The Bridge Foundation Development Corporation (BFDC) transforms lives in St. Clair County, Illinois, through economic development, affordable housing, and restoration of the natural environment. The organization’s focus is the city of East St. Louis, whose poverty rate is more than double that of St. Clair County as a whole. Founded during the COVID pandemic, BFDC set out to tackle challenges such as the area’s high unemployment rate and housing affordability, with a focus on veterans. “One of our board members is a veteran, and we knew housing was a big need for them,” says president Kendra Fipps. The area is also subject to flooding and, with ten chemical plants in its midst, pollution from chemicals like polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) that are toxic to people and the environment. To revitalize its community, the Bridge Foundation is rolling out programs to help veterans access benefits, ignite veteran entrepreneurship, boost financial literacy, build homes, and restore the community’s environmental health.
The Bridge Foundation’s staff and volunteers reflect the community it serves, which is 98% African American. In 2024, they launched Vets Unite, a lively event where vets connected, enjoyed free food and soul-stirring gospel music, and got expert help accessing the benefits they’ve earned. BFDC also plans to build an affordable housing development for veterans, featuring a playhouse-style space where nurses and physical therapists provide services to vets. The local community struggles with financial literacy, so BFDC ran a golf mentorship program for youth called Amateur Swing. “[It taught] financial literacy, personal leadership, and public speaking, and we backed it with the hook of golf,” Fipps says. More than 200 kids benefitted from the program, which is being revived. To protect the community’s natural environment, BFDC hopes to spearhead projects such as a flood assessment. The group has also extended its reach internationally—to Kuntaur, in the Gambia—with Cycle for Success, which promotes gender equality. Working with the local mayor, they’ve donated 500+ feminine napkin packages to 260+ girls in five schools, to help keep them in school.
