Alvin Goldfarb Foundation

Quick Stats

• Annual Giving: $14,000,000
• Total Assets: $374,000,000
• Decision Time: Not applicable (invitation only)
• Grant Range: Varies significantly - from small grants to multi-million dollar awards
• Geographic Focus: Saint Louis metropolitan area, Missouri
• Application Process: No public application process - grants to preselected organizations only

Contact Details

The foundation does not provide public contact information for grant inquiries as they do not accept unsolicited applications.

Registered Address: Saint Louis, Missouri
EIN: 43-1621937

Overview

The Alvin Goldfarb Foundation was established by Alvin Goldfarb (1917-2008), a St. Louis businessman who was the retired president of Worth Stores Corp., a successful women's apparel chain that operated across Missouri, Illinois, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, and Alabama before being sold in 1978. The foundation has grown to become one of St. Louis's most significant philanthropic entities, with assets of approximately $374 million and annual grant distributions of $14 million. The foundation focuses exclusively on supporting preselected charitable organizations in the St. Louis metropolitan area, with a strategic emphasis on community development, affordable housing, education, and health services. The foundation does not accept unsolicited grant requests and operates through trustee-directed grantmaking.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

The foundation does not offer formal grant programs with published guidelines or application cycles. Instead, it makes strategic grants to a limited number of preselected organizations. Recent major grants include:

• Community Impact Network: $11,400,000 (grants coordination and infrastructure for community needs)
• Washington University: $1,500,000 (computational biology research)
• Beyond Housing Capital Fund: $700,000 (home development initiatives)

The foundation typically makes between 3-7 grants annually, with a median grant size of approximately $154,400, though major recipients receive substantially larger multi-year commitments.

Priority Areas

Based on recent grantmaking patterns, the foundation prioritizes:

• Community Building and Development: Supporting organizations that strengthen communities in underserved areas of St. Louis
• Affordable Housing: Funding single-family home development and rehabilitation in North St. Louis County
• Economic Development: Supporting initiatives that create economic opportunities and meet basic needs
• Education: Particularly nursing education and university research programs
• Health Services: Supporting medical research and healthcare education institutions
• Youth and Early Childhood Programs: Funding educational opportunities for young people

Geographic Focus

The foundation's grantmaking is concentrated in the St. Louis metropolitan area, with particular attention to:

• Inner-ring suburbs of North St. Louis County
• The Normandy School District area
• Communities near Wellston and Vinita Park
• Washington University and affiliated institutions

What They Don't Fund

As the foundation only makes grants to preselected organizations, they do not fund:

• Unsolicited grant requests
• Organizations outside the St. Louis metropolitan area
• Individual scholarships or direct individual support (though they fund scholarship programs at institutions)

Governance and Leadership

Current Leadership

• Robert Goldfarb - Trustee (unpaid): Son of founder Alvin Goldfarb, based in New York City
• Jean M. Cody, CPA - Trustee/Manager (compensated $275,000): Professional trustee who oversees foundation operations

Founder's Legacy

Alvin Goldfarb (1917-2008) was born in St. Louis to Morris and Sarah Goldfarb and graduated from University City High School and Washington University's John M. Olin School of Business in 1937. After joining his father's garment manufacturing business, he founded Worth Stores Corp. in 1940, which became a successful women's apparel retailer before being sold to Reitman's Ltd., a Canadian retailer, in 1978. Goldfarb was known as a private philanthropist who preferred to support institutions quietly. He served as a donor, director, and campaign chairman of the Jewish Federation of St. Louis and was a major benefactor to Washington University.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

The Alvin Goldfarb Foundation does not have a public application process. According to their official disclosures, the foundation "only makes contributions to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds."

Grants are awarded at the discretion of the trustees to organizations they have identified and selected. The foundation operates through strategic, multi-year relationships with a small number of beneficiary organizations rather than through an open competitive grant process.

Getting on Their Radar

The foundation's grantmaking operates through two primary affiliated organizations that it created and funds:

1. Community Impact Network: Functions as a grants coordination and infrastructure organization for community needs in the St. Louis area
2. Equity Homes: Provides affordable single-family housing in North St. Louis County, particularly in the Normandy School District area

These organizations serve as the operational arms of the foundation's mission. The trustees appear to identify needs and create or support specific organizations to address them, rather than responding to applications from existing organizations.

