St. Louis Philanthropic Organization (SLPO) Board was formed in 1984 as a result of a civil lawsuit won against the cable companies by the City of St. Louis.

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SLPO was organized as a philanthropic non-profit to distribute charitable, benevolent, educational, civic and cultural funds to organizations conducting programs aimed to further health, education and social welfare programs in the City of St. Louis.  

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In 2015 the board held a Strategic Planning retreat that resulted in the development of these Guiding Principles: 1.) Impact Focused 2.) Community Created 3.) Commitment 4.) Accountability 5.) Equity and 6.) Respect.

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$300,000 in grants were awarded to non-profit organizations in 2019; SLPO awarded $331,246 in 2020. The maximum grant awarded was up to $10,000. It marked the 35th year of annual grants being awarded. SLPO also sponsored ten (10) grant awardees to attend the St. Louis Racial Equity Summit as a capacity building initiative.

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The year 2019 marked the 35th year of annual grants being awarded, with a maximum grant amount of $10,000. In that year, $300,000 in grants was awarded to nonprofit organizations. This year, the SLPO awarded $331,246 during the 2020 Responsive Grants cycle. And in October, four organizations received a special one-time grant of $2,500, for a total of $10,000, to support their efforts in helping St. Louis City residents navigate the COVID-19 pandemic.