James S Mcdonnell Foundation
St Louis, MO · EIN 54-2074788. Reported 240 grants totalling $105.0M to 120 recipients across tax years 2021-2024. This foundation did not tell the IRS it funds only preselected organizations.
Does this foundation accept applications?
Yes -- on its own tax return. Form 990-PF asks every private foundation whether it makes grants only to organizations it selects itself. Of the 91,758 foundations in our data that made a grant and answered, 78% said yes -- and applying to those is wasted effort. James S Mcdonnell Foundation did not check that box on its most recent filing, which puts it in the minority that is at least open to being approached.
How big are its grants?
The median grant is $125,000. Half of everything it gave fell between $100,000 and $345,562; the smallest was $953 and the largest $27.6M. If you are asking for materially more than the top of that range, you are asking the wrong foundation.
Every organization it funded
This is the complete list from its filings, largest first. Recipients are grouped by name and state as they were written on the returns, so an organization entered under two different names appears twice. Years funded is the number of separate tax years in which that name received money.
| Organization | Location | Total received | Grants | Years funded | Last |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| See Attached | St Louis, MO | $27.6M | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| The Jsm Charitable Trust | St Louis, MO | $13.5M | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| St Louis Community Foundation | St Louis, MO | $5,275,820 | 12 | 1 | 2024 |
| Forest Park Forever Inc | St Louis, MO | $5,120,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Curators of the University of Missouri-St Louis on Behalf of the University | St Louis, MO | $4,073,168 | 6 | 1 | 2024 |
| Federation of American Scientists | Washington, DC | $2,250,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Biostl | Saint Louis, MO | $2,160,564 | 4 | 1 | 2024 |
| University of Washington | Seattle, WA | $1,601,732 | 4 | 3 | 2024 |
| Temple University | Philadelphia, PA | $1,549,499 | 5 | 2 | 2022 |
| University of California- Davis | Davis, CA | $1,492,276 | 5 | 2 | 2022 |
| Indiana University | Bloomington, IN | $1,327,953 | 6 | 2 | 2022 |
| University of Colorado | Boulder, CO | $1,316,812 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| University of Michigan | Ann Arbor, WI | $1,290,525 | 3 | 2 | 2022 |
| University of Pittsburgh | Pittsburgh, PA | $1,247,380 | 4 | 2 | 2022 |
| University of Pennsylvania | Philadelphia, PA | $1,240,507 | 4 | 2 | 2022 |
| Carnegie Mellon University | Pittsburgh, PA | $1,220,824 | 5 | 2 | 2022 |
| Neighborhood Solidarity Fund | Clayton, MO | $1,185,500 | 5 | 1 | 2024 |
| University of Delaware | Newark, DE | $1,171,350 | 4 | 2 | 2022 |
| Davis & Elkins College | Elkins, WV | $1,160,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| University of Arizona | Tucson, AZ | $1,142,342 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Iowa State University | Ames, IA | $1,061,134 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Small Business Empowerment Center | St Louis, MO | $1,000,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Weill Medical College of Cornell University | New York, NY | $1,000,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Santa Fe Institute | Sante Fe, NM | $974,132 | 2 | 1 | 2021 |
| Northwestern University | Chicago, IL | $970,722 | 3 | 2 | 2022 |
| Harvard University | Cambridge, MA | $912,559 | 5 | 2 | 2022 |
| Habitat for Humanity International Inc | St Louis, MO | $900,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| University of Wisconsin - Madison | Madison, WI | $821,445 | 5 | 2 | 2022 |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology | Cambridge, MA | $700,000 | 5 | 2 | 2022 |
| University of Missouri | St Louis, MO | $664,816 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Wepower | St Louis, MO | $662,539 | 2 | 1 | 2024 |
| University of Wisconsin | Madison, WI | $617,786 | 3 | 2 | 2022 |
| University of Illinois at Chicago | Chicago, IL | $585,701 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| St Louis Science Center Foundation | St Louis, MO | $575,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Washington University in Saint Louis | St Louis, MO | $560,927 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| University of Illinois | Urbana, IL | $543,384 | 3 | 2 | 2022 |
| University of California-Berkeley | Berkeley, CA | $500,000 | 5 | 2 | 2022 |
| Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania | Philadelphia, PA | $494,831 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Goalsetter Foundation | Brooklyn, NY | $454,000 | 2 | 1 | 2024 |
| Arizona Board of Regents University of Arizona | Tucson, AZ | $449,569 | 2 | 1 | 2024 |
| Yale University | New Haven, CT | $425,000 | 3 | 2 | 2022 |
| Iff | Chicago, IL | $350,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Princeton University | Princeton, NJ | $350,000 | 2 | 1 | 2022 |
| Temple University-of the Commonwealth System of Higher Educ | Philadelphia, PA | $345,562 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| University of Cambridge | Cambridge | $325,000 | 2 | 1 | 2021 |
| University of Michigan-Ann Arbor | Ann Arbor, MI | $303,650 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Missouri Historical Society Jefferson Memorial Building | St Louis, MO | $303,500 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| The Regents of the University of Colorado | Boulder, CO | $300,026 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Entrepreneur Startup Business Development Corporation | St Louis, MO | $300,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| International Institute of Metropolitan St Louis | St Louis, MO | $275,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Saint Louis University | St Louis, MO | $255,897 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Birkbeck University of London | London | $250,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Cardiff University | Cardiff | $250,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Inserm | Paris | $250,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Rochester Institute of Technology | Rochester, NY | $250,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| The