Organizations seeking to connect with the foundation's work might consider:

• Partnerships or collaboration with Community Impact Network or Equity Homes on shared community development goals
• Engagement with the St. Louis philanthropic community where trustee networks operate
• Connection points through Washington University or Jewish Federation of St. Louis, where the Goldfarb family has historical philanthropic ties

However, there is no documented process for approaching the foundation directly for funding consideration.

Decision Timeline

Not applicable due to invitation-only grantmaking structure.

Success Rates

Not applicable. The foundation made 7 grants in 2024 and 3 grants in 2023, all to preselected organizations.

Reapplication Policy

Not applicable as there is no public application process.

Application Success Factors

Given the foundation's closed grantmaking approach, traditional "success factors" do not apply. However, analysis of their grantmaking reveals several strategic priorities:

Focus on Systemic Impact: The foundation's largest investments go to organizations that create infrastructure for broader community change rather than direct service delivery alone. The Community Impact Network receives the majority of annual funding to coordinate and support other nonprofit efforts.

Multi-Year Strategic Partnerships: Rather than making one-time grants, the foundation appears to make sustained, substantial investments in a small number of organizations over many years. Major recipients like Community Impact Network and Equity Homes receive ongoing support.

Geographic Concentration: The foundation has shown particular interest in the inner-ring suburbs of North St. Louis County, especially areas within the Normandy School District, which includes some of the region's most economically challenged communities.

Connection to Founder's Values: The foundation continues to support causes important to Alvin Goldfarb during his lifetime, including Jewish community organizations (Jewish Federation of St. Louis), education (Washington University), and healthcare/nursing education.

Affordable Housing as Core Strategy: Through Equity Homes, the foundation has committed significant resources to building and rehabilitating single-family homes in underserved areas, offering them with $1,000 down payments to make homeownership accessible.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

• No public application process exists - The foundation operates exclusively through preselected grantees and does not accept unsolicited proposals
• Extremely limited number of grantees - With only 3-7 grants made annually from $374 million in assets, this is a highly concentrated funding model
• Focus on created entities - The foundation appears to create and fund its own organizations (Community Impact Network, Equity Homes) rather than support existing nonprofits in most cases
• St. Louis metro area only - All funding is concentrated in the greater St. Louis region, particularly North County communities
• Long-term relationships over one-time grants - Major recipients receive multi-million dollar, ongoing support rather than single-year grants
• Professional management with family oversight - The foundation is managed by a professional trustee (Jean M. Cody) with oversight from family member Robert Goldfarb
• Private foundation model - As a 501(c)(3) private foundation, it operates under different rules than community foundations or public charities and has no obligation to accept outside applications

References

• Grantmakers.io Profile - Alvin Goldfarb Foundation. https://www.grantmakers.io/profiles/v0/431621937-alvin-goldfarb-foundation/ (Accessed January 2026)
• ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer - Alvin Goldfarb Foundation (EIN 43-1621937). https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/431621937 (Accessed January 2026)
• St. Louis Jewish Light. "Major philanthropist Alvin Goldfarb passes away." https://stljewishlight.org/news/news-local/major-philanthropist-alvin-goldfarb-passes-away/ (Accessed January 2026)
• Washington University in St. Louis - The Source. "Obituary: Alvin Goldfarb, 91, WUSTL benefactor." https://source.washu.edu/2008/10/obituary-alvin-goldfarb-91-wustl-benefactor/ (Accessed January 2026)
• St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "Top Page adviser leaves St. Louis County government to head foundation." https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/top-page-adviser-leaves-st-louis-county-government-to-head-foundation/ (Article discussing Community Impact Network and Alvin Goldfarb Foundation connections) (Accessed January 2026)
• St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "New homes on cusp in Wellston. But developer struggles to win resident support." https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/metro/new-homes-on-cusp-in-wellston-but-developer-struggles-to-win-resident-support/ (Article discussing Equity Homes and Alvin Goldfarb Foundation) (Accessed January 2026)