The St. Louis Development Corporation has awarded Annie Malone Children and Family Services a $1 million grant to help pay for repairs at its headquarters in the Ville neighborhood of north St. Louis.
Annie Malone, which has struggled to raise enough funds to stabilize its finances, canceled its May Day Parade, scheduled for May 18. The annual parade is the organization's primary fundraiser.
SLDC has allotted an additional $10,000 from its sponsorship fund to Annie Malone if the organization chooses to hold the parade. The organization has not raised the necessary funds to do so and is calling for more donations.
“Annie Malone thanks SLDC for the $1 million grant towards much-needed building renovations for its headquarters,” said Angelia Bill, a spokesperson for Annie Malone.
Deion Broxton, vice president of communications and public affairs for SLDC, said the money comes from the North City Grant Program.
“We know that Annie Malone is going through a tough financial period right now, but we hope that this million dollars will help with the building, and it will also encourage other people to help out as well,” Broxton said.
Annie Malone originally applied for $15 million, but the SLDC worked with the organization to revise its application so it could receive a smaller sum rather than be rejected.
The SLDC has to spend the remaining $37 million allotted to the North City Grant Program by the end of 2026 and is in the process of awarding the rest of the money to local organizations.
The program is funded by money from the American Rescue Plan Act passed during the Biden administration in 2021.
Annie Malone launched a capital campaign called “Annie Malone: 136 Years of Impact — Join US in Changing Lives.” It calls for a million people to donate $136 each.
