Crampton Trust

The Crampton Trust is a bank-administered charitable trust with Regions Bank serving as sole corporate trustee — compensated approximately $125,000–$130,000 annually — and a volunteer Distribution Committee of three uncompensated Mobile civic figures: T. Bestor Ward III, John C. Johnson, and Gilbert F. Dukes Jr. This dual-track governance structure combines institutional fiduciary management with local community judgment, and it shapes everything about how applicants should approach the Trust.

The Trust's giving philosophy favors established, credible institutions with demonstrated community roots in southwest Alabama. The largest cumulative awards in the grantee record flow to anchor institutions: UMS-Wright Preparatory School ($300,000 across 3 grants for a dining hall and cafeteria), the University of South Alabama College of Medicine ($231,758 across 4 grants for medical scholarships and the Crampton Chair in Gerontology), Infirmary Foundation ($200,000 across 2 grants for the breast center renovation), and Spring Hill College ($200,000 across 4 grants for laboratory equipment). These patterns signal a preference for recognized local institutions over newer or smaller nonprofits seeking first-time support.

That said, the Trust funds a genuine breadth of work — from the Ozanam Charitable Pharmacy ($33,000 for generic medications) to the Dauphin Island Sea Lab ($50,000 for marine science education) — indicating an openness to diverse program areas provided the geographic and organizational eligibility criteria are met.

For first-time applicants, the single most important fact is that there is no prescribed application form. This means the relationship begins with a phone call to Regions Bank (Roger Cole, 251-431-8309), not a portal submission. That initial call serves as a soft eligibility screen and establishes whether the Distribution Committee has bandwidth for a new applicant in a given cycle. Experienced grant seekers should treat this not as a barrier but as an invitation to make a human first impression before any written materials are reviewed.

Expect a relationship arc of: initial inquiry call → letter of intent or proposal → Distribution Committee review (likely quarterly) → decision communicated by Regions Bank. Organizations that earn the Trust's confidence through a strong first grant and timely reporting have received repeat and increased support over many years.

Ten years of IRS 990 data reveals a remarkably stable grantmaking institution. Annual grants paid have ranged from $839,584 (FY2011) to $1,103,260 (FY2022), with the most recent year (FY2023) at $977,831 and FY2024 estimated at $934,308 per Instrumentl data. Total giving — which includes trustee and administrative expenses beyond direct grants — runs $50K–$200K above grants paid annually, reflecting Regions Bank's $125K–$130K trustee fee. Total assets have been stable in the $14.6M–$19.1M range across the decade, currently sitting at approximately $17.8M–$22M depending on the reporting source.

Grant size: The Trust's 46-grant measured sample shows median $10,000, average $20,403, minimum $2,000, maximum $100,000. However, the broader 132-grant total history ($3.225M total) implies an average of $24,433 — and installment patterns on capital projects push effective project totals much higher. UMS-Wright Preparatory School received $300,000 across 3 grants; Infirmary Foundation received $200,000 across 2 grants; Spring Hill College received $200,000 across 4 grants. First-time applicants should target the $10,000–$25,000 range; organizations with multi-year relationships are candidates for $50,000–$100,000 grants.

Sector breakdown (estimated from 132 documented grants, $3.225M total): - Education (K-12 and higher education): ~45% of dollars — dominant sector spanning prep schools, universities, STEM centers, and after-school programs - Healthcare: ~28% — hospital foundations, specialty clinics, mental health, medical scholarships, and public health - Human services: ~15% — children's homes, community centers, homeless services, food security, and senior services - Arts and culture: ~8% — Mobile Museum of Art, Bellingrath Gardens, Museum of Mobile, Mobile Symphony, Mobile Opera - Environment and science: ~4% — Dauphin Island Sea Lab Foundation, The Nature Conservancy

Capital vs. operating: Capital and equipment grants dominate the largest awards. Dining hall construction, breast center renovation, lab equipment, outdoor classrooms, HVAC systems, and playground equipment all appear in grant purposes. Operating support is funded but concentrated among established repeat grantees, typically in the $10,000–$40,000 range. New applicants seeking operating funds face a higher bar.

No formal peer list was included in the Crampton Trust's foundation data profile. The comparison below draws on publicly available IRS data and Candid/Instrumentl records for comparable Alabama grantmaking foundations serving overlapping or similar geographies.

