OVERVIEW: The St. Louis-based Steward Family Foundation names arts, education and human services as its grantmaking areas of focus.
IP TAKE: The Steward Family Foundation appears to be zeroing in on its hometown of St. Louis, with most of its recent grantmaking administered by the United Way of Greater St. Louis. Across its giving areas, this funder is guided by the Steward family’s “deeply rooted faith in God and passion for helping others.” It also emphasizes flexible grantmaking, “to help diversify and strengthen community impact.” It awards grants for general operating and event support. The foundation does not accept unsolicited applications and does not provide a way to get in touch. Network with the United Way of Greater St. Louis to learn more about this funder’s current priorities and commitments.
PROFILE: The St. Louis-based Steward Family Foundation was established in 2013 by David Steward and his wife, Thelma. David Steward is a graduate of Central Missouri University. He worked in sales for for a string of different companies including FedEx until 1990, when he cofounded World Wide Technology, a systems integration company, with Jim Kavanaugh. He is still a majority owner of this company, which now boasts about $20 billion in annual revenue and is the largest Black-owned company in the U.S. Thelma Steward worked as a nurse. The couple’s children are also involved in the family’s philanthropy. Their son, David II, owns Polarity, which owns media outfits related to comics, graphic novels, animation and video games. Their daughter, Kimberly, is the founder of K Period Media, a film production company.
The mission of the Steward Family Foundation is to “Steward the word of God through acts of service to help create opportunities for underrepresented individuals and communities of color.” Its “pillars” are faith, family and flexibility and it aims to support “organizations with aligned values, cultivating an eternal return on investment.” Its stated giving areas are the arts, education and human services. It is worth noting that Christian organizations number significantly among Steward’s grantees. St. Louis, where the foundation is based, is a geographic priority.
Grants for Housing, Homelessness, Mental Health Work and Opportunity
The Steward Family Foundation’s human services giving area is its largest. Grants focus on organizations helping “vulnerable individuals and families” find support in times of need. Basic needs, housing, case management and counseling emerge as areas of specific interest.
- A large portion of this giving stays in St. Louis, where the foundation supports the area chapter of the United Way with millions each year. Recent filings suggest that the United Way serves a regranter for the foundation.
- Other St. Louis-area grantees include Corcordance, a substance abuse treatment provider, and Home Sweet Home of Brentwood, which supports families in need with gently-used furniture and household goods.
- Other past human services grantees include the T.D. Jakes Foundation in Dallas, which “improve[s] the lifelong outcomes for communities and individuals who have limited access to resources and opportunities,” and the Array Alliance, which helps women and people of color secure employment in Hollywood.
Grants for STEM Education
Steward’s education grantmaking targets programs that offer equitable access to high quality STEM education, as a means of “preparing children for the nation’s most rapidly growing and highest paying careers.”
- David Steward cofounded STEM City USA, which IP’s Adeniji describes as “an immersive metaverse platform that promotes STEM education, diversity and inclusion for underrepresented youth.”
- At the K-12 level, the foundation has provided ongoing funding to Virginia’s Wendell Scott Foundation, which “empower underserved youth through education, mentorship, and career development programs, providing them with the tools and confidence to chase their own dreams.” Other K-12 grantees include Proctor Academy in New Hampshire and the Miriam School and Learning Center of St. Louis, which serves students with learning differences with education and outreach services.
- Higher education grants have supported Lincoln University, the Washington University School of Medicine and the University of Missouri-St. Louis, where the Stewards bankrolled the establishment of the David and Thelma Steward Institute for Jazz Studies with $1.3 million in 2018.
Grants for Arts and Culture
The Stewards support the arts a a source of “healing trauma, strengthening cultural identity and fostering a shared vision for marginalized communities.” Film and theater appear to be areas of focus. Grantees include Film Independent, the Lower Depth Theatre Ensemble in California, the Kranzberg Arts Foundation of St. Louis and the Step Afrika! dance company.
Important Grant Details:
AFA’s grants range from about $10,000 to about $11 million, but the vast majority of grants stay under $500,000. This funder’s grantmaking has tapered off in recent years, with only three grants going out the door in its most recent year of tax filings.
- St. Louis is a geographic priority for this funder, and the United Way of Greater St. Louis receives yearly support in the millions.
- Look for arts giving to increase, reflecting the interests of the Stewards’ children.
- The Steward Family Foundation does not accept unsolicited proposals for funding. Grants for general operating and event support are administered by the United Way of Greater St. Louis.
- For information about past giving, see the foundation’s tax filings.
- The Steward Family Foundation does not provide a direct way to get in touch. The foundation’s phone number is listed as (314) 317-8900.
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