Rosewood Foundation

The Rosewood Foundation (EIN 43-6348906) is a private charitable trust administered by The Central Trust Bank in Saint Louis, Missouri, at 7707 Forsyth Blvd (Clayton, MO 63105). A critical clarification for grant seekers: the website rosewoodfoundation.org and the mission statement "Assisting Catholic Schools in educating children with special needs" belong to a separate Chicago-based organization sharing the same name. The Missouri trust's actual grantmaking practice, as documented across more than a decade of IRS 990-PF filings, reflects a fundamentally different philosophy centered on evangelical Protestant ministries and Mississippi-focused nonprofits.

This foundation operates as a closed trust with no public application portal and no formal submission process — the IRS application metadata explicitly states "no particular form required" and "no submission deadline." This structure signals relationship-driven, invitation-based grantmaking managed entirely through The Central Trust Bank trustee. The only publicly available contact is the trustee office: (314) 746-4679.

What the grantee record reveals about giving philosophy: all 102 documented grants carry the designation "GENERAL SUPPORT," indicating a strong preference for unrestricted operating gifts over project-specific funding. The top grantees — Samaritan's Purse, The Jesus Film Project, Gideons International, Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, International Mission Board — establish an unmistakably evangelical Protestant identity. Mississippi connections dominate regionally, with 56 of 102 documented grants flowing to Mississippi organizations, heavily concentrated in the Hattiesburg area (William Carey University, University of Southern Mississippi, Salvation Army of Hattiesburg, Forrest General Healthcare, Empower Mississippi Foundation).

First-time applicants should understand that this foundation's grantee cohort has been remarkably stable over time. Nearly all documented recipients received consecutive-cycle support, suggesting the trustee manages a standing approved list that rarely expands. Entry most likely requires: (a) introduction through an existing grantee relationship, (b) demonstrable evangelical Christian mission and values consonant with Southern Baptist tradition, (c) significant Mississippi community presence or national evangelical outreach scale, and (d) a compelling case delivered directly to the Central Trust Bank trust officer.

With total assets of $15.97M and typical annual giving of $1.25-1.65M, the foundation distributes roughly 8-10% of assets annually — well above the 5% private foundation minimum, reflecting a strong commitment to active grantmaking from its endowment. This financial profile suggests stability but not growth in total grantmaking capacity.

The foundation's grantee database — covering two consecutive grant cycles (estimated FY2022-FY2023 based on financial alignment) — documents $2,915,000 distributed across 102 grants, yielding an average of $28,578 per award or approximately $14,500 per grantee per annual cycle. Grant sizes span from $5,000 (one-time smaller gifts to organizations like Sumrall United Methodist Church and Presbyterian Christian School) to $200,000 cumulative ($100,000/year) for top-tier recipients Samaritan's Purse and The Jesus Film Project.

Grant size tiers observed: - Tier 1 ($90,000-$100,000/year): Samaritan's Purse ($100K), Jesus Film Project ($100K), Gideons International ($97.5K) - Tier 2 ($50,000-$80,000/year): William Carey University ($80K), University of Southern Mississippi ($55K), Billy Graham Evangelistic Association ($55K), Salvation Army of Hattiesburg ($50K), Wilson Research Foundation ($50K) - Tier 3 ($20,000-$45,000/year): Empower Mississippi Foundation ($22.5K), American Family Association ($35K), French Camp Academy ($35K), Ronald McDonald House ($35K), International Justice Mission ($35K), K Love Radio Network ($20K), Mississippi Center for Public Policy ($20K), and approximately 15 additional organizations - Tier 4 ($10,000-$20,000/year): Boys and Girls Club ($17.5K), 3-D School ($17.5K), Youth-Reach Houston ($17.5K), Doctors Without Borders ($15K), Abbie Rogers Civitan Camp ($25K), Hub City Humane Society ($10K), and others - Tier 5 (under $10,000/year): Church and one-time gifts under $10,000

Annual giving trend: FY2021 was the recent peak at $1,645,000; FY2022 and FY2023 stabilized at $1,259,000-$1,270,000. Earlier peak years (FY2013-FY2014) saw $2.0-2.3M in annual grants. FY2020 shows $0 in grants paid — an unusual complete pause, likely COVID-related. FY2025 partial data suggests possible reduction to under $200K, warranting monitoring.

Program area breakdown (estimated): International evangelical missions ~30% (Samaritan's Purse, Jesus Film Project, Gideons International, International Mission Board, Operations Mobilization, Chosen People Ministries); Mississippi higher education and healthcare ~25% (William Carey University, University of Southern Mississippi, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Forrest General Healthcare); Mississippi nonprofits and churches ~20%; children and youth services nationally ~10% (St. Jude, Ronald McDonald House, Boys and Girls Club); Christian media ~5% (K Love, Zola Levitt Ministries); policy and advocacy ~2% (Mississippi Center for Public Policy).

