Rea Charitable Trust
The Rea Charitable Trust is a private foundation based in Cincinnati, Ohio. Created in 2009 by Mrs. Isabel McClintic Rea and administered by Comerica Bank & Trust, it supports charitable, religious, scientific, literary, and educational organizations, with priority given to organizations supporting the arts.
Rea Charitable Trust at a glance
In short: Rea Charitable Trust gave $5.3M across 208 grants in 2025 (avg $25K), mostly in Texas. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $5,284,300
- -6.4% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 208
- +1.5% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $25,405
- -7.8% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $15,000
- Total assets
- $119,433,115
- +21.7% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- Texas (85% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026.
How to apply to Rea Charitable Trust
- How to Apply
-
The filing names Rea Charitable Trust–Comerica Bank as the contact and requires completion of the formal grant application in addition to the grant application. The filing describes award restrictions as “geographical area generally.”
- Review Cycle
- The 2024 filing lists April 15 and October 15 deadlines for grants awarded in June and December. A program description lists a January 1–February 15 application period for organizations whose legal names begin with A–L; that cycle has passed as of October 2, 2026. The description’s August 15 schedule is incomplete.
- Deadline
- The 2024 filing lists April 15 and October 15 deadlines for grants awarded in June and December.
- Contact
Application contact: Rea Charitable Trust-Comerica Bank
Mailing address: 36455 Corporate Drive M/C 3420, Farmington Hills, MI 48331
Phone: (248) 732-6756
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Open Grants
1 open opportunity from Rea Charitable Trust
Who Rea Charitable Trust funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Midland ISD Educational Foundation ($335K). Together the top 10 received $1.4M.
Grant Size Distribution
781 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 655 grants of 781 (84%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The 2025 filing allocates 85% of grant dollars to Texas recipients, 7% to New York, 7% to Virginia, 1% to Kansas, and less than 1% to Michigan. The filing describes geographic-area restrictions as applying generally. Examples of Texas recipients include organizations in Midland, Odessa, Levelland, Kerrville, and Austin.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 208 itemized grants.
States
Cities
How Rea Charitable Trust gives
- 73% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−7%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 92% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Foundations have until the end of the next year to meet it. Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $5.2M (2021) to $5.7M (2023). In 2025 it made 208 grants totaling $5.3M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Midland ISD Educational Foundation Midland, TX | Support for Daily Operation | $335,000 |
| University of Texas Austin, TX | Support for Daily Operation | $170,000 |
| Museum of the Southwest Midland, TX | Support for Daily Operation | $150,000 |
| Odessa College Foundation Inc Odessa, TX | Support for Daily Operation | $130,000 |
| Midland-Odessa Symphony and Chorale Inc Midland, TX | Support for Daily Operation | $125,000 |
| South Plains College Foundation Levelland, TX | Purpose of Daily Operations | $120,000 |
| Permian Basin Public Midland, TX | Support for Daily Operation | $100,000 |
| Schreiner University Kerrville, TX | Support for Daily Operation | $100,000 |
| Ellen Noel Art Museum of the Permian Odessa, TX | Support for Daily Operation | $100,000 |
| Midland Festival Ballet Midland, TX | Support for Daily Operation | $85,000 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $119,433,115 | $31,644,424 | $6,986,864 | $5,284,300 | 208 | $5,298,584 | $30,624,538 | $5,763,350 |
| 2024 | $98,126,165 | $4,153,031 | $6,653,545 | $5,648,500 | 205 | $5,662,625 | $3,350,477 | $5,530,140 |
| 2023 | $100,544,152 | $-229,851 | $6,772,543 | $5,747,700 | 184 | $5,867,302 | $2,567,910 | $5,544,793 |
| 2022 | $107,266,968 | $6,370,492 | $6,897,542 | $5,710,000 | 183 | $5,965,378 | $5,416,863 | $5,827,436 |
| 2021 | $108,024,869 | $14,015,969 | $6,461,019 | $5,200,129 | 1 | — | $12,928,611 | $6,093,557 |
| 2020 | $100,484,277 | $5,186,660 | $6,182,314 | $5,262,000 | 183 | — | $4,414,700 | $5,390,596 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Rea Charitable Trust reported a distributable amount of $5.8M for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The trust’s stated purpose is to support charitable, religious, scientific, literary, or educational organizations, with specific priority for entities supporting the arts.
