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Barnes-Jewish St. Peters & Progress West Foundation
April Giesmann chairs the Barnes-Jewish St. Peters & Progress West Foundation, directing corporate donations toward BJC HealthCare hospitals in St.
Barnes-Jewish St. Peters & Progress West Foundation
The Barnes-Jewish St. Peters & Progress West Foundation is the charitable arm supporting BJC HealthCare's clinical assets in St. Charles County, Missouri. Board Chair April Giesmann (Horner & Shifrin Inc.) and Vice Chair Missy Borchardt (Centene Corporation) lead a board that funnels corporate philanthropy from employers including Enterprise Holdings into local hospital infrastructure. The foundation directs donated capital toward three primary facilities: Barnes-Jewish St. Peters Hospital, Progress West Hospital, and Siteman Cancer Center's St. Peters location. Real estate and healthcare services dominate the deployment focus — donor funds underwrite facility improvements, clinical equipment, and patient assistance programs rather than traditional grantmaking to external nonprofits. Board governance links the foundation to the region's largest employers. Board Member Jeffrey Bretsch serves as a Vice President at Enterprise Holdings, while Borchardt's senior role at Centene Corporation connects the foundation to Missouri's largest publicly traded health insurer. No foundation staff headcount or total asset figures are publicly disclosed. Structurally, the foundation operates as an integrated fundraising vehicle rather than an independent grantmaking endowment. Its spending flows almost entirely to BJC-owned hospitals, making it a corporate philanthropy pass-through — distinct from community foundations that disburse competitive grants to multiple unaffiliated organizations.
General information
Firm type
Endowment / Foundation
Year founded
—
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
Saint Peters
Corporate office
Saint Peters, Missouri, United States
Principals
April Giesmann
Board Chair
Missy Borchardt
Board Vice Chair
Jeffrey Bretsch
Board Member
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Which hospitals does the Barnes-Jewish St. Peters & Progress West Foundation support?
The foundation exclusively supports three BJC HealthCare facilities in St. Charles County, Missouri: Barnes-Jewish St. Peters Hospital, Progress West Hospital, and Siteman Cancer Center's St. Peters location. All three are owned and operated by BJC HealthCare, the foundation's sole corporate member.
Who controls investment and grantmaking decisions at the foundation?
Governance rests with the board of directors. Chair April Giesmann (VP at Horner & Shifrin Inc.), Vice Chair Missy Borchardt (Senior Director at Centene Corporation), and board member Jeffrey Bretsch (VP at Enterprise Holdings) form the known leadership. The foundation does not publicly disclose an investment committee structure or external investment manager relationships.
Is the foundation an independent grantmaking entity or a hospital fundraising arm?
It functions as a hospital fundraising arm. Donated funds flow to BJC-owned facilities rather than to external grantees. The foundation is a supporting organization of BJC HealthCare, not a community foundation that issues competitive grants to multiple unaffiliated nonprofits.
What is the foundation's relationship to BJC HealthCare?
BJC HealthCare is the sole corporate member. The foundation exists to raise and steward charitable contributions designated for BJC's St. Charles County hospitals. It does not operate independently of the health system.
Do Centene and Enterprise Holdings contribute to the foundation beyond board participation?
Both firms have senior executives on the foundation board — Missy Borchardt at Centene and Jeffrey Bretsch at Enterprise Holdings — suggesting active corporate giving relationships. Specific contribution amounts are not publicly disclosed.
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