Building a Stronger Youth
Mental Health Workforce in St. Louis
Opportunities for bold change
The initial stages of this project prioritized the voices of youth, families, and professionals directly affected by the mental health workforce crisis.
Through extensive research, five critical challenges emerged as central to the barriers and disruptions within the mental health ecosystem of the St. Louis region. These interconnected challenges demand immediate attention to drive meaningful change.
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Advocacy and Policy Reform: Supporting change at federal, state, local, and institutional levels.
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Debt and Pay Inequities: Addressing financial burdens and ensuring competitive wages and reimbursements for youth mental health professionals.
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Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI): Promoting culturally responsive care through inclusive policies, practices, and programing.
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Pipeline Development: Expanding education, training, and early-career opportunities.
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Workforce Mental Wellbeing: Mitigating burnout and attrition to sustain a resilient workforce.
Call for Innovation and Collaboration
The foundation invites organizations with bold, visionary ideas to submit a Letter of Intent (LOI).
Eligible applicants include individuals, nonprofits, community groups, public institutions, and organizations with 501(c)(3) fiscal sponsorships serving the St. Louis region, wishing to expand to the St. Louis region, or desiring to partner with a St. Louis based organization. Each entity may submit up to three proposals.
Priority will be given to workforce initiatives that have the greatest potential to:
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Increase or safeguard availability of services to under-resourced geographies and populations.
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Address gaps in therapeutic modalities, age ranges, languages, or services.
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Result in changes to policies, practices, or systems that eliminate barriers to enter the field and/or increase retention of quality providers.
We know it will take a collective effort.
These are some of the many individuals and organizations who have contributed their resources, talents, and expertise to this important work.
Ashwini Kherdekar, MSW, LCSW
Barbara Ricci
Cara Merritt, MS, LPC
Claire Martin, PHD, LPC, NCC, ACS, BC-THM
Eddie McCaskill, LCSW, LPC
Evelyn Hernandez, MA, LPC
Hannah Sherrard
Heidi E. Suguitan, LPC
Intentional Philanthropy
Jerry Dunn, Ph.D.
John Constantino, MD
Keely Finney, MSW, LCSW
Latosha Fowlkes, LCSW
Lindsay Kyonka, LCSW
Michael P. Meehan, PHD
Mindful Philanthropy
Molly Brown, LPC
National Council of Family Philanthropy
Paisley Advising & Consulting
Paola (Poli) Rijos, MSW, LCSW
Paulette Foerster
Reneasha T. Ford, MPH, MFT
Riisa Rawlins
Sarah Oldmixon
St. Louis Community Foundation
Tiffany Lacy Clark, PHD
Tom Duff, LCSW
What got us here, and our hope for the future of youth mental healthcare and philanthropic support
About the Viragh Family Foundation
The Viragh Family Foundation (VFF) has existed as a family-led organization for over 20 years and is dedicated to improving lives by addressing evolving societal needs and fostering strategic partnerships. The work of VFF has always been to focus support on critical needs, improvements, or causes; in recent years, with the intention to shift outcomes in deeply rooted systemic issues, the foundation has come to understand that while redistributing large portions of these funds to the community, they also needed to engage and encourage other community, civic, and philanthropic partners to disrupt the status quo.
Philanthropy with Purpose
By centering the voices of underserved communities, this latest investment seeks to drive three areas of advancement for the St. Louis region:
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Long-term improvements in youth mental health services.
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Inspire other funders to deploy resources deliberately and strategically.
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Challenge outdated systems, including philanthropic models, to build a more equitable mental health workforce.
With a focus on youth mental health, VFF aims to expand access to quality care, particularly in marginalized and underserved communities of St. Louis. This commitment reflects a belief in philanthropy as a catalyst for systemic change, equity, and community well-being.
Igniting Philanthropic Partners
Every child deserves access to quality mental health services, yet systemic barriers have left too many without the support they need. Historically VFF has worked through the lens of anonymity with the goal of placing the attention on the important programs and dedicated service providers. With the critical need of this project, the Foundation's hope is that being more public with our intentions will show our commitment and ignite others to get behind these projects or discuss the role philanthropy plays in these complex systems.
Are you a funder who wants to collaborate or support this work? Is understanding the role philanthropy plays in these systems a conversation you want to participate in? We're always looking for ways to collaborate, connect, leverage, or pool resources.
If any of this sounds appealing to you, we'd love to chat. Please email us at viragh@intentionalphilanthropy.com.
The Team at VFF
The Viragh Family Foundation team is compromised of multiple generations of family board members, as well as various support staff, consultants, and advisors.
Our grants management team is made up of:
For questions, inquires, about the foundation or any support with this process, please don't hesitate to contact us at viragh@intentionalphilanthropy.com.
Additional Application Details
Application Details:
The application deadline is 5:00pm CST January 15, 2026. Applicants may submit up to three LOIs addressing one or more priority areas. Complete details on eligibility and submission requirements can be viewed here.
For inquiries regarding the LOI process, contact Casey Chamberlain at viragh@intentionalphilanthropy.com.
Viragh Family Foundation details:
The Viragh Family Foundation is a 501(c)(3) formed in 2001 by Albert P. (Skip) Viragh and his siblings. For all other grant purposes, the Viragh Family Foundation accepts grants on an invitation only basis. For more information about the Viragh Family Foundation or media inquiries, please contact Kate Perri at viragh@intentionalphilanthropy.com.
We're excited to hear your vision for shaping the
youth mental health landscape!
Want to stay updated with the progress of this work? Submit your information below and we'll be sure to include you on future communications.
The Viragh Family Foundation is a registered 501(c)(3) established in 2001.
For all grant purposes, the Viragh Family Foundation accepts grants on an invention only basis.
For more information about the Viragh Family Foundation or for media inquiries, please contact us at viragh@intentionalphilanthropy.com.