St. Louis County Parks Foundation

What it reported doing in 2025

Capital improvement projects are the primary purpose of the st. Louis county parks foundation. The foundation raises and stewards private, public, and philanthropic support to care for, restore, activate, and enhance st. Louis county parks, creating programmatic impact in the following funding priority areas: (1) park equity - st. Louis county parks are public assets that should be accessible, welcoming, and beneficial to communities across the region. The foundation supports park improvements in high-need areas to expand access to quality green space, recreation, and community gathering places. In 2025, this priority included support for the revitalization of kinloch park, a major investment in a historically significant community park. (2) recreation - parks provide places for residents to gather, play, learn, and connect with one another. The foundation supports improvements that enhance recreational opportunities and create destinations for families, children, and visitors throughout the county park system. In 2025, this included support for the new outdoor classroom at the queeny park children's garden club and the construction of the abe phillips trail at greensfelder park. (3) historic preservation - st. Louis county parks include historically and culturally significant buildings, landscapes, and places that help tell the story of the region. The foundation supports projects that preserve these assets for public benefit and future generations. In 2025, this included preservation work at nims mansion in bee tree park and african school no. 4 in faust park, as well as support for the wall that heals at jefferson barracks. (4) environmental stewardship - the foundation supports projects that enhance natural landscapes, strengthen ecological value, and promote long- term stewardship of the county park system. In 2025, this included establishing a new oak grove at queeny park, planting native trees, and installing a bioretention basin with native plants at kinloch park.

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 100%; rating input score 100
• Program expense ratio: 94.4%; rating input score 94
• Fundraising efficiency: $72.57 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 81; 81st percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: Limited
• Foreign activity oversight: Limited
• Grant itemization coverage: 99.6%; rating input score 100; 53rd percentile among comparable filings
• Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
• Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

• Independent voting board: 100%; rating input score 100; 64th percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 3 of 7 controls in place; rating input score 43
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
  • Whistleblower policy: Fail
  • Document-retention policy: Fail
  • CEO compensation review process: NotApplicable
  • Other executive compensation review process: NotApplicable
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Missing
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Fail

Sustainability

• Operating margin: -24.8%; rating input score 5; 5th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.85; rating input score 38; 38th percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0; rating input score 88; 88th percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 0%; rating input score 78; 78th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 108.4% per year; rating input score 100; 99th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 25.3% per year; rating input score 100; 88th percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 31.2% per year; rating input score 100; 90th percentile among comparable filings