Each year, 90,000 St. Louis area children cannot afford basic school supplies necessary to succeed in their education. KidSmart's impact is paramount to improving children's access to a quality education and future. KidSmart believes that every child, regardless of age, race or socioeconomic background, deserves daily access to the most critical tools needed to empower learning and success in school.

KidSmart is a non-for-profit organization based in St. Louis, MO. KidSmart was founded in 2000 by a local educator who left the classroom, and in 2002, opened Missouris first and only free educational supply store, known as the The KidSmart Free Store. KidSmart has built a community-wide collaboration, which provides critical, stable educational resources for tens of thousands of students whose families live in poverty.

Throughout each school year, KidSmart distributes millions of school supplies to students in need. The 2019-2020 school year was a big, transitional year for KidSmart. Having reached full capacity in the space occupied for 17 years, leadership looked to secure a larger, permanent home, and in August 2019, KidSmart closed on a 34,500 square foot building on 5.6 acres of land in Maryland Heights, MO! The organization is beginning what will be a complete renovation and build-out later this year.