Geographically: Mississippi dominates at 55% of grants (56/102), with Texas second at 8% (8/102). The foundation's national giving is concentrated among large evangelical organizations with headquarters in North Carolina (Samaritan's Purse), Tennessee (Billy Graham), Georgia, and New York.

No peer foundations were provided in the data bundle. The following comparison was constructed from publicly available IRS 990 data and foundation directory sources for comparable private foundations:

Note: Dallas Rosewood Foundation and Phil Hardin Foundation figures are estimates based on publicly available 990 data; Maclellan Foundation figures approximate publicly reported ranges.

The Missouri Rosewood Foundation occupies a distinctive middle niche: a mid-sized private trust ($16M assets) with evangelical Protestant grantmaking priorities rooted in the Mississippi Baptist community, operating entirely without public solicitation. Compared to the Phil Hardin Foundation — which maintains transparent open applications and a clear Mississippi education mandate — the Missouri trust is fully opaque with no published criteria. The Dallas Rosewood Foundation shares only the name; its secular, community-oriented structure and small grant sizes ($2,500-$10,000) make it a poor comparator. Organizations seeking evangelical missions funding at similar scale should also evaluate the Maclellan Foundation and Barnabas Foundation, both of which serve overlapping constituencies with somewhat more accessible processes than this trust.

No public news releases, program announcements, or leadership changes specific to the Missouri Rosewood Foundation (EIN 43-6348906) were identified through web research in 2025 or 2026. The absence of any public-facing web presence for this trust — no website, no social media, no press coverage — is entirely consistent with its closed, private grantmaking structure.

The most notable recent financial development is asset growth: total assets reached $15,968,779 as of FY2025 (fiscal year ending June 2025), the highest level in available records, supported by revenue of $1,240,334. By contrast, FY2025 charitable disbursements appear at only $157,467 per the most recently filed return — a sharp departure from the $1,259,000-$1,645,000 annual giving pace of FY2021-FY2023. Whether this reflects a mid-year filing cutoff, a trustee transition, or a deliberate reduction in grantmaking activity is not yet determinable from public data.

The trustee structure — Central Trust Company / The Central Trust Bank — has remained unchanged throughout the available filing history dating to FY2012. Trustee compensation has grown from approximately $40,000-$42,000 annually (FY2012-FY2014) to $61,000-$86,000 in recent years, reflecting both asset growth and expanded trust management responsibilities.

The foundation's asset base roughly doubled between FY2015 ($5.7M) and FY2020 ($14.9M), with an additional $1,896,209 contribution received in FY2022 representing the most recent documented donor inflow. Since FY2023, no contributions have been received, confirming the transition to a fully endowment-funded posture with no active donor. The complete pause in grant disbursements during FY2020 remains the most operationally significant anomaly in the available record.

Given this foundation's closed trust structure and the absence of any public application process, standard grant-seeking conventions must be adapted significantly. The following tips are drawn directly from the available grantee, financial, and application metadata:

1. Route all contact through the trustee, not a program officer. Central Trust Company / The Central Trust Bank at (314) 746-4679 (7707 Forsyth Blvd, Saint Louis, MO 63105) is the sole point of contact on record. There is no program staff, grants director, or executive director associated with this trust. Your first contact must be a phone inquiry to the trust administration team asking to speak with the officer managing the Rosewood Foundation account.

2. Evangelical Protestant alignment is non-negotiable. Every top-tier grantee — Samaritan's Purse, Jesus Film Project, Gideons International, Billy Graham Evangelistic, International Mission Board, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary — shares an explicitly evangelical Protestant identity rooted in Southern Baptist tradition. Organizations from Catholic, mainline Protestant, or secular traditions are very unlikely to find receptive audiences. Frame your organization's mission explicitly within evangelical language and values.

3. Mississippi presence or national evangelical scale are your two pathways. Over 55% of documented grants go to Mississippi organizations (primarily Hattiesburg-area). If your organization serves Mississippi communities — even as one geographic focus among many — lead with that identity. Alternatively, organizations with national evangelical reach comparable to Samaritan's Purse or Gideons International may qualify for the foundation's second pathway.

4. Request general operating support only. Every single documented grant carries "GENERAL SUPPORT" as its stated purpose. Approaching this foundation with a project-specific or restricted proposal signals unfamiliarity with its grantmaking philosophy. Request unrestricted operating funds explicitly.

5. Pursue a warm introduction. Board members, senior staff, or institutional leaders connected to current grantees — William Carey University, Salvation Army of Hattiesburg, Empower Mississippi Foundation, French Camp Academy — represent the most viable entry pathway. Identify these connections before making a cold call.

6. Size your initial ask conservatively. First-year requests should target $15,000-$30,000, consistent with the Tier 3-4 grant range for newer or smaller grantees. Long-tenured relationships command $50,000-$100,000; arrive at those levels through demonstrated track record, not an initial ask.

7. Keep your inquiry concise. A 1-2 page letter of inquiry covering mission, constituency served, annual operating budget, Mississippi/evangelical connections, and a specific unrestricted funding request is the appropriate format. Do not send an unsolicited full proposal packet.