The Crampton Trust is modest in absolute asset size compared to statewide Alabama foundations, but its geographic concentration on six southwest Alabama counties makes it one of the most significant private funders for Mobile-area nonprofits outside the Community Foundation of South Alabama's competitive grants. Unlike the CFSA, which runs structured grant cycles with published deadlines and open applications, the Crampton Trust's relationship-driven, no-form model rewards organizations with existing community relationships and long institutional histories. The Trust's consistent $900K–$1.1M annual output — maintained across more than a decade of market cycles — reflects the stability of its bank trust structure and makes it a reliable anchor funder for Mobile nonprofits that secure its support.

Web research for 2025–2026 returned no formal press releases, new program announcements, or leadership changes from the Crampton Trust. This is consistent with the Trust's historically minimal public presence — it issues no annual report, maintains no active social media, and the listed website (crampton.org) now redirects to an unrelated entity.

The most actionable recent data comes from IRS filings and grant database aggregators. Instrumentl reports FY2024 giving of approximately $934,308 across 40 grants, with a range of $1,500 to $110,000. Grantmakers.io's 2025 profile data shows 39 awards with a median of $18,000. Notable recent large grants confirmed by Grantmakers.io include $110,000 to the University of South Alabama, $100,000 to the National Maritime Museum, $100,000 to the Mobile Museum of Art, and $100,000 to the Infirmary Foundation — consistent with the Trust's long-standing support for anchor educational and cultural institutions.

The Distribution Committee membership (T. Bestor Ward III, John C. Johnson, and Gilbert F. Dukes Jr.) has been consistent across all available IRS records with no recent changes. Regions Bank's trustee role is similarly unchanged. The Trust's net investment income declined from a peak of $1,633,532 in FY2021 to $440,532 in FY2023, reflecting broader market conditions; this contraction correlates with the slight reduction in annual grants from the 2021–2022 peak. Applicants should note that if investment income continues to recover in FY2024–2025, grant totals may return to the $1M+ range.

Call before you write. The Trust's 'no prescribed form' policy means the application process begins with a phone relationship, not a portal. Call Roger Cole at Regions Bank, (251) 431-8309, to introduce your organization, confirm your eligibility, and ask whether the Distribution Committee is currently accepting new applicants. This call is not optional — it is the first filter.

Hard eligibility check first. Your organization must hold active 501(c)(3) status, must NOT be classified as a private foundation under IRS rules, and must be physically located in one of six specific counties: Baldwin, Clarke, Escambia, Mobile, Monroe, or Washington. Nonprofits headquartered just outside this footprint — even those serving southwest Alabama — are ineligible. Verify your county before investing any further time.

Lead with capital and equipment. A review of 132 documented grants shows that the Trust's largest single-grant awards consistently fund tangible projects: building construction, facility renovation, laboratory and medical equipment, technology upgrades, and HVAC or infrastructure repairs. If your organization has a capital need, frame it as the primary request. The Trust appears more comfortable with discrete, measurable capital investments than with ongoing operational asks from unfamiliar organizations.

Anchor to education or health. Together, education and healthcare account for an estimated 73% of total grant dollars in the historical record. Whenever your mission legitimately intersects with either sector — STEM programming, health literacy, workforce development in healthcare fields, educational enrichment — make that connection explicit and early in your proposal narrative.

Propose a named scholarship. The 'Crampton Nursing Scholarship' and 'Crampton Trust Medical Scholarships' appear by name in the grantee record at University of Mobile and University of South Alabama respectively. The Trust clearly values named scholarship endowments as legacy-building vehicles. If your institution operates scholarships in health, science, or education, propose a 'Crampton Trust Scholarship' or similar named fund — this creates a visible, lasting association the Distribution Committee can point to.

Size your first ask conservatively. The database median grant is $10,000–$18,000. First-time applicants requesting $10,000–$25,000 are more likely to receive a favorable review than those opening with $75,000–$100,000 asks. Build the relationship over 1–2 grant cycles before scaling up.

Timing strategy. No deadlines are published, but submitting an inquiry letter in October or November — before year-end — may align with a pre-holiday committee review cycle. Follow up by phone in January if you have not received a response.