Jones Trust

Jones Trust is an exempt operating foundation (IRS foundation code 02, NTEE T23 — Single Organization Support) headquartered at 922 E Emma Ave in Springdale, Arkansas. Understanding its legal classification is the single most critical intelligence for any grant seeker: this foundation exists explicitly and almost exclusively to support one beneficiary entity — The Jones Center for Families Inc. — and is not a traditional competitive grantmaker.

The Trust was established in 1993 to honor the philanthropic legacy of Harvey and Bernice Jones. Harvey founded Jones Truck Lines, one of the largest private trucking companies in the U.S., and both he and Bernice were deeply committed to Northwest Arkansas's community infrastructure. Six years after Harvey's death in 1989, Bernice converted the Jones Truck Lines terminal into the 220,000-square-foot Harvey and Bernice Jones Center for Families, opened in 1995. The Jones Trust provides the financial backbone — a $77.1 million endowment — to sustain that facility and the Jones Community for Nonprofits initiative it houses.

The Trust's leadership is interlocked with the Jones Center. CFO Chris Sooter serves as the foundation's IRS-registered contact. A notable leadership transition occurred in 2024: Joe T. Lloyd was named President/CEO in June 2024 but held the role only through December 2024. Ed Clifford served as Interim President/CEO, and governance under Board Chair Celia Swanson and Vice Chair Robyn Breshears remained in place. The broader board — including Jane Ewing, Jason Nichol, Marshall Ney, Carmen Kingston, Brandon Taylor, and others — serves without compensation.

For external organizations, the Trust functions as an institutional steward, not a grantmaker. No LOI process, grant portal, or published application guidelines exist. IRS records note no application instructions. External grant awards — separate from operational spending on the Jones Center — have ranged from $103,000 (FY2012) to $3.3 million (FY2014), with all documented awards going to the Jones Center entity itself. The productive access point for outside nonprofits is the Jones Community for Nonprofits program, which provides below-market office space to over 100 resident nonprofit affiliates at two campuses and delivers more than $2.5 million in annual space value. First-time grant seekers should invest 12–18 months building presence within this ecosystem before attempting any direct funding inquiry.

Jones Trust's financial profile is defined by a large and growing endowment — $77.1 million in FY2024, up from $61.4 million in FY2015, a 25.5% increase over nine years — combined with a giving program that blends operational support for the Jones Center and limited external grantmaking.

Total annual giving (operational + grants combined): FY2012: $503,015; FY2013: $4,764,852; FY2014: $7,822,221; FY2015: $4,993,430; FY2019: $5,526,028; FY2020: $5,828,731; FY2021: $6,871,127; FY2022: $7,954,707; FY2023: $7,614,480. This figure primarily reflects the Jones Center's annual operating budget, not an external grant pool.

External grants paid (the subset relevant to outside organizations): FY2012: $102,602; FY2013: $396,828; FY2014: $3,330,941 (anomalous peak, likely a capital project); FY2015: $413,823; FY2019: $591,931; FY2020: $689,906; FY2021: $731,497; FY2022: $2,144,592; FY2023: $1,071,726. Excluding the FY2014 outlier, average annual external grants paid run approximately $650,000 per year. ProPublica reports $2,286,270 in charitable disbursements for FY2024.

All documented external grants have gone to a single recipient: The Jones Center for Families Inc., totaling $5,020,681 across 3 recorded awards — confirming the Trust's single-organization structure is an operational reality, not merely a tax classification.

Revenue is primarily investment-driven. Net investment income was $3,397,810 in FY2023 and $1,989,066 in FY2022. FY2024 was an exceptional revenue year: $9,109,515 total (up 42.3% from $6,400,396 in FY2023), boosted by $2,538,164 in asset sales and $2,234,396 in other income. Annual outside contributions have been modest: $11,513 (FY2019), $706,651 (FY2020), $1,651,712 (FY2021), $227,599 (FY2022), $771,776 (FY2023), $736,829 (FY2024).

Geographically, 100% of grants are directed to Arkansas — all within the Springdale/Northwest Arkansas corridor. No program area diversification is evidenced in available data. The median annual external grants paid figure over the 9-year series is approximately $592,000, suggesting that when exceptional external awards occur, they tend to fall in the $500,000–$2 million range rather than small project grants.

Jones Trust sits within a cohort of similarly-sized foundations near the $77 million asset mark, all classified under NTEE category T (Philanthropy & Grantmaking). Its operating foundation status distinguishes it sharply from peers that function as independent private foundations with open grantmaking programs.

