FAQs

Purpose and Eligibility

What is the purpose of The Dana Brown Charitable Trust?

The PRIMARY purpose of The Dana Brown Charitable Trust is to provide for the Health, education and welfare  of underprivileged/economically disadvantaged children in the St. Louis, Missouri Metropolitan area and the health & welfare of animals in the St. Louis, Missouri Metropolitan area.

Who can apply for a grant?

Qualifying organizations must have tax-exempt status under IRS sections 501(c)(3) and
509(a)(1) or 509(a)(2).

Are organizations eligible to receive funding if they are located outside the vicinity of the St. Louis, Missouri metropolitan area?

Generally, The Dana Brown Charitable Trust considers grants within the entire St. Louis MO-IL Metro Area.

What is the St. Louis, Missouri metropolitan area?

In Missouri: St. Louis City, St. Louis County, St. Charles County, Jefferson County, Lincoln County, Warren County, Franklin County, and Washington County

In Illinois: Madison County, Monroe County, St. Clair County, Calhoun County, Jersey County, Clinton County, Macoupin County, and Bond County

Are grants awarded to 509(a)(3) supporting organizations or private foundations?

No. We do NOT fund 509(a)(3) supporting organizations, private foundations, or private operating foundations.

Are grants awarded to individuals?

No, never.

Are grants awarded for feasibility studies?

No, never.

Are grants awarded for endowments?

Yes, but not as a general rule.

Are multi-year grants awarded?

Yes, but not as a general rule.

Can private schools K through 12 apply?

Yes, if your school meets the PRIMARY purpose of The Dana Brown Charitable Trust — to provide for  the health, education and welfare of underprivileged, economically disadvantaged children in the St. Louis, Missouri Metropolitan area.

Are there any additional focuses for The Dana Brown Charitable Trust that I should know about?

The Dana Brown Charitable Trust is focused on high-impact, low-risk funding and places high importance on those organizations that work collaboratively with other nonprofits.

Are there any restrictions on how frequently I can apply for funding from the Dana Brown Charitable Trust?

Yes. Regardless of whether or not your organization receives a grant from the Dana Brown Charitable Trust, you can only submit one Letter of Intent per year. That means, if you submit a Letter of Intent for the Spring 2021 grant cycle, you cannot submit another Letter of Intent until Spring 2022.

Additionally, if you are invited to submit a full grant application, regardless of whether or not you receive funding, you can still not submit a new Letter of Intent until the following year.

Finally, if you do receive funding from The Dana Brown Charitable Trust, you may not submit a new Letter of Intent until a full year after you’ve received your final grant-payment from The Dana Brown Charitable Trust. (Example: You receive your last award from The Dana Brown Charitable Trust on 10/01/17, you may not submit another Letter of Intent until after 10/01/18.)

Completing the Application

What is the first step to applying for a grant from The Dana Brown Charitable Trust?

In order to be invited to apply for funding from The Dana Brown Charitable Trust, you must first submit a Letter of Intent and be invited by the Grantmaking Committee to complete our full online grant application.

What is the deadline for my Letter of Intent?

Letters of Intent are due on March 4th for our Spring grant cycle and September 2nd for our Fall grant cycle.

Letters of Intent for our Spring grant cycle are accepted between December 1st and March 4th. Letters of Intent for our Fall grant cycle are accepted between July 1st and September 2nd. The LOI process will close at 10 pm (CST) on March 4th and September 2nd.

Will I be informed if I have not been invited to complete the Full Grant Application?

Yes. You will be informed. The Grantmaking committee meets within a month of the two respective LOI deadlines (March 4th for Spring and September 2nd for Fall) to review Letters of Intent. You will be notified shortly following that meeting if you’ve been invited to submit a full grant application.

Where and when do I submit my Full Grant Application?

After submitting your Letter of Intent and being invited by The Dana Brown Charitable Trust Grantmaking Committee to apply, you will receive further instructions on where and when to complete the full grant application. This detailed information will be communicated via email or written letter after the Grantmaking Committee reviews your Letter of Intent.

What are the deadlines for the Full Grant Application?

