Dana Brown Charitable Trust
At a glance
Key takeaways
- This Trust funds 501(c)(3) organisations in the St. Louis MO-IL Metro Area that serve financially disadvantaged children up to age 18, particularly through wildlife and zoology education or animal-related support such as mental health, support and community building.
- A typical request should sit between $10,000 and $60,000, as about eight in ten grants fall in that band, with a median grant of $25,000; half of all grants were $25,000 or less.
- Applications follow a two-stage process with fixed deadlines: submit a Letter of Intent first, and only invited organisations go on to complete a full application in the following cycle.
- Around 37% of grant dollars went to organisations it had already funded the previous year, suggesting it also builds relationships with grantees over time once a first grant is made.
- Organisations must have operated for at least four years and hold 501(c)(3) status, and the Trust does not fund individuals, feasibility studies, endowments, requests from Supporting Organizations, or capital campaign requests from a new or never-funded organisation.
Overview
Dana Brown Charitable Trust is a US private foundation administered by its trustee, US Bank NA, in Eagan, MN.
What they fund
Profile derived from the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings (TY2024, TY2023, TY2022) and its website, with every statement checked against those sources. Sources read on 7 October 2026.
Priority Areas
The Trust supports qualifying 501(c)(3) organisations serving financially disadvantaged children up to age 18 in the St. Louis metropolitan area. It focuses on education that enables children to expand their knowledge of the world and nature through programmes featuring wild animals and zoology. It also considers animal-related programmes that provide services and resources for financially disadvantaged children, particularly in mental health, support and community building. Organisations must have operated for at least four years and provide programming or projects that support the Trust’s mission. The Trust favours high-impact, low-risk funding and places importance on collaboration with other non-profits; it focuses on programmes and projects, generally preferring immediate needs over long-term possibilities. Its grants are made to public charities with qualified 501(c)(3) status.
Themes
- Disadvantaged children
- Wildlife education
- Animal-related support
Geographic Focus
St. Louis MO-IL Metro Area: St. Louis, St. Louis County, St. Charles County and 14 more places; St. Louis, Missouri-Illinois metropolitan statistical area (MSA).
What They Don't Fund
- Individuals
- Feasibility studies
- Endowments
- Requests from Supporting Organizations
- Capital campaign requests from a new/Never-funded organization
- Organizations that have not been operating for at least four (4) years
- Organizations without tax-exempt status under IRS sections 501(c)(3)
How to apply
Organisations submit a Letter of Intent; the Committee reviews it and invites selected organisations to complete the full grant application.
Deadlines:
- Spring-cycle Letters of Intent are accepted from January 1 to February 12.
- Fall-cycle Letters of Intent are accepted from July 1 to August 20.
- Invited Spring-cycle applicants submit full applications from March 24 to April 28.
- Invited Fall-cycle applicants submit full applications from September 20 to October 22.
Application success factors
- Repeat giving: In its TY2024 filing, 37% of its grant dollars to organisations went to organisations it had also funded in its TY2023 filing.
- Grant size: Across its TY2023 and TY2024 filings, half of its 192 grants to organisations were $25,000 or less.
What the foundation says:
- The Trust favours high-impact, low-risk funding and values organisations that collaborate with other non-profits.
- Applicants should share their full mission statement and show that the project serves only children up to age 18.
Where grants go
From grants to organisations in the foundation’s filings for tax years 2022–2024.
Grant dollars by state
- The largest single recipient received 12% of grant dollars to organisations.
- In tax year 2024, 37% of grant dollars went to organisations Dana Brown Charitable Trust had funded in earlier filings.
- No grants were paid directly to organisations outside the US.
- <1% of grant dollars went to intermediaries that regrant to other organisations.
Grants
How much do they typically give?
Share of 113 grants in tax year 2024 by size
Median $22,500 (tax year 2024)
The largest grants to organisations in the foundation’s latest filing:
- Saint Louis Zoo Association · General operating$500,0002024 tax year
- Cardinal Glennon Children's Foundation · General operating$485,7142024 tax year
- ST Louis Childrens Hospital · General operating$250,0002024 tax year
- Ranken Jordan Pediatric Bridge · General operating$250,0002024 tax year
- Sheldon Arts Foundation · General operating$200,0002024 tax year
- Saint Louis Symphony · General operating$110,0002024 tax year
- International Institute of Saint Louis · General operating$101,5002024 tax year
- A Million Stars · General operating$65,0002024 tax year
Grants to organisations listed in the foundation’s Form 990-PF filings. Grants to individuals are not shown.
Officers and directors
- Cathy Rhae Yancey — Executive Director
- Daniel D Watt — Co-Trustee
- Lela G Rice — Co-Trustee
From the latest Form 990-PF filing
3 years of tax filings
| Year | Total expenses | Grants paid | Assets | Filing document |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 tax year | $3,954,868 | $3,185,039 | $76,450,410 | Filing for 2022 tax year |
| 2023 tax year | $4,440,377 | $3,534,309 | $83,907,387 | Filing for 2023 tax year |
| 2024 tax year | $5,424,874 | $4,512,063 | $88,704,105 | Filing for 2024 tax year |
Figures from the foundation’s IRS Form 990-PF filings. Assets are at fair market value at year end. The document icon links to each year’s filing on ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer.
Sources
Registers and filings
Other sources
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At a glance
Applying to Dana Brown Charitable Trust?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- (314) 505-8204
- rhae.yancey@thedbct.org
- Eagan, MN (office of its trustee, US Bank NA)
- danabrowncharitabletrust.org
Applying to Dana Brown Charitable Trust?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- (314) 505-8204
- rhae.yancey@thedbct.org
- Eagan, MN (office of its trustee, US Bank NA)
- danabrowncharitabletrust.org