Sturgis Charitable Trust

Quick Stats

• Annual Giving: ~$1.8M - $1.97M
• Success Rate: Not publicly available
• Decision Time: Not publicly disclosed
• Grant Range: ~$85,788 - $360,668
• Geographic Focus: Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas

Contact Details

• No official website found
• Trustee: Regions Bank
• Phone (Regions Bank Birmingham): (205) 264-5523
• Mailing Address: Regions Bank, Birmingham, AL 35202
• EIN: 20-6618761

Note: There is no public-facing contact for this trust. The trustee, Regions Bank, manages all administration.

Overview

The Sturgis Charitable Trust is a private independent foundation registered in Birmingham, Alabama, with tax-exempt status granted in May 2020. Administered by Regions Bank as corporate trustee, the trust holds assets of approximately $27.8 million and distributes roughly $1.8 to $2 million in grants annually. It operates across three states - Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas - with a consistent pattern of awarding exactly 10 grants per year to established charitable organizations across these regions.

Known beneficiaries include institutions of higher education, regional health foundations, and university-affiliated entities, including the University of Arkansas Foundation, Lincoln Health Foundation (Louisiana), and Louisiana Tech University Foundation. All grants identified have been designated for general operating support, suggesting the trust supports well-established anchor institutions rather than project-based or pilot initiatives.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Known award amounts (most recent fiscal year):

• University of Arkansas Foundation: $354,920 (General Operating)
• Lincoln Health Foundation: $180,344 (General Operating)
• Louisiana Tech University Foundation: $177,460 (General Operating)
• Other recipients: up to 7 additional organizations (names not publicly disclosed)

Total giving: $1,789,984 - $1,967,237 per year

Priority Areas

Based on NTEE categorization and confirmed grant recipients:

• Education: Colleges, universities, and university foundations
• Human Services: Community health and human service organizations
• Healthcare: Regional health foundations
• Philanthropy and Grantmaking: Support for philanthropic infrastructure

What They Don't Fund

No formal exclusions list has been published. Based on available evidence:

• No identified grants to arts or cultural organizations
• No identified project-specific or capital grants (all confirmed grants are general operating)
• No identified grants to organizations outside Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas
• No identified grants to individuals
• No identified grants to government entities

Governance and Leadership

Trustee: Regions Bank (Birmingham, Alabama)

Regions Bank serves as the sole corporate trustee for the Sturgis Charitable Trust. Regions Bank's Philanthropic Solutions division, led by Marcie Braswell, manages charitable trust administration services across a portfolio of private foundations. Braswell previously led Regions' Endowments and Foundations team within Regions Institutional Services and has nearly a decade of experience consulting with nonprofits and foundations.

Regions Bank receives annual trustee compensation from the Sturgis Charitable Trust of approximately $336,450 - $403,721 per year.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

This funder does not have a public application process.

The Sturgis Charitable Trust is a bank-administered charitable trust managed exclusively by Regions Bank as corporate trustee. There is no:

• Public website
• Published application form or guidelines
• Stated deadline or grant cycle
• Email address or phone number for prospective applicants

Grant decisions are made at the trustee's (Regions Bank's) discretion based on the terms of the trust document, which is not publicly available.

Getting on Their Radar

• Contact Regions Bank directly: As the sole trustee, Regions Bank's Philanthropic Solutions team in Birmingham, AL (1900 5th Avenue North, 26th Floor, Birmingham, AL 35203; tel. (205) 264-5523) is the only known point of contact for any inquiry about the trust.
• The trust targets anchor organizations: The University of Arkansas Foundation, Lincoln Health Foundation, and Louisiana Tech University Foundation are all substantial, established institutions. This pattern suggests the trust likely targets anchor organizations in its geographic focus states rather than emerging nonprofits.

Decision Timeline

No information is publicly available about decision timelines or notification processes.

Success Rates

No public data is available on success rates. With only 10 grants awarded per year and no public application process, this trust is effectively closed to unsolicited applications.

Reapplication Policy

No reapplication policy has been publicly documented.

Application Success Factors

Because this trust has no public application process and no published guidelines, formal "success factors" cannot be documented. However, the following observations are drawn directly from the trust's documented grant history:

• Institutional scale matters: Every confirmed recipient is a foundation or university-affiliated entity of significant size
• General operating support is the norm: All identified grants are for "General Operating" purposes, not restricted projects
• Geographic alignment is essential: All confirmed recipients are based in Arkansas, Louisiana, or Texas
• Sector focus is health and education: The confirmed recipients span higher education and healthcare

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

• No open application process exists: Direct outreach to Regions Bank's Philanthropic Solutions division in Birmingham is the only known pathway to engage
• The trust funds established institutions, not grassroots organizations: Every known recipient is a university foundation or regional health foundation of significant scale
• Geographic focus is Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas: Organizations outside these three states should not pursue this funder
• All confirmed grants are for general operating support: There is no evidence of project, capital, or endowment grant-making
• Only 10 grants are made annually: Competition for any slot that does open up would be extremely limited

References

• ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer - Sturgis Charitable Tr (EIN: 20-6618761): https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/206618761 - Financial data for fiscal years 2012-2025. Accessed February 2026.
• CauseIQ - Sturgis Charitable Trust Profile: https://www.causeiq.com/organizations/sturgis-charitable-trust-6555000016,206618761/ - Grant recipients and trustee information. Accessed February 2026.
• Instrumentl 990 Report - Sturgis Charitable Trust: https://www.instrumentl.com/990-report/sturgis-charitable-trust - Funding categories, geographic focus, grant statistics. Accessed February 2026.
• TheShareWay - Sturgis Charitable Trust: https://www.theshareway.com/funder/sturgis-charitable-62059 - Financial overview and median grant size. Accessed February 2026.
• Regions Bank - Philanthropic Solutions: https://www.regions.com/wealth-management/philanthropic-solutions/nonprofits-organizations - Details on trust administration services. Accessed February 2026.
• Regions Bank Press Release (2024): https://ir.regions.com/news-events/press-releases/news-details/2024/Creating-a-Legacy-Regions-Bank-Launches-Philanthropic-Solutions-Group - Leadership details. Accessed February 2026.