David and Thelma Steward
/NET WORTH: $3 billion
SOURCE OF WEALTH: World Wide Technology
FUNDING AREAS: Arts & Culture, Health, Human Services, Education & Youth, Religious
OVERVIEW: David Steward and his wife Thelma move philanthropy through the Steward Family Foundation, which gave away around $8.3 million in a recent year. Missouri serves as an important region of giving. The couple recently made a $1.3 million gift to the University of Missouri-St. Louis.
BACKGROUND: David L. Steward graduated with a bachelor’s in business management from Central Missouri State University. He held various senior level management positions with Wagner Electric, Missouri Pacific Railroad and Federal Express Corporation. In 1990, Steward launched World Wide Technology, a market-leading systems integrator and supply chain solutions provider, whose customers include Citi, Verizon and the federal government.
ISSUES:
ARTS & CULTURE: The Stewards donated $1.3 million to the University of Missouri-St. Louis in 2018 to create the David and Thelma Steward Institute for Jazz Studies. They have a passion for music and Steward has said: “Jazz is one of the original music forms in America and it was pioneered by persons of color—and that’s significant.” Other grantees have included St. Louis Symphony, St. Louis Art Museum, Sheldon Arts Foundation, Opera Theatre of St. Louis, Museum Associates, Jazz St. Louis, and Jazz at Lincoln Center.
HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES: The Stewards have given large sums to places like American Heart Association, Barnes Jewish Hospital Foundation, and United Way of Greater St. Louis, where Steward is on the board. Other grantees have included SSM St. Mary’s Health Center Foundation, Missouri Baptist Healthcare Foundation, Mercy Health Foundation, and St. Louis Arc, which “provides a lifetime of high-quality services, family support, and advocacy to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.”
EDUCATION & YOUTH: Grantees have included Webster University; Variety, the Children's Charity; Wyman Center, which aims to “empower teens from economically disadvantaged circumstances to lead successful lives and build strong communities”; Westminster College; St. Louis Public Schools Foundation; Missouri Colleges Fund; and Mary Institute and Country Day School.
OTHER: The Stewards are devoted Methodists, which is reflected in some of their philanthropy. They’ve supported Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and Ezra Ministries, among others. The Steward Family Foundation and the World Wide Technology Foundation made a gift to the United Methodist Foundation to help “Missouri’s pastors and congregations move from financial stress to financial ministry.” They’ve also supported organizations that work for/in the black community, such as Urban League of Metro St. Louis.
LOOKING FORWARD: Expect the family to stick with established interests for now. Down the line, their daughters, including Kimberly, an Oscar nominated producer, should be watched for philanthropic interests.
CONTACT:
Steward Family Foundation
2200 West Port Plaza Drive No 203
St. Louis, MO 63146
