Mr & Mrs Sanford N Mcdonnell
Saint Albans, MO · EIN 43-1104889. Reported 256 grants totalling $1,934,150 to 71 recipients across tax years 2021-2025. 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. Mr & Mrs Sanford N Mcdonnell 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 $2,500. Half of everything it gave fell between $1,000 and $5,000; the smallest was $100 and the largest $100,000. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Characterorg | Sterling, VA | $400,000 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| Characterplus | St Louis, MO | $285,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| University of New Mexico Foundation | Albuquerque, NM | $275,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Salvation Army | St Louis, MO | $110,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Opera Theatre of Saint Louis | St Louis, MO | $60,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| University of Missouri-St Louis | St Louis, MO | $53,500 | 3 | 3 | 2025 |
| Missouri Historical Society | St Louis, MO | $50,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Transformational Prayer Foundation | Albuquerque, NM | $45,500 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Focus on the Family | Colorado Springs, CO | $33,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Nine Network of Public Media | St Louis, MO | $29,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Mighty Oaks Foundation | Montgomery, TX | $28,000 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| Arts & Education Council | St Louis, MO | $25,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Drake University (character Counts) | Des Moines, IA | $25,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Princeton University | Princeton, NJ | $23,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Union Avenue Opera | St Louis, MO | $23,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Webster University | St Louis, MO | $22,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Winter Opera St Louis | St Louis, MO | $22,000 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| Sappington House Foundation | St Louis, MO | $20,400 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Donald Danforth Plant Science Center | St Louis, MO | $17,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Missouri Botanical Garden | St Louis, MO | $16,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Samaritan's Purse | Boone, NC | $15,000 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| USO of Missouri Inc | St Louis, MO | $15,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Bach Society of Saint Louis | St Louis, MO | $14,500 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Washington University | St Louis, MO | $14,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Forest Park Forever | St Louis, MO | $13,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund | Oceanside, CA | $13,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| United Way of Greater St Louis | St Louis, MO | $13,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Wings of Hope | Chesterfield, MO | $13,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Youth in Need | St Charles, MO | $13,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Saint Louis Zoo Annual Fund | St Louis, MO | $12,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Student Mobilization | Conway, AR | $12,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Mount Royal Academy | Sunapee, NH | $11,500 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| Saint Louis Science Center | St Louis, MO | $11,500 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Saint Louis Symphony | St Louis, MO | $11,000 | 3 | 3 | 2025 |
| Trail Life-USA | Belton, SC | $11,000 | 3 | 3 | 2025 |
| Fellowship of Christian Athletes | Fenton, MO | $10,600 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Metropolitan Opera Association-St Louis | St Louis, MO | $10,500 | 3 | 3 | 2025 |
| Air Force Academy Foundation | Usafa, CO | $10,000 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| Faith Lutheran Pyc | Ofallon, IL | $10,000 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| Kilo Diabetes & Vascular Research Foundation | Saint Louis, MO | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| National Museum of Transportation | St Louis, MO | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| National Museum of Transportation Foundation | St Louis, MO | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Parents Television and Media Council | Burbank, CA | $10,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Robert D & Billie Ray Center Drake University | Des Moines, IA | $10,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Lake Sunapee Protective Association | Sunapee, NH | $9,000 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| Saint Louis Art Museum Foundation | St Louis, MO | $9,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Cardigan Mountain School | Canaan, NH | $7,500 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra | Saint Louis, MO | $6,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| The Navigators | Albert Lea, MN | $6,000 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| Family Research Council | Washington, DC | $5,500 | 3 | 3 | 2025 |
| American Cancer Society | St Louis, MO | $5,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| University of Missouri- Saint Louis | Saint Louis, MO | $5,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| American Family Association | Tupelo, MS | $4,200 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Mighty Oaks Foundation | Murrieta, CA | $3,500 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Easter Seals | St Louis, MO | $3,300 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| American Heart Association-St Louis | St Louis, MO | $3,200 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| American Red Cross | St Louis, MO | $3,050 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Saint Ann's Academy | Bridgeport, CT | $2,500 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| College of the Ozarks | Point Lookout, MO | $2,300 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Kearsarge Regional School District | North Sutton, NH | $2,000 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| Saint Louis Symphony Powell Hall | Saint Louis, MO | $2,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Usafa Endowment Fund | Usafa, CO | $2,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| St Ann's Academy | Bridgeport, CT | $1,500 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Metropolitan Opera Association- Saint Louis | Saint Louis, MO | $1,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| State University of New York- Cortland | Cortland, NY | $1,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| The Navigators | Colorado Springs, CO | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| US Air Force Academy | US Air Force Academy, CO | $1,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Kearsarge Regional High School | North Sutton, NH | $500 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Miriam Foundation | Saint Louis, MO | $500 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Saint Ann Parochial School | Bridgeport, CT | $500 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| American Heart Association- Missouri Chapter | Saint Louis, MO | $100 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
56 of 71 (79%) received money in more than one year over the 5 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 93%, across 4 year-to-year transitions. The median foundation retains about 67%, so this one is unusually consistent. 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.
- Characterorg
FOR GENERAL CHARITABLE PURPOSES OF THE ORGANIZATION. - University of New Mexico Foundation
FOR THE JOHN D. ROBB COMPOSERS SYMPOSIUM AND MUSICAL TRUST. - Transformational Prayer Foundation
THE MINISTRY OF JOHN D. ROBB - National Museum of Transportation Foundation
FOR THE CAPITAL CAMPAIGN. - Washington University
FOR THE FRIENDS OF MUSIC. - Webster University
FOR THE COMMUNITY MUSIC SCHOOL AND LEIGH GERDINE COLLEGE OF FINE ARTS.
What kind of organizations it funds
By the activity category the IRS assigns each recipient, for the 150 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 | 49 | $248,150 | $1,000 |
| 2022 | 49 | $341,950 | $1,500 |
| 2023 | 52 | $328,550 | $1,000 |
| 2024 | 53 | $481,600 | $5,000 |
| 2025 | 53 | $533,900 | $5,000 |
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.
Where its money goes
49% 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 $2,500. 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.
Related guides
Where these numbers come from
Everything above is taken from Mr & Mrs Sanford N Mcdonnell's own Form 990-PF filings, which the IRS publishes in bulk. We used 5 returns (tax years 2021-2025). 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: Po Box 110, Saint Albans, MO, 63073. 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 43-1104889 · See the original filings on ProPublica · How we build this
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