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Raised $20k for Local St. Louis Organizations

A student-led philanthropy process by Isaac Seiler's WashU team evaluating and supporting St. Louis immigrant and refugee-serving nonprofits.

Raised $20k for Local St. Louis Organizations preview image

Overview

In WashU's Philanthropy Lab course, students learned philanthropy by doing it: defining grant priorities, reviewing proposals, conducting site visits, and deciding how to allocate funding to St. Louis nonprofits.

My team focused on immigrant and refugee support, evaluating organizations by community need, mission fit, leadership strength, operational efficiency, reach, and their ability to convert grant dollars into direct service.

The course awarded $70,900 to 22 local nonprofits at its April 2025 closing ceremony, with additional course grants bringing the 2025 total to $133,400. Our work contributed to that broader student-led funding process while sharpening my understanding of responsible, place-based grantmaking.

Organizations Reviewed and Funded

  • Casa de Salud: medical care, mental health services, case management, and financial assistance for underinsured and uninsured immigrant and refugee families.
  • International Institute of St. Louis: refugee resettlement, medical and legal support, employment, housing, and cultural integration services.
  • IHELP: personalized English tutoring, citizenship preparation, life skills, and in-home or virtual support that reduces barriers like transportation and childcare.
  • Monarch Immigrant Services: long-standing social and legal services for immigrant and refugee communities across the region.

Decision

We selected Casa de Salud because it matched our mission and served immigrant and refugee families through a model that combined medical care, mental health support, and case management.

The class ultimately awarded Casa de Salud $17,100, the largest single grant of the 2025 cycle, after all student groups chose to contribute to its award.

We also recommended support for IHELP and Monarch Immigrant Services because language access and legal-social services are foundational for families building stable lives in St. Louis.

References