Lucille S Beeson Charitable Remainder 66 1055001761

The Lucille S. Beeson Charitable Remainder is not a conventional private foundation — it is a closed charitable trust established through the will of Lucille Stewart Beeson, who died in January 2001 at age 95. The trust was seeded with approximately $150 million and permanently names 13 specific Birmingham-area nonprofit organizations as its sole beneficiaries. This is the single most important strategic fact: the grantee list is fixed by legal instrument and cannot be expanded. No amount of outreach, relationship-building, or proposal writing will change this.

Regions Bank Trust Department has served as the sole trustee since the trust's founding, receiving compensation of $1.1–1.3 million annually for managing the investment portfolio and administering distributions. The trust operates with no staff, no discretionary grantmaking program, and no public-facing grants process. Its IRS filings consistently show zero contributions received — the trust lives entirely off its investment income.

For the 13 named beneficiary organizations, the relationship with the trust is administrative rather than competitive. Annual distributions are calculated as fixed percentages of distributable trust income, meaning amounts vary year to year but are not subject to review, reapplication, or board discretion. The seven primary beneficiaries each receive approximately 10.6% of distributable income (~$1.0–1.25M in recent years), while the six secondary beneficiaries each receive approximately 4.3% (~$430,000–530,000). These organizations should maintain current 501(c)(3) documentation with Regions Bank and track distribution timing directly with the trust department.

For organizations outside the named 13, this trust presents no funding opportunity. Grant-seeking resources invested here will yield zero return. The more productive path is to pursue the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham — itself a Beeson beneficiary and an active open-application grantmaker serving the same region — along with other Birmingham-area private foundations that do accept unsolicited proposals.

The Lucille S. Beeson Charitable Remainder has maintained remarkably consistent grantmaking over more than a decade, with annual grants paid ranging from $8.73 million (2012) to $11.6 million (2021). Total giving including trust-related fees typically runs $9.8–13.2 million per year. As of fiscal year 2024, total assets stood at $195.6 million, generating $16.1 million in revenue.

Grant size data (from 14 documented individual grants): Median grant $744,793 — Range: $188,435 to $1,059,705 — Average: $714,087. These figures reflect the two-tier structure: the seven primary organizations consistently receive approximately $1.0–1.25M per grant, while the six secondary organizations receive $430,000–530,000.

The two-tier allocation structure (based on trust document percentages): - Primary tier (10.6% of distributable income each): The Salvation Army of Jefferson County, Jimmie Hale Mission, United Ability (formerly United Cerebral Palsy), Boys and Girls Ranches of Alabama, Baptist Health Foundation, Canterbury United Methodist Church, Gateway Family and Child Services. At 2023 grants paid of $10.36 million, each primary org received approximately $1.098 million. - Secondary tier (4.3% each): Greater Birmingham Humane Society, Christian Service Mission, Junior League of Birmingham Charity Fund, Birmingham Zoo (Alabama Zoological Society), Birmingham Botanical Society, Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham. Each secondary org received approximately $445,000 in 2023.

By sector: Human services and social services account for approximately 55% of giving (Jimmie Hale Mission, Gateway, Salvation Army, Boys and Girls Ranches); health and disability services ~16% (Baptist Health Foundation, United Ability); faith-based services ~16% (Canterbury United Methodist, Christian Service Mission); animals and environment ~7% (Birmingham Zoo, Greater Birmingham Humane Society, Birmingham Botanical Society); community and civic ~6% (Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham, Junior League).

Geographic concentration: 100% Alabama, concentrated in Jefferson County and the greater Birmingham metropolitan area. No giving occurs outside Alabama. Investment income has ranged from $6.3M (2022) to $31.5M (2019), with the trust relying on a blend of dividend income (~35%) and net realized asset sales (~65%) in recent fiscal years.

The five foundations closest to the Beeson Trust by total assets all differ substantially in grantmaking structure and openness to new applicants:

The Beeson Trust's defining characteristic — a legally closed beneficiary list — sets it apart from every comparable-sized foundation. The Frist Foundation in Nashville, with nearly identical assets, accepts letters of inquiry from new applicants and awards competitive grants in arts, education, and human services. Similarly, regional community foundations of comparable scale routinely run open competitive grant cycles. The Beeson Trust's perpetual endowment structure more closely resembles a named scholarship fund than a conventional private foundation: it was designed to benefit specific organizations in perpetuity, not to respond to evolving community needs through open competition. For grant seekers working in human services and health in Alabama, the more actionable comparable funders are the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham (open applications, $20–200K grants), the Daniel Foundation of Alabama, and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama Foundation.

The most substantive recent coverage of the Beeson Trust appeared in July 2024, when Inside Philanthropy published a profile examining the philanthropic legacy of Lucille Stewart Beeson. The piece noted her remarkable personal history — among the first women to attend law school in the 1920s, a scholar, humanitarian, inventor, and collector — and documented how her trust has grown from its original ~$150 million bequest to approximately $195 million by 2024.

No new programmatic announcements, leadership changes, or grantmaking pivots have been reported for 2025 or 2026. This is structurally expected: the trust has no discretionary staff, no board, and no program officers who could announce new initiatives. Regions Bank Trust Department manages distributions mechanically per the trust instrument.

The most recent IRS Form 990-PF (fiscal year 2024) shows total assets of $195.6 million and revenue of $16.1 million driven primarily by asset sales ($10.2M) and dividends ($5.9M). Charitable disbursements reached $11.2 million, representing 89.8% of total expenses — consistent with the prior decade. Trustee compensation to Regions Bank was approximately $1.2 million in 2024.

The trust's asset base has fluctuated modestly between $163M (2011) and $201.7M (2019), reflecting investment market cycles rather than any strategic shift. No gifts, contributions, or new funding sources have ever been received — the trust is entirely self-sustaining on investment returns.

The most important guidance for any organization considering this trust is direct: Lucille S. Beeson Charitable Remainder does not and cannot accept applications from organizations outside its 13 named beneficiaries. This is not a policy preference — it is a legal requirement of the trust instrument established by Mrs. Beeson's will in 2001. No unsolicited application, letter of inquiry, or introductory relationship-building will result in a grant.

For the 13 named beneficiary organizations:

Contact Regions Bank Trust Department directly at (205) 820-3141 or (205) 420-7753; mailing address is PO Box 11647, Birmingham, AL 35202-1647. The trust's annual distribution cycle typically follows the trust's fiscal year — plan for distributions in the pattern consistent with prior years. Keep your organization's 501(c)(3) IRS determination letter, current audited financials, and leadership contact information updated with the bank's trust department.

Annual grant amounts are not fixed dollar figures — they fluctuate with the trust's investment income. Based on fiscal year data from 2012–2023, primary-tier organizations should budget for distributions in the $900,000–1.25M range, with secondary-tier organizations expecting $380,000–530,000. The high-variance year was 2021, when net investment income spiked to $14.6M and total giving reached $13.2M; in leaner investment years, total giving has been closer to $10M.

There is no formal reporting requirement documented in the public record. However, maintaining strong programmatic documentation — annual impact reports, beneficiary counts, outcome data — is advisable. Should the trust ever face a legal challenge or trustee review, demonstrating mission alignment with Mrs. Beeson's original charitable intent (human services, health, animals, religious service, community welfare in Birmingham) will support continuity.

For organizations outside the named 13: Do not pursue this trust. Redirect resources to open-application Alabama funders: Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham (accepts proposals, $20K–$200K grants), Daniel Foundation of Alabama, Altec/Styslinger Foundation, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama Foundation, and the Alabama Power Foundation.