University of Queensland | Queensland | $250,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| University of California at Riverside | Riverside, CA | $250,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| University of California-Santa Cruz | Santa Cruz, CA | $250,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| University of Georgia | Athens, GA | $250,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| University of Oregon | Eugene, OR | $250,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| University of South Carolina | Columbia, SC | $250,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| University of Texas at El Paso | El Paso, TX | $250,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam | Amsterdam | $250,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| The University of British Columbia | Vancouver, BC | $244,346 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| St Louis Life Sciences Project | St Louis, MO | $225,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| New York University | New York, NY | $205,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Most Policy Initative | Jefferson City, MO | $202,551 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Central European University | Wien | $200,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Complexity Science Hub Vienna | Vienna | $200,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Cornell University | Ithaca, NY | $200,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Cortex | St Louis, MO | $200,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Csh Vienna | Vienna | $200,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Dartmouth College | Hanover, NH | $200,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Ecole Normale Superieure | Paris | $200,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Eth Zurich | Zurich | $200,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Koc University | Istanbul | $200,000 | 3 | 2 | 2022 |
| Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitat in Munich | Munich | $200,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| National Academy of Sciences | Washington, DC | $200,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Nus America Foundation | Sunnyvale, CA | $200,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Pomona College | Claremont, CA | $200,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Rutgers the State University of New Jersey | Newark, NJ | $200,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Stanford University | Redwood City, CA | $200,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| University of California-Los Angeles | Los Angeles, CA | $200,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| University of Connecticut | Storrs, CT | $200,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Utrecht University | Utrecht | $200,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Universidad De Los Andes | Bogota | $187,500 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Curators of the University of Missouri | Columbia, MO | $182,108 | 2 | 1 | 2024 |
| Legal Services of Eastern Mo Inc | St Louis, MO | $157,264 | 4 | 1 | 2024 |
| Icahn School of Medicine | New York, NY | $141,102 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Tulane University | New Orleans, LA | $125,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| University of Michigan | Ann Arbor, MI | $125,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| University of Oxford | Oxford | $125,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Washington University | St Louis, MO | $125,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Masters Chancellor and Scholars of the University of Cambridge | Cambridge | $121,532 | 2 | 1 | 2024 |
| St Louis Zoo Foundation | St Louis, MO | $120,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Boston College Trustees | Chestnut Hill, MA | $116,268 | 2 | 1 | 2024 |
| The Foundation for Barnes-Jewish Hospital | St Louis, MO | $110,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| The City University of New York | New York, NY | $100,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| University of Saskatchewan | Saskatoon | $95,384 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| President and Fellows of Harvard College | Boston, MA | $91,478 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| The Clark-Fox Family Foundation | St Louis, MO | $75,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Harris-Stowe Foundation Inc | St Louis, MO | $72,000 | 2 | 1 | 2024 |
| Eisenhower Fellowships Inc | Philadelphia, PA | $67,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Univeridad Adolfo Ibooez | Penalolen | $62,500 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Universidad Adolfo Ibanez | Santiago | $62,500 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Columbia University | New York, NY | $52,151 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Arch Grants | St Louis, MO | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Paraquad Inc | St Louis, MO | $41,439 | 3 | 1 | 2024 |
| A Red Circle | St Louis, MO | $40,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Lovethelou | St Louis, MO | $40,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Healthcare Anchor Network Inc | Washington, DC | $35,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Washington University in St Louis | St Louis, MO | $30,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Jayson Tatum Foundation | St Louis, MO | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| The Fam | University City, MO | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Council on Foundations | Washington DC, DC | $19,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| St Louis American Foundation | Saint Louis, MO | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| St Louis Integrated Health Network | St Louis, MO | $13,813 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Ivy Foundation of St Louis | University City, MO | $3,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| From K-1S | St Louis, MO | $2,134 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| From Schedules K-1 | St Louis, MO | $2,094 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
43 of 120 (36%) received money in more than one year over the 4 years we hold.
