submission, though you are welcome to reach out to info@brownsisters.org with specific questions. All organizations are strongly encouraged to explore our website to learn more about our funding priorities, how we invest, and our past grantees.
What We Fund and How
The Brown Sisters Foundation funds faith-based, tax-exempt organizations that work to support economically disadvantaged communities, with a specific focus on young people. All eligible proposals must be located in the St. Louis, Missouri region (USA) within a ~20 mile radius of Forest Park, and must have a challenge grant fundraising component. The Brown Sisters Foundation has one annual funding cycle, with project periods running from November 1st to December 31st of the following calendar year (14 months).
Project requests should seek to increase the organization’s ability to accomplish its work, deepen its impact, expand its capacity, become more sustainable or resilient, launch new initiatives/programs, innovate, or provide leverage in some other way. All proposals should include a challenge fundraising component.
We encourage organizations to ask for what they need to support a strategically designed leverage-based project. Our average grant size is $20,000. It is rare for the Foundation to make grants larger than $50,000.
To make sure your organization is a strong fit before applying, please review our Funding Priorities and How We Invest to create financial and missional leverage.
Grantees
We’re proud of our partners and are constantly learning from their work. Check out our Grantees Portfolio to gain a feel for the type of partnership that makes a good fit. Click on each grantee to learn more about that partnership. Or check out more about our funding priorities.
Contact Us
Interested in applying for a grant? Please check out our funding priorities, how we invest, and our grant process.
If it seems like a good fit, please click here to join our mailing list and receive updates about the Brown Sisters Foundation grant process.
For questions, please contact Chloe Troll at info@brownsisters.org, or by filling out the form below.