Grants

Purpose of the Dana Brown Charitable Trust

Grants

2022 Agencies Awarded Grants

Since 1994, we’ve been on an adventure with the St. Louis community: a shared journey towards a common goal.

When we make grants, we’re going on an expedition to see what we can really accomplish, together.

The outcome of our adventure is opportunity, the chance to have a strong positive impact on those who are least capable of helping themselves: children and animals.

We believe positive change takes courage and ambition. Our grant recipients embrace their desire to have a strong positive impact on society. We are honored to walk alongside these organizations as they seize possibilities, turn them into outcomes, and pioneer for a better St. Louis.

Grant Rules and Deadlines

Dates and Timelines


Spring Cycle Deadlines

  • Letter of Intent submission entries between January 1st – March 4th @ 10:00 PM CST
  • Charitable organizations are invited to submit grant applications entries between April 1st – May 13th @ 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 1st – September 2nd @ 10:00pm CST
  • Charitable organizations invited to submit grant applications entries between October 1st – November 18th @ 10:00 PM CST  
  • Organizations who received grant funding, progress report due October 30th the following year

In the event the Grantmaking Committee is interested in pursuing your funding request, you will receive an invitation to apply for the upcoming grant cycle. The invitation will include detailed instructions about how and where to apply.

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 13th (Spring) or November 18th (Fall) depending on the grant cycle you are invited to apply for.

If you receive a grant from The Dana Brown Charitable Trust you will be required to complete an end-of-year progress report within 10 months of the initial notice you’ve been awarded a grant. This progress report is now a form that will be requested, and you must log in to your organization’s site to complete the full or interim report for the grant awarded. Deadlines for progress reports are as follows:

  • If you received a grant during our Spring grant cycle (June), your progress report is due on April 30th.
  • If you received a grant during our Fall grant cycle (December), your progress report is due by October 30th.

Rules and Regulations

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. Your grant request will be required to satisfy the above expectations. Specifically:

  • Your funding request must directly positively impact the health, education, and welfare of underprivileged/economically disadvantaged children or the health and welfare of animals.
  • Your funding request must be allocated for organizations in the St. Louis, Missouri – Illinois Metro Area. Visit our Frequently Asked Questions section to see what counties this includes.

Additionally, 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.

Scope of Grants

The Dana Brown Charitable Trust is not an operating charitable foundation. Its purpose is to disburse funds to public charities that are presently recognized as qualified 501(c)(3) organizations for accomplishment of the Trust’s charitable purposes.

Accordingly, grants will not be made directly to individuals. In addition, the Grantmaking Committee may wish to make grants directly to the charitable organizations that will utilize the funds and, therefore, generally will not consider requests of Supporting Organizations. Grants will not be awarded for feasibility studies. Multi-year grants will be considered, but the fulfillment of immediate needs will generally be preferred over long-term possibilities.

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 2017 grant cycle, you cannot submit another Letter of Intent until Spring 2018.

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.)

Equality of Opportunity

Dana Brown rejected the treatment of human beings on the basis of race, religion, national origin, or gender. It is a purpose of The Dana Brown Charitable Trust to act accordingly.

Applications and Conditions for Grants

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 apply. This form must be completed on The Dana Brown Charitable Trust website and Letters of Intent will only be considered after receipt by the Trust of a fully completed Letter of Intent application and all additional information requested on the application or by the Grantmaking Committee.

Who We Serve

The Dana Brown Charitable Trust views our journey as a philanthropic adventure where the outcome is opportunity. We provide organizations the chance to have a strong positive impact on the St. Louis region specifically for those who are least capable of helping themselves: children and animals.

Recipient Showcase