Trio Foundation of St Louis
The Trio Foundation of St. Louis is a private foundation based in St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1990 as a family foundation, it supports programs and organizations focused on community enhancement, human potential, opportunity, creativity, and ecological well-being.
Trio Foundation of St Louis at a glance
In short: Trio Foundation of St Louis gave $1.9M across 100 grants in 2025 (avg $19K), mostly in Missouri. 22% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $1,852,500
- +9.6% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 100
- +9.9% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $18,525
- -0.3% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $22,500
- Total assets
- $36,879,718
- +7.4% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 22% first-time grantees (21 of 97, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Missouri (90% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Trio Foundation of St Louis
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests in 2026. Its website asks interested organizations to contact staff to schedule a meeting before beginning an application. The process uses an online application, and organizations must register before applying. The foundation says its guidelines must be followed and its application completed. It does not fund scientific or medical research and is generally not interested in supporting video production, conferences, seminars, feasibility studies, routine technology expenses, event sponsorship, charter schools, or strategic-plan development. Capital campaigns may be supported in limited circumstances, with advance discussion recommended.
- Review Cycle
- The 2026 proposal deadline was September 4, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. CT; this deadline has passed. The foundation said applicants would be notified of the Board’s decision in December 2026.
- Deadline
- The 2026 proposal deadline was September 4, 2026, at 5:00 p.m.
- Contact
Application contact: Triostlorg
Mailing address: Online Application To Be Completed, See - Wwwtriostlorg, PO Box, MO 63117
Phone: (314) 725-3040
Email: trio@triostl.org
Website: https://triostl.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Open Grants
1 open opportunity from Trio Foundation of St Louis
Who Trio Foundation of St Louis funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Seed St Louis ($50K). Together the top 10 received $315K.
Grant Size Distribution
590 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 588 grants of 590 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation says the vast majority of its giving is focused on St. Louis City and the immediate near counties. Its 2025 grant dollars went primarily to Missouri recipients, which received 90%; Georgia received 2%, and Tennessee, Florida, and California each received 1%.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 100 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Trio Foundation of St Louis open to new grantees?
22%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 21 of 97 grantees (22%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $10K; repeat grants $21K. How we count
Medians: $10K first-time, $25K repeat.
- 70% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+16%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 115% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2025). 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 $1.5M (2020) to $1.9M (2025). In 2025 it made 100 grants totaling $1.9M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Seed St Louis St. Louis, MO | Cultivating St. Louis | $50,000 |
| Planned Parenthood Great Rivers St. Louis, MO | General Operating Support | $45,000 |
| Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater St Louis St. Louis, MO | Workforce development: preparing disadvantaged teens to thrive as adults | $30,000 |
| Lifewise STL St. Louis, MO | Women's Financial Wellbeing | $30,000 |
| Archcity Defenders St. Louis, MO | General Operating Support | $25,000 |
| Beyond Housing Pine Lawn, MO | Beyond Housing's Youth Programs | $25,000 |
| Black Girls Do STEM St. Louis, MO | Black Girls Do STEM General Operating Support | $25,000 |
| Cinema St Louis St. Louis, MO | Capital Grant for Purchase of Hi Pointe Theater | $25,000 |
| Coca - Center of Creative Arts St. Louis, MO | General Operating Support | $25,000 |
| Contemporary Art Museum St Louis St. Louis, MO | General Operating Support | $25,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Trio Foundation of St Louis?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
The foundation reported 100 grants in 2025, 91 in 2024, and 115 in 2023.
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $36,879,718 | $1,853,833 | $2,227,908 | $1,852,500 | 100 | $2,012,774 | $1,669,961 | $1,746,930 |
| 2024 | $34,352,338 | $1,099,284 | $2,026,059 | $1,690,000 | 91 | $1,841,988 | $915,345 | $1,706,764 |
| 2023 | $32,821,306 | $-312,273 | $2,047,793 | $1,675,500 | 115 | $1,869,317 | $521,517 | $1,584,450 |
| 2022 | $30,933,276 | $-1,424,407 | $2,031,674 | $1,600,000 | 137 | $1,796,739 | $474,317 | $1,658,117 |
| 2021 | $39,212,571 | $11,850,329 | $2,222,639 | $1,636,500 | 147 | $1,842,394 | $11,582,143 | $1,627,973 |
| 2020 | $36,249,969 | $2,106,538 | $1,913,546 | $1,490,500 | 153 | — | $1,872,274 | $1,589,903 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Trio Foundation of St Louis reported a distributable amount of $1.7M 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 foundation’s mission is to support programs and organizations that promote equity of opportunity, independence, equitable access to the creative experience, ecological preservation, and environmental justice. It identifies racial equity as important to addressing problems in the community and describes its approach as increasingly trust-based and collaborative. Housing, healthcare, and childcare are identified as needs to address within its focus areas.
Its 2025 grants show support for a range of organizations. For example, SEED St. Louis describes its mission as contributing to neighborhood vitality and stability through community food projects, education and wellness programs, and civic greening. The MICA Project says it works with low-income immigrants to overcome barriers to justice through legal services, organizing, advocacy, and education. Great Rivers Environmental Law Center describes its work as providing legal services for environmental protection, while Starkloff Disability Institute describes its mission as advancing economic opportunity through disability-led programs.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation reported 100 grants totaling $1,852,500. Grants ranged from $2,500 to $50,000, with a median of $22,500. Among the largest were $50,000 to SEED St. Louis for “Cultivating St. Louis” and $45,000 to Planned Parenthood Great Rivers for general operating support. Other grants included $30,000 to Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater St. Louis for workforce development and $30,000 to LifeWise STL for women’s financial wellbeing. Several organizations received $25,000, including ArchCity Defenders, Beyond Housing, Black Girls Do STEM, Cinema St. Louis, COCA, Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, Craft Alliance Center, and Crown Center for Senior Living.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Marissa Berkow Rosen as executive director; Terri S. Mason as president; William L. Nussbaum Jr. as vice president and treasurer; and Mary B. Moog as secretary and assistant treasurer. It also lists Caroline Caplan, Nicki Friedland, James R. Moog, Thomