Simmons First Foundation Inc.

Simmons First Foundation Inc. is the philanthropic arm of Simmons Bank, one of Arkansas's largest financial institutions headquartered in Pine Bluff. Established in 2014 and granted IRS recognition in 2016, the foundation functions as a bank-community grantmaker — meaning geographic alignment with Simmons Bank's retail footprint is a hard eligibility filter, not a soft preference. Organizations must be located in counties where Simmons Bank has physical branch locations across its six-state service area: Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Texas. Confirming branch presence in your specific county before investing time in a proposal is the essential first step.

The foundation's giving philosophy centers on measurable youth impact for K-12 children, delivered through three distinct grant tracks. Make a Difference Grants ($2,500–$50,000) target special education programs for youth with disabilities and evidence-based substance abuse and violence prevention programs. Environmental Grants ($2,500–$50,000) have been refocused from general conservation to ADA-compliant outdoor spaces, sensory trails, and accessible STEM programming specifically for youth with disabilities. Mini Grants ($1,000–$2,500) offer a no-LOI entry point for education or healthcare programs — the recommended starting point for organizations new to this funder.

The application progression is structured and time-bound. For full grant tracks, applicants submit a maximum 2-page LOI to grants@simmonsfirstfoundation.com during the published LOI window (April 6–June 30 per the 2027 cycle). Full applications follow in a compressed July 1–31 window. Board review occurs after the July close at the board's discretion.

Repeat grantees dominate the funding history: Hurricane Hype Center (Pine Bluff) received two grants totaling $61,205; Boys & Girls Clubs appear across five states; Girls Inc. of Tennessee Valley received $27,000 across three grants; Centers For Youth And Families received four grants totaling $42,000. This track record signals that relationship-building and consistent reapplication are rewarded. First-time applicants should explicitly demonstrate two-year post-funding program sustainability — an eligibility requirement that sets this foundation apart. The explicit exclusions are firm: no building construction, capital campaigns, vehicles, event sponsorships, or administrative cost coverage.

Simmons First Foundation's grantmaking follows a variable annual rhythm tied to Simmons Bank's corporate contributions and net investment income. Annual giving has ranged significantly: $141,500 (2019), $146,924 (2020), $1,500,494 (2021), $362,000 (2022), $1,004,291 (2023), and $868,108 (2024). The $1.5 million peak in 2021 coincided with a $2.5 million corporate contribution from Simmons Bank that year; leaner years like 2019–2020 tracked lower contributions of approximately $4 million and $3.5 million respectively. Grant seekers should not anchor expectations to any single year's giving total.

Across 293 total grants in the public record, the median grant is $6,500 and the average is $11,020. In 2024 specifically, the median fell to approximately $5,400 across 102 awards — the foundation is distributing more grants at lower individual amounts. The historical range spans $1,000 to $500,000, but the outlier — a single $500,000 education endowment gift to Go Forward Pine Bluff / The Generator — is anomalous and unrepeated. Realistic expectations for new applicants fall squarely in the $5,000–$25,000 range, with $25,000 representing a practical ceiling for first-time recipients.

Large grants above $50,000 are exceptional and tied to multi-year strategic relationships: Ducks Unlimited received $200,000 cumulative (Big River Park Conservancy); The Nature Conservancy received $150,000; Fellowship of Christian Athletes received $100,000 for Jefferson County expansion across two grants.

Geographically, Arkansas dominates at 41.3% of total grants (121 of 293). Missouri follows at 21.8% (64 grants), Tennessee at 17.7% (52 grants), Oklahoma at 7.5% (22 grants), and Texas at 7.2% (21 grants). Kansas, despite being in the service area, accounts for only 2.0% (6 grants). This distribution mirrors Simmons Bank branch density, with Pine Bluff and central Arkansas receiving disproportionate attention.

By program area, youth recreation and facilities (playground equipment, sensory rooms, gyms, youth centers) represent the most frequent grant category. STEM and education technology (computers, smart boards, coding robots, lab equipment) follows closely. Environmental and conservation grants are fewer in count but command the largest individual amounts ($100,000–$200,000 for top recipients).

Simmons First Foundation is a mid-sized bank-affiliated private foundation (NTEE T20) with $19.3 million in total assets as of 2024. Its closest asset-matched peers in the Philanthropy & Grantmaking category reveal what distinguishes this funder in the landscape:

Simmons First Foundation stands out among its asset-comparable peers for transparency and accessibility. It operates a structured open LOI process with published annual deadlines, three distinct program tracks, explicit eligibility criteria, and a dedicated contact email — advantages rare among similarly-sized private foundations, most of which give by invitation only or provide no public application guidance.

Its 2024 distribution ratio of approximately 4.5% of assets ($868K on $19.3M) sits slightly below the 5% minimum required of private foundations, suggesting years with higher Simmons Bank corporate contributions (such as 2021's $2.5M infusion) produce significantly elevated giving. For nonprofits in the six-state service area, Simmons First's multi-track structure — with entry points as low as $1,000 Mini Grants — makes it one of the more accessible bank foundations in the mid-South region.

The most significant recent structural development is the appointment of Shannon Morgan as the foundation's first paid Executive Director. The 2024 IRS 990-PF filing (updated October 2025) shows Morgan receiving $34,615 in annual compensation at 40 hours per week — the first compensated staff role visible across available filings — signaling a shift from a purely volunteer board structure toward a professionally managed grantmaking operation.

Grant volume grew from 90 awards in 2023 to 102 awards in 2024, with total giving of $868,108. Top 2024 recipients included Ducks Unlimited ($100,000 for Big River Park Conservancy, Memphis, TN), Arkansas Game & Fish ($60,256 for Track Chair Program), Fellowship of Christian Athletes ($50,000 for Jefferson County chapter expansion), Hurricane Hype Center ($36,770 for STEM coding equipment in Pine Bluff), and Simmons Bank employee disaster relief ($30,000).

On July 11, 2024, Simmons Bank contributed $25,000 to the foundation honoring departing board member Jay Burchfield, a 2015–2024 director and retired chairman of Ozark Trust and Investment Corporation. Foundation President J. Thomas May (former Simmons Bank CEO Tommy May, who established the foundation in 2014) continues in the presidential role. George Makris (Executive Chairman of Simmons Bank) serves as a foundation director, reflecting continued strong bank-foundation governance integration.

The foundation's website has published the 2027 grant cycle timeline, indicating stable multi-year operational planning. Total assets grew from $1.4M in 2015 to $19.3M in 2024, reflecting consistent Simmons Bank capitalization over the past decade.

The single most important tactical decision is choosing the right program track before drafting any materials. Mini Grants ($1,000–$2,500) require no LOI — contact the foundation at grants@simmonsfirstfoundation.com or 870-541-1102 to confirm the current submission process. A successful Mini Grant is the recommended relationship-building step before pursuing larger Make a Difference or Environmental grants, particularly given that repeat grantees are well-represented in the funding history.

For Make a Difference and Environmental Grants ($2,500–$50,000), the 2-page LOI is the critical gate and tight word count demands precision. Lead immediately with quantified youth impact: number of K-12 children served, specific disability accommodation details (type of disability, adaptive features), or measurable prevention outcomes (reduction in incidents, program completion rates). The foundation's grantee history is dominated by concrete equipment purchases — STEM coding kits, smart boards, playground systems, sensory room equipment — not abstract capacity-building. Frame requests around specific, tangible program components with itemized per-student costs.

Language alignment is non-negotiable. Mirror the foundation's stated mission: "improving lives of children through programs that enhance education and healthcare." For Environmental Grants specifically, ADA compliance and accessibility language for youth with disabilities is now central to the program definition — proposals for outdoor or environmental projects that omit disability inclusion framing will be misaligned with current priorities regardless of conservation merit.

Geographic eligibility is a hard filter. Confirm your county has a Simmons Bank branch before submitting. Applications from unserved counties are ineligible; no amount of program quality will compensate for geographic misalignment.

Address two-year post-grant sustainability explicitly in the LOI — ideally in the final paragraph. Identify continuation funding sources (other grants, earned revenue, membership fees) that will sustain the program after Simmons funding ends. This is an explicit eligibility requirement and reviewers will look for it.

Submit LOIs only during the April 6–June 30 window; the board does not accept late submissions. Full applications follow July 1–31. Do not call for status updates before the review cycle concludes.