Springboard has nearly 100 years of combined history in the St. Louis area. It is the result of the 2006 merger of two organizations: Springboard to Learning and Young Audiences of St. Louis. In 2009, the combined organization adopted the name Springboard. It is the St. Louis affiliate of Young Audiences Arts for Learning.

Springboard to Learning was founded in 1965 when Elise R. Schweich began sharing the cultures of other lands with St. Louis students. After several successful programs, Schweich realized that students would also benefit from enrichment lessons in the arts, the sciences, and the humanities. From its inception, Springboard to Learning focused on children living in poverty and attending underserved schools.

Young Audiences of St. Louis was founded in 1958 to bring classical music to school auditoriums and began its rich history of integrating arts into the curricula of elementary and secondary schools throughout the metropolitan area. In 1991, Arts Partners was launched. The Arts Partners program brings together schools, Young Audiences roster artists and cultural resources in the community to support schools’ curricular goals through customized programming for students and professional development for teachers.