The St. Louis Philanthropic Organization (SLPO) was established in 1984 following a civil lawsuit won by the City of St. Louis against cable companies.

SLPO was organized as a nonprofit to distribute charitable dollars to organizations whose programs enhance health, education, and social welfare in St. Louis.

In 2015, the Board held a strategic planning retreat that resulted in the development of Guiding Principles, which include: 1) Impact Focused, 2) Community Created, 3) Commitment, 4) Accountability, 5) Equity, and 6) Respect. The Board also revised the mission statement to better reflect the evolution of the organization's grantmaking and future direction. Additionally, the Board expanded the grantmaking priorities to include Responsive Grants, Capacity Building, and Multi-Year Initiatives.

The year 2019 marked the 35th anniversary of annual grant awards, with a total of $300,000 granted to nonprofit organizations. In October of that year, four organizations each received a special one-time grant of $2,500, totaling $10,000, to support their efforts in helping St. Louis City residents navigate the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2020, the Board launched the SLPO's Capacity Building activities, which included a workshop series provided at no cost to participants, and a website dedicated to providing resources to nonprofits to support their organizational development needs.

In 2021, the Board established SLPO's social media presence on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. An internship program was initiated to manage the social media and website activities.