Dana Brown, a philanthropist, committed to helping fund organizations which provide for “the health, education, and welfare of disadvantaged children and the health and welfare of animals in the St. Louis Metro area,” established a trust that would carry out this work after he died.
He passed away on October 21, 1994, and the Dana Brown Charitable Trust (DBCT) was created and has been managed by Mercantile Trust Company (now U.S. Bank) for nearly thirty years. Non-profit 501(c)(3) organizations, with missions that align with DBCT’s, are eligible for DBCT grants.
The deadline for letters of intent to be considered for the spring grant cycle is Monday March 4, 2024, 10 p.m. (central). Letters of intent for the fall funding cycle are due by September 2, 2024, also at 10 p.m. (central).
The review process has been modified. A group of eight individuals comprised of non-profit and business leaders in the St. Louis community has been recruited to independently review grants during the year. Four (4) members of the review committee will be assigned to each grant cycle and their duties and responsibilities include inviting organizations to apply, reviewing letters of intent, and allocating funds.
The review committee in made up of the following individuals:
1. Rachel Broom, Consultant at the Rome Group, Chief Development Officer at Center for HumanServices – Missouri
2. Kim Buie, Chief Financial Officer of Youth in Need
3. Dr. Tullia Hamilton, former executive director of St. Louis Community Foundation
4. Quintinus Henry – Chief Innovation Officer of a SaaS IoT company
5. Rory James, Diversity, Equity, Accessibility & Inclusion (DEAI) Director at the Saint Louis Zoo
6. Jan Rasmussen-McBride, former Chief Development Officer of St. Patrick’s Center
7. Karlos Ramirez, currently serves as Vice President of Latino Outreach at the International Institute of St. Louis
8. Steve Zwolak, former Executive Director, now Emeritus, of University City Childcare Center (UCCC).
The Dana Brown Charitable Trust awards $3.2 – 4.1 million annually during the Fall and Spring grant cycles.
For more information, please go to: https://www.danabrowncharitabletrust.org/. You will be asked to register your charitable organization through the U.S. Bank – Dana Brown Charitable Trust Online Portal and create an account in order to create your login credentials. Once registered, you will have access to the Letter of Intent Online Document.
