A unique aspect of Arch Grants is their offering of non-dilutive grants, allowing Founders to maintain control of their companies upon relocating to St. Louis.

Business Journal
Originally Published on St. Louis Inno
In the realm of economic development, the influence of strategic funding initiatives can be likened to the ripple effect caused by casting stones into a pond. Each grant, regardless of its size, has the potential to create waves of change across the community. However, the art lies in identifying and leveraging grants that, akin to denser stones, yield disproportionately larger ripples of impact. This endeavor, central to the mission of organizations like Arch Grants in St. Louis, involves a meticulous search for opportunities that promise greater returns for similar investments. When successful, these initiatives are transformational.
This concept has been vividly illustrated in St. Louis, where the economic landscape has undergone a substantial shift, driven by a strong emphasis on entrepreneurship. This shift can be largely attributed to the innovative model pioneered by Arch Grants, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, in 2012. Their approach has become a blueprint for cities nationwide, demonstrating the critical role of entrepreneurship in shaping future economies.
In recent years, Arch Grants has intensified efforts to de-risk entrepreneurial opportunities in the city, particularly through their Growth Grants program. This initiative serves as an excellent example of how innovative nonprofit strategies can significantly impact regional entrepreneurship.
Launched in spring 2021, the Growth Grants program builds on Arch Grants’ mission to foster a new, inclusive, and equitable economy in St. Louis by offering startups previously supported by Arch Grants the chance to reapply for additional funding of $100,000, aiding in their growth and impact in the region.
The application process for the program is comprehensive and stringent, necessitating detailed financial records, business plans, and evidence of matching funds. This rigorous approach helps Arch Grants invest in companies that have the potential to not only be industry changemakers, but impactful institutions in the city of St. Louis.
Arch Grants views the Growth Grants program as part of its broader goal to cultivate a self-sustaining economic environment in St. Louis, measuring its success by the growth and positive regional impact of the supported companies.
The program’s effectiveness is highlighted through testimonials from Founders of Growth Grants recipients like GiftAMeal, TCARE, Native Pet, and Inclusively, revealing not only the practical benefits to startup Founders but also the wider socio-economic contributions to St. Louis.
GiftAMeal’s Founder, Andrew Glantz, credits the Growth Grant with significantly expanding their operations, allowing them to scale from 250 restaurants to almost 1,000 in 37 states, while Dan Schaefer of Native Pet emphasized the grant’s impact on their local team expansion and integration into St. Louis’s community.
TCARE, a startup serving caregivers, has seen major growth in St. Louis in parallel to massive nationwide expansion. Founder and CEO Ali Ahmadi elaborates on how the Growth Grant has been instrumental in the company’s evolution: “The grant played a crucial role in TCARE’s journey, allowing us to attract top talent and expand our services. This funding helped us enhance our operational excellence and expand our customer base by providing caregivers with personalized, effective care plans. Additionally, the grant underscored our position as a thought leader in the caregiving space and helped us garner investor confidence, which is pivotal for a growing enterprise. Our decision to establish in St. Louis was strategic, leveraging the city’s ability to attract skilled professionals and its central location, which has been invaluable for customer engagement.”

TCARE Founder and CEO Ali Ahmadi
Sarah Bernard, Co-Founder of Inclusively, discusses how the Growth Grant enabled a strategic shift at the workforce inclusion solutions startup:
“The funding from Arch Grants was pivotal in expanding our product offering, allowing us to cater to a broader range of personal needs in the workforce. Initially focused on people with disabilities, the grant empowered us to scale our technology to address more extensive enterprise challenges. The support from the St. Louis startup ecosystem, particularly Arch Grants, has been invaluable in our journey, helping us in various facets from fundraising to forming beneficial partnerships.”

Sarah Bernard, founder of Inclusively
This tradition of success is set to be continued by the latest 2023 Growth Grants recipients, Printerior and WingXpand. These companies, choosing to establish their headquarters north of Delmar Boulevard, reflect the mission of Arch Grants to revitalize and transform the entire St. Louis community. By basing their operations in this area, Printerior and WingXpand are not just investing in their own growth, they’re becoming catalysts for positive change, potentially inspiring other businesses to contribute to the area’s redevelopment and economic uplift.
Printerior intends to utilize the grant to enhance their workforce and infrastructure, aiming to revolutionize the field of large-scale 3D printing and eco-friendly materials while becoming a key player in the burgeoning advanced manufacturing industry in the area. Trent Esser, Co-Founder and CEO of Printerior, commented, “Receiving this grant is a significant boost for us. It will enable us to broaden our capabilities and strengthen our position in the rapidly evolving advanced manufacturing sector in St. Louis, while supporting the community we’ve based our operations within.
“Similarly, WingXpand’s innovative drone technology is poised to transform sectors like wildfire management, public safety, defense, and agriculture, demonstrating how technological innovation can have a far-reaching and positive social impact.
Much like the Startup Competition, the Growth Grants program was unproven when it launched three years ago, but it has demonstrated a profound impact since its inception. The program has awarded $1.6 million to 16 companies, leading to significant economic contributions in St. Louis, including over $50 million in revenue, more than $57 million in follow-on funding, and the creation of 174 local jobs, representing significant impact on the St. Louis community and business environment. This success is a testament to the program’s effectiveness in fostering a sustainable entrepreneurial environment and its furtherance of the organization’s overall mission.
As they look to the future, Arch Grants remains committed to nurturing startups that not only drive economic growth but also embody the spirit of innovation and community development. They model their mindset on the startups they support; an organization not afraid to take risks when it becomes necessary for progress. Through strategic funding, rigorous selection, and continuous support, they have managed to create a ripple effect of growth, innovation, and community development in St. Louis. The Growth Grants program’s success stories, from GiftAMeal’s social impact to WingXpand’s broad applicability to many important sectors, represent the fulfillment of Arch Grants’ mission: to champion startups that will build a more innovative, vibrant, and equitable economy in St. Louis.
Visit Arch Grants’ website to learn more about their impact, and join their mission to transform the St. Louis economy.
Arch Grants disrupted the status quo in 2012 with a mission to transform the St. Louis economy by attracting and retaining extraordinary entrepreneurs. Through their annual Startup Competition model, they award $75,000 – $100,000 in equity-free grants and access to an ecosystem of resources to 20-25 early-stage startups each year.
Jonathan Allen publishes Entrepreneur Quarterly (EQ), a blog about startup ecosystems. Originally from London, UK, he relocated to St. Louis after receiving an Arch Grant. Spanning a 20-year career launching multiple startups, his previous ventures include co-founding a two-time Inc. 5000 listed (2019-2020) digital marketing agency in New York.