Its 2025 grantees illustrate the range of recipients. The Museum of the Southwest describes its mission as engaging visitors with arts, science, history, and culture. Midland Festival Ballet says it promotes classical ballet through education, performance, and outreach, while Midland Community Theatre describes its work as providing opportunities to participate in and experience theatre arts and education. Educational grantees include Odessa College Foundation, which supports scholarships, college projects and training, and philanthropy for higher education, and South Plains College Foundation, which secures financial assistance for students and support for the college’s educational programs.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the trust made 208 grants totaling $5,284,300. Grants ranged from $2,000 to $335,000, with a median grant of $15,000. Among the largest awards were $335,000 to Midland ISD Educational Foundation, $170,000 to the University of Texas, $150,000 to the Museum of the Southwest, $130,000 to Odessa College Foundation, and $125,000 to Midland-Odessa Symphony and Chorale. The filing describes these awards as support for daily operations, except the South Plains College Foundation award, described as support for daily operations’ purpose.
The 2024 filing states that the trust does not restrict giving to preselected organizations. It requires a formal grant application in addition to the grant application. A program description specifies eligibility for 501(c)(3) organizations and limits applicants to one application per year.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
Comerica Bank Trust NA is listed as trustee on the 2025 filing. The filing also lists Randy Wilson, Vickie Jay, Eileen Piwetz, Becky Baskin Ferguson, Carma Lynn Muscroft, Katharine Folger Kavanagh, and Christine G. Foreman on the advisory committee.
Rea Charitable Trust's 2025 filing lists 8 officers; all 8 officers listed in 2025 are compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Comerica Bank Trust NA
Trustee
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
$134K (2024) → $136K (2025)
Becky Baskin Ferguson
Advisory Committee
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
$1K (2021) → $1K (2025)
Christine G. Foreman
Advisory Committee
On filings since 2021
1 hr/week
$1K (2021) → $1K (2025)
Carma Lynn Muscroft
Advisory Committee
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
$500 (2023) → $1K (2025)
Eileen Piwetz
Advisory Committee
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
$500 (2023) → $1K (2025)
Katharine Folger Kavanagh
Advisory Committee
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
$500 (2023) → $1K (2025)
Vickie Jay
Advisory Committee
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
$500 (2023) → $1K (2025)
Randy Wilson
Advisory Committee
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
$1K (2024) → $1K (2025)
Former officers (6)
- Former: Wells Fargo Bank N A (2020–2023) — Prior Trustee
- Former: Richard Folger (2022–2023) — Advisory Committee
- Former: Comerica Bank (2023) — Trustee
- Former: Harper Estes (2021–2022) — Advisory Committee
- Former: Paul Morris (2021–2022) — Advisory Committee
- Former: Richard Fogler (2021) — Advisory Committee
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $136K, to Comerica Bank Trust NA (Trustee). 8 officers or directors reported compensation on that filing.
Frequently asked questions about Rea Charitable Trust
How much does Rea Charitable Trust give each year?
Rea Charitable Trust gave $5.3M across 208 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $5.6M across 205 grants.
What is Rea Charitable Trust's typical grant size?
Rea Charitable Trust's median grant in 2025 was $15,000, and its average grant was $25,405, across 208 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does Rea Charitable Trust give grants?
Rea Charitable Trust gives mostly in Texas: 85% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were New York (7%) and Virginia (7%). The most frequent recipient cities were Midland, TX (23 grants), Dallas, TX (17 grants), New York, NY (17 grants) and Austin, TX (15 grants).
Does Rea Charitable Trust give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 208 grants with a stated purpose on Rea Charitable Trust's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Support for Daily Operation" (144 grants), "Support of Daily Operations" (30 grants) and "Purpose of Daily Operations" (17 grants).
Who are Rea Charitable Trust's largest grantees?
Rea Charitable Trust's largest 2025 grantees include Midland ISD Educational Foundation ($335,000), University of Texas ($170,000) and Museum of the Southwest ($150,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 12% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Rea Charitable Trust?
Rea Charitable Trust reported $119.4M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $5.3M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $5.8M (roughly 5% of its investment assets). Falling short in one year is not a violation: foundations have until the end of the next year to meet the minimum.
What does Rea Charitable Trust fund?
The trust’s stated purpose is to support charitable, religious, scientific, literary, or educational organizations, with specific priority for entities supporting the arts. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Rea Charitable Trust?
The filing names Rea Charitable Trust–Comerica Bank as the contact and requires completion of the formal grant application in addition to the grant application. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Rea Charitable Trust's EIN?
Rea Charitable Trust's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 26-3671567. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated October 2026.
Data update history
(2)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS July 28, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Rea Charitable Trust's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Rea Charitable Trust funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/rea-charitable-trust-morg_68703cb6361f4b9bb4938e3c0f5e7b35
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_263671567_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Rea Charitable Trust funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/rea-charitable-trust-morg_68703cb6361f4b9bb4938e3c0f5e7b35},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-12. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from Rea Charitable Trust's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
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