Spring Cycle Deadlines

  • Letter of Intent submission entries between January 1 – March 4th @ 10:00 PM CST
  • Charitable organizations invited to submit grant applications entries between April 1 – May 15 @ 10:00 PM CST
  • Organizations who received grant funding, progress report due April 30th the following year

Fall Cycle Deadlines

  • Letter of Intent submission entries between July 1 – September 2nd @ 10:00 PM CST
  • Charitable organizations invited to submit grant applications entries between October 1 – November 15 @ 10:00 PM CST  
  • Organizations who received grant funding, progress report due October 30th the following year

Can I submit my Letter of Intent, Full Grant Application, or Progress Report by mail?

No. ALL requests must be submitted through the appropriate portals on The Dana Brown Charitable Trust website.

Am I required to send in a copy of the organization's IRS 501(c)(3) Determination Letter?

Yes. Copies of the organization’s 501(c)(3) Determination Letter issued by the Internal Revenue Service will be submitted as a part of The Missouri Common Grant Application in the private online portal you’ll be provided upon being invited to submit to The Dana Brown Charitable Trust.

Do I need to have the application signed?

We request that all Full Grant Applications are signed as requested in The Missouri Common Grant Application. However, since our application process is entirely digital, we will accept digital signatures on these documents.

When will I be notified if I received a grant from The Dana Brown Charitable Trust?

You will receive notification if you received a grant from The Dana Brown Charitable Trust within one month of our Full Grant Application Deadlines which are May 15th (Spring) or November 15th (Fall).

Application Submission and Committee Review

What are the deadline dates?

Letters of Intent are due on March 4th for our Spring grant cycle and September 2nd for our Fall grant cycle.

As a point of reference, once invited, completed full-grant applications are to be submitted via our website using a private link provided by the Grantmaking Committee by May 15th (Spring) or November 15th (Fall) depending on the grant cycle you are invited to apply for.

 

How often does the Grantmaking Committee meet?

The Grantmaking committee meets as needed throughout the year, but has several pre-established meeting dates to review submitted application materials. Those meetings are as follows:

Spring
March: Letter of Intent Review
June: Full Application and Progress Report Review

Fall
September: Letter of Intent Review
December: Full Application and Progress Report Review

When is the fiscal year of The Dana Brown Charitable Trust?

The fiscal year of the Trust runs from July 1 to June 30.

My organization RECEIVED a grant last year. When can we reapply?

Whether or not your Letter of Intent or Grant Application has been accepted, you must wait 12 months before reapplying for funding from the Dana Brown Charitable Trust.

My organization was DECLINED funding last year. When can we reapply?

Whether or not your Letter of Intent or Grant Application has been accepted, you must wait 12 months before reapplying for funding from the Dana Brown Charitable Trust.

Are there any additional actions I need to take if I am awarded a grant by The Dana Brown Charitable Trust?

The Dana Brown Charitable Trust requires that you submit an end-of-year Progress report within 10 months of your initial grant application. You will receive additional information about where and how to complete this Progress Report when you are notified of your award amount.

As a general rule, if you received a grant during our Spring grant cycle, your progress report is due by April 15th. If you received a grant during our Fall grant cycle your progress report is due by October 15th. Interim reports and financial accounting will also be required for multi-year projects.

Where do I submit my year-end Progress Report?

The portal to submit your year-end Progress Report is available through a private online portal at danabrowncharitabletrust.org. You will be provided a link to this private portal when you are notified of your award amount.

What are the components of the year-end Progress Report?

The Dana Brown Charitable Trust will provide a link to the Progress Report to be completed and uploaded via a private portal on our website.

Additional assets are as follows:

If your grant is for general operating expenditures, please submit your organization’s financial statements (Balance Sheet / Income and Expense Statement).

If your grant is for a specific project / program, please provide income and expenditure information compared to the budget initially proposed in your grant application.

Any program impact images you’d like to share with The Dana Brown Charitable Trust (up to four, limit 4mb per image file).

To begin the grant application process, please visit the grants page. For all other inquires, contact:

Rhae Yancey
tel: 314-250-5491
rhae.yancey@thedbct.org

The Dana Brown Charitable Trust

U.S. Bank Private Wealth Management

U.S. Bank Shaw Park Plaza

1 North Brentwood Blvd., Suite 1400

Clayton, MO 63105

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