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THE BELLWETHER FOUNDATION

ST LOUIS, MO 222635309 WWW.BELLWETHERSTL.ORG

The Bellwether Foundation, with $70 million in assets, funds arts, education, and environmental projects across several U.S. cities and states, led by uncompensated trustees including Virginia V. Smith and Robert B. Smith III.

Overview

About THE BELLWETHER FOUNDATION

The Bellwether Foundation, based in St. Louis, Missouri, is a philanthropic organization with assets totaling approximately $70 million. The foundation focuses on funding initiatives in various subject areas including arts and culture, education, environment, health, and biodiversity, with a particular emphasis on plant biodiversity and botanical gardens. It operates primarily in the United States, funding projects in cities such as St. Louis, Chicago, and Denver, and states including Missouri, Illinois, and Colorado. The foundation's leadership includes Virginia V. Smith as President and Secretary, and Robert B. Smith III as Chairman of the Board, among other trustees. Despite its significant financial activities, the foundation's key personnel do not receive compensation for their roles.

Focus areas

Arts and cultureEducationEnvironmentNatural resourcesBiodiversityPlant biodiversityBotanical gardensHealthDiseases and conditions- Less

Geographic focus

COCTFLGAILMOVA
Application Status

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Sample Match Score

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Match Score measures the compatibility between your organization and this funder based on focus areas alignment (92%), geographic location preferences (85%), previous grantees similarity (88%), grant size match (78%), application process compatibility (73%), and timeline compatibility (80%).

87%
Excellent compatibility match
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Key statistics
Total Assets $70.0M
Total Awarded This Year $7.3M
Average Grant Size $121K
Total Grants (Previous Year) 11,725
Open to New Applicants
false
% New Applicants Funded
0%
Contact information
WWW.BELLWETHERSTL.ORG
ST LOUIS, MO, US
Geographic Funding Distribution

Financials

Total assets
$70,041,889

in 2024, compared to $68,831,959 in 2023

Annual grants
$7,253,843

60 grants awarded in 2024

Program expenses
85%

Of total expenses go to programs

Annual grant distribution
Revenue vs expenses
Assets over time

Grants

Grant awards
PurposeLocation
$2,858,557ST LOUIS ZOO ASSOCIATIONTO CONSERVE ANIMALS AND THEIR HABITATS THROUGH ANIMAL MANAGEMENT, RESEARCH AND PROGRAMS1 GOVERNMENT DRIVE ST LOUIS, MO US2023
$2,154,941SAINT LOUIS ZOO ASSOCIATIONTO CONSERVE ANIMALS AND THEIR HABITATS THROUGH ANIMAL MANAGEMENT, RESEARCH AND PROGRAMS1 GOVERNMENT DR ST LOUIS, MO US2024
$2,000,043ST LOUIS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRATO ENRICH PEOPLE'S LIVES THROUGH THE POWER OF MUSIC718 N GRAND BLVD ST LOUIS, MO US2024
$1,000,000DONALD DANFORTH PLANT SCIENCE CENTERTO IMPROVE THE HUMAN CONDITION THROUGH PLANT SCIENCE975 N WARSON RD ST LOUIS, MO US2024
$996,744GREAT RIVERS GREENWAYTO DEVELOP A NETWORK OF GREENWAYS TO MAKE THE ST. LOUIS REGION A MORE VIBRANT PLACE TO LIVE, WORK AN...3745 FOUNDRY WAY STE 253 ST LOUIS, MO US2022
$762,996MISSOURI HISTORICAL SOCIETYTO SERVE AS THE CONFLUENCE OF HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVES TO INSPIRE AND ENGAGE5700 LINDELL BLVD ST LOUIS, MO US2022
$700,000ST LOUIS MERCANTILE LIBRARY AT UMSLTO MAKE ITS COLLECTIONS AVAILABLE TO THE WIDEST NUMBER OF LOCAL AND NATIONAL USERS1 UNIVERSITY BLVD ST LOUIS, MO US2024
$603,256GREAT RIVERS GREENWAY FOUNDATIONTO DEVELOP A NETWORK OF GREENWAYS TO MAKE THE ST. LOUIS REGION A MORE VIBRANT PLACE TO LIVE, WORK AN...3745 FOUNDRY WAY SUITE 253 ST LOUIS, MO US2024
$500,000CORTEXTO SUPPORT BIOSCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH4320 FOREST PARK AVE NO 201 ST LOUIS, MO US2023
$400,000GREAT RIVERS GREENWAYTO DEVELOP A NETWORK OF GREENWAYS TO MAKE THE ST. LOUIS REGION A MORE VIBRANT PLACE TO LIVE, WORK AN...3745 FOUNDRY WAY STE 253 ST LOUIS, MO US2023
141 row(s) total.

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People

Leadership & staff

Compensation data from most recent available 990 forms

Title
VVS
VIRGINIA V SMITH
PRESIDENT/SECRETARY$02022
RBSI
ROBERT B SMITH III
CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD$02022
SD
SALLY DUFFIELD
TRUSTEE$02022
CDP
CARRIE D PITTENGER
TRUSTEE$02022
RBSI
ROBERT B SMITH II
TRUSTEE (DEC. 10/23/2021)$02022
JJW
JOHN J WOLFE
TRUSTEE$02022
VVS
VIRGINIA V SMITH
PRESIDENT/SECRETARY$02023
RBSI
ROBERT B SMITH III
CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD$02023
SD
SALLY DUFFIELD
TRUSTEE$02023
CDP
CARRIE D PITTENGER
TRUSTEE$02023
16 row(s) total.

Rows per page

Page 1 of 2

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Financial data sourced from IRS 990 forms via ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer

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Last updated on August 25, 2025