“SOS has become a community of women who are curious about philanthropy, engaged in the needs of our region, and committed to supporting the organizations that are helping St. Louis thrive. That is something we are proud of.”
- Shelby Schagrin, SOS Founder
SOS Mission
The Spirit of St. Louis Women’s Fund (SOS) educates and inspires women to engage in informed, collective
grantmaking by investing in Greater St. Louis’ small nonprofits to positively effect change in our communities.
As we celebrate twenty years of the Spirit of St. Louis Women’s Fund grantmaking, we invite nonprofits with budgets of
less than $1.5 million annually to apply for a two-year grant in the areas of:
- Arts and Culture
- Education
- Environment
- Health
- Social Services
To learn more about the nonprofits SOS has funded throughout the years, visit the Impact section of our website.
A nonprofit that received a 2024-2025 two-year grant will not be eligible to apply again until the 2028-2029 grant cycle.
Grant Application Resources
- Letter of Inquiry and Applicant Timeline for 2026
-
-
May 18, 2026 -Noon - Attend the virtual nonprofit bootcamp related to SOS granting process and use
of Foundant. (registration information is below)
-
Phase I: May 19-June 19, 2026
Letter of Inquiry opens for nonprofits to submit. LOI Phase I closes June 19, 2026. No extensions will be granted.
-
Phase 2: August 3-September 30, 2026
- By invitation only 30 nonprofits will be selected and notified that they are moving into the Application/Site Visit process.
- August 10-28, 2026 – Selected nonprofits submit a full application. Application submission closes August 28, 2026. No extensions will be granted.
- September 8-30, 2026 – Selected nonprofits receive a Site Visit from SOS grant reviewers.
-
November 2, 2026 – Notifications sent to 8-10 nonprofits that they have been selected to receive an SOS grant.
-
November 17, 2026 – Nonprofits selected to receive an SOS grant attend the SOS Annual Spirit Awards event.
- Request for Proposal, LOI process and full application overview
- Instructions for Submitting Online
- Letter of Inquiry Training Bootcamp - Applicants who want training on using the online platform for grant application submission are invited to attend a virtual training bootcamp on Monday, May 18 at noon. Click here to register in advance. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting
-
Begin Your Application
