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YouthBridge Community Foundation, originally founded in 1877, is focused on capitalizing children’s charities. Our services are two pronged – to help children’s agencies implement business practices to build productive capital and achieve sustainability and to help donors, or philanthropic investors, find stable charitable organizations in which to invest. Our strategy of building equity capital and promoting social enterprise is designed to attain our mission of building a network of strong, effective and sustainable social agencies to support disadvantaged children. [hear more]
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Current Issues Facing Children’s Services
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Why Children's Services?
It’s easy to see why children’s agencies need new ways to build their enterprise, fund their growth and do the organization’s work. Most of them depend on some combination of donations, fees and government payments. Yet donations as a percent of the U.S. Gross Domestic Product are declining as is government funding, while costs of service delivery and competition for private donations are increasing. Most small and midsize agencies have little or no equity capital, and traditional fund-raising cannot fill the gap.
For more than 130 years, YouthBridge, formerly the General Protestant Children's Home, has taken care of disadvantaged children. Our future resources will continue to be used to improve the lives of tomorrow's generation.
Why YouthBridge?
We Serve
· individuals and families who wish to help disadvantaged children
· wealth advisors who wish to provide a holistic approach to their clients’ charitable gift planning
· children’s charities by investing in their long-term sustainability
We Believe
· all children should be given every opportunity to develop and grow into healthy, caring and productive adults
· in helping children by investing in and mentoring agencies that take care of them
· social investments should be leveraged to maximize their impact and effectiveness
· capital strength is the way to non-profit sustainability
We Offer
· a unique way to make a real difference in the lives of disadvantaged children
· the peace of mind of giving through an organization that has successfully managed investments for more than 130 years
· the flexibility of a private foundation with the simplicity and tax advantages of a public charity
· increased leverage and return on your social investment
· financial management choices
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YouthBridge assists individuals and families who wish to fulfill their philanthropic vision in three ways:
- by investing directly in the charities of their choice
- by investing through the foundation, often done in collaboration with the wealth advisor
- by investing directly in YouthBridge
Investments made in YouthBridge are used to fund three initiatives, which we call the three "Es" of YouthBridge, each designed to create sustainability in the agencies that serve disadvantaged children.
- Educating Charities in Social Entrepreneurial Practices – In partnership with Washington University's Skandalaris Center, YouthBridge created the St. Louis Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation Competition (SEIC) and the YouthBridge Workshops. The competition and the YouthBridge Workshops are free and open to all. Agencies of any size, both new and established, will benefit from the opportunity to learn best business practices, develop an entrepreneurial business model and network with community leaders and peers. Since its inception, the SEIC has awarded more than $100,000 annually to the prizewinners; however, agencies do not have to enter the competition to attend any or all of the workshops. For workshop topics, a schedule of events and how to participate, visit www.sces.wustl.edu/SEIC.
- Investing in Social Enterprise Initiatives – An important part of the SEIC curriculum is the need for agencies to develop a social enterprise. In most cases, such initiatives require investment capital to proceed. YouthBridge, along with philanthropic investors, venture funds and mentors such endeavors. Read how St. Louis ArtWorks, an SEIC prizewinner, developed a successful social business called the Boomerang Press with venture funding and mentoring from YouthBridge at www.stlartworks.org.
- Enabling Endowment Building – YouthBridge believes the long-term plan for all charities should include building an endowment that provides a perpetual stream of income to support operations, provide for emergencies and expand the mission. While all agencies desire such an asset, few have the expertise or discretionary funds to invest in the long-term planned-giving effort. When children’s agencies meet the YouthBridge criteria, we provide the consulting expertise, legal guidance and financial services necessary to build and manage an endowment program. At the Good Shepherd School for Children, www.goodss.org, our endowment building partnership is creating capital and sustainability for children with special needs.
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We believe there is no greater investment than one made in the health and growth of children. We also believe that charitable investments made in a unique, passionate and calculated fashion will allow agencies to develop better infrastructure, create multiple funding streams, build enterprise income programs, build stronger balance sheets and create ultimate sustainability.
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