Measured the way we measure every foundation -- what share of one year's grantees are funded again the next -- this one retains 36%, across 2 year-to-year transitions. The median foundation retains about 67%, so this one is less consistent than most. This measures how often it paid the same organizations again. It says nothing about whether it would consider a new one.
What the money was for
Taken verbatim from the purpose field of its filings. This is the closest thing to a statement of what this foundation cares about, in its own words.
- Forest Park Forever Inc
IN SUPPORT OF "FOREVER: THE CAMPAIGN FOR FOREST PARK'S FUTURE" - Curators of the University of Missouri-St Louis on Behalf of the University
UMSL SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING & STUDENT SUPPORT - Federation of American Scientists
IN SUPPORT OF THE ECONOMIC MOBILITY INITIATIVE - St Louis Community Foundation
BUILDING A FRAMEWORK FOR LASTING WEALTH: A PROPOSAL FOR BABY BONDS IN ST. LOUIS - Davis & Elkins College
ENDOWMENT F/T SECURE THE FUTURE CAMPAIGN, PHASE II - Small Business Empowerment Center
ST. LOUIS LOW-INCOME INVESTMENT FUND AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE (ST. LOUIS LIFT)
What kind of organizations it funds
By the activity category the IRS assigns each recipient, for the 102 grants where we could match the recipient to a registered organization. The categories are the IRS's. The match, made from the name and address on the return, is ours.
Giving by year
| Tax year | Grants | Total | Median grant |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 79 | $22.8M | $125,000 |
| 2022 | 77 | $24.5M | $125,000 |
| 2023 | 2 | $27.6M | $13.8M |
| 2024 | 82 | $30.1M | $115,000 |
Tax years, not calendar years, and the most recent year is usually incomplete -- filings arrive about a year late, so a low final year means late paperwork rather than a foundation winding down.
Already committed for future years
Form 990-PF has a separate schedule for grants approved but not yet paid. James S Mcdonnell Foundation has 192 of them, worth $421.1M. This is the one part of the filing that looks forward rather than back.
| Organization | Location | Approved |
|---|---|---|
| The Jsm Charitable Trust | St Louis, MO | $75.0M |
| The Jsm Charitable Trust | St Louis, MO | $64.4M |
| See Attached | St Louis, MO | $52.5M |
| St Louis Community Foundation | Saint Louis, MO | $30.0M |
| Washington University School of Medicine | Saint Louis, MO | $13.0M |
| Washington University School of Medicine | Saint Louis, MO | $12.5M |
| Forest Park Forever Inc | Saint Louis, MO | $10.0M |
| Hollins University | Roanoke, VA | $8,617,000 |
| Curators of the University of Missouri-St Louis on Behalf of the University | Saint Louis, MO | $8,004,070 |
| Federation of American Scientists | Washington, DC | $8,000,000 |
| New Venture Fund | Washington, DC | $8,000,000 |
| St Louis Zoo Foundation | Saint Louis, MO | $7,500,000 |
| Biostl | Saint Louis, MO | $5,149,844 |
| Donald Danforth Plant Science Center | Saint Louis, MO | $5,000,000 |
| Missouri Historical Society Jefferson Memorial Building | Saint Louis, MO | $4,706,000 |
Where its money goes
65% of its giving went to organizations in Missouri. If your organization is based elsewhere, look in the recipient list for grants to your area before writing.
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Funders that support the same organizations
These funders gave to organizations this one also funded -- some private foundations, some community foundations and other grantmaking charities. Shared grantees are a sign of overlapping priorities and nothing more: they do not show that any of these funders would consider a new organization. Each page says what its filings show.
How to approach this foundation
- Check you are its size. The median grant is $125,000. A request many times that size asks for something it has rarely or never given.
- Check you are in its geography. Its giving is concentrated in Missouri.
- Read the recipient list above for organizations like yours. If nothing on it resembles your work, that is a real answer, and a cheap one to get.
- Look up the current filing before writing. The 990-PF names the foundation's officers and, where one exists, its application procedure. We link it below.
Where these numbers come from
Everything above is taken from James S Mcdonnell Foundation's own Form 990-PF filings, which the IRS publishes in bulk. We used 4 returns (tax years 2021-2024). Grant figures are from its returns. Matching recipients to registered organizations, their IRS classifications, the retention rate and the funders that support the same organizations are our own calculations, described in how we build this.
Address of record on the latest return: 1034 S Brentwood Blvd 1860, St Louis, MO, 63117. This is the address the foundation gave the IRS; many small foundations file through an accountant or a bank trust department, so it may not be where post to a programme officer should go.
EIN 54-2074788 · See the original filings on ProPublica · How we build this
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