Jones Trust's FY2023 total giving of $7.6 million reflects a high asset-to-spending ratio in this peer cohort — but that figure encompasses the Jones Center's full operating budget, not a competitive grant pool available to external applicants. The Jordan Schnitzer Family Foundation (jordanschnitzer.org) is the most publicly active peer, operating an invitation-only program focused on arts and culture in the Pacific Northwest. The remaining peers — Bingle, Arras, Shah, and Stella Roy — maintain no public-facing websites and appear to conduct entirely private grantmaking. For grant seekers, Jones Trust's combination of large assets, single-purpose mission, and absent application process makes it effectively inaccessible through conventional channels. The relevant comparison is not to these peer grantmakers but to community operating foundations that provide infrastructure access — the model Jones Trust most closely resembles.

The most significant recent development at Jones Trust is a leadership transition in 2024. Joe T. Lloyd was installed as President/CEO in June 2024 but departed the role by December 2024, per IRS 990 data available through CauseIQ. Ed Clifford held an Interim President/CEO title in the same period, and Terri Trotter appears in earlier filings as a prior President/CEO. Two CEO-level changes documented within a single annual filing period suggest a succession challenge that may be affecting the Trust's strategic direction. Board Chair Celia Swanson and Vice Chair Robyn Breshears provide governance continuity through this transition.

On the financial front, FY2024 was a banner revenue year: $9,109,515 total, up 42.3% from FY2023's $6,400,396, driven by $2,538,164 in asset sales gains. Total assets grew from $75.6 million (FY2023) to $77.1 million (FY2024). This financial strength is the most positive indicator for potential expanded grantmaking in coming years, though no announcements to that effect were identified.

Also in 2024, Jones Trust itself received notable external support: $250,000 from the Walton Family Foundation and $115,000 from the Alice L. Walton Foundation, both designated for tornado recovery and uninsured repair costs in Benton County, Arkansas. This reflects the Trust's integration into the Walton-Walmart philanthropic ecosystem that dominates Northwest Arkansas. The Jones Center's 2024 Community Impact Report cited approximately 600,000 facility visits and 7,500 active memberships — strong operational metrics confirming the Trust's core mission is being fulfilled at scale. No new grant programs, RFPs, or external funding announcements were identified in research through April 2026.

Jones Trust does not operate a public grant program. IRS records note no application instructions, and no grant portal, RFP, or published eligibility criteria existed as of April 2026. The foundation's 'accepting applications: true' status in grant databases reflects its IRS operating foundation classification, not an active open solicitation. Submitting an unsolicited grant proposal is the most common mistake and likely counterproductive to building a relationship with this funder.

Engage through the Jones Center ecosystem first. The Center for Nonprofits program is the primary access point. Contact info@thejonescenter.org or call (479) 756-8090 to explore affiliate membership and discounted office space at the JTL Shops campus (Springdale, established 1996) or St. Mary's campus (Rogers, established 2008). Currently 100+ resident nonprofits benefit from over $2.5 million in annual space value — this infrastructure access is the most reliable and immediately available form of Jones Trust support.

Align messaging with the founding legacy. Harvey and Bernice Jones prioritized family programming, education, healthcare, and community recreation in Northwest Arkansas. All communications should frame your work within this tradition. The phrase "All are welcome" reflects a core inclusion value central to Jones Center identity and resonant with Trust board members. Reference the community ownership ethos Bernice Jones emphasized when founding the Center.

Target Northwest Arkansas geography exclusively. All documented Jones Trust grants have gone to Springdale/Northwest Arkansas recipients (100% Arkansas). Organizations without direct Northwest Arkansas community benefit should not apply.

Direct all formal inquiries to CFO Chris Sooter. As the IRS-registered contact (922 E Emma Ave, Springdale, AR 72764; reachable via info@thejonescenter.org; phone (479) 756-8090), Sooter is the appropriate first point of contact. A concise 1–2 page organizational introduction — not a full proposal — is the right format. Include mission, annual budget, population served, and connection to Jones family legacy.

Account for leadership transition in timing. With CEO-level turnover in mid-2024 and ongoing succession questions, the Trust is likely in a period of internal focus. Build relationships with Jones Center program staff first, then work toward board-level introductions over 12–18 months. No public grant cycle windows exist — any exceptional external funding occurs at board discretion alone.