While the St. Louis-based Danforth Foundation closed its doors on May 31, its vision of strengthening local institutions will live on, the St. Louis Beacon reports.

Few residents of the region seem to be concerned about the future of philanthropy in St. Louis, in part because the foundation, over its eight-plus decades of existence, made many endowment gifts, but also because its legacy is not merely financial. "The exit of the Danforth Foundation shouldn't be seen as a deficit, where there now exists a void," Mary McMurtrey, president of the Gateway Center for Giving, told the Beacon, "but rather as an opportunity to see how an effective foundation strengthens a community so that when and if it ceases to operate, it doesn't leave an operational void but rather a legacy of capacity."

Founded in 1927 by William H. Danforth with (among other assets) $100,000 in stock in Ralston Purina, the company he founded, the foundation initially provided support for educational institutions, summer camp scholarships, teaching improvement programs, and training for future community leaders that emphasized moral, spiritual, and religious development. Following Danforth's death in 1955, the foundation's focus shifted to local institutions, notably Washington University and St. Louis University, then to K-12 education and educational disparities in urban areas.

Starting in the 1990s the foundation strengthened its focus on local issues and causes, including support for efforts to restore the metro area's biggest park, create a new park at the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri rivers, and revive the downtown core. During its final years, the foundation also emphasized development of the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center, which received a $70 million grant in January — the foundation's final major gift. In June, the foundation awarded its last $500,000 grant to Joplin Tomorrow, which will provide low- or no-interest loans to businesses willing to relocate to the Missouri community devastated by a deadly tornado in May.

"I don't think there was ever any interest in the Danforth Foundation itself being a permanent institution," said former Sen. John Danforth (R-MO), a grandson of the founder. "What is better for St. Louis, to have a foundation that just goes on and on, or to have institutions which are strong and which are world-class? That's certainly true of Washington University, and we believe it will be true of the Plant Science Center. It's better to do big things than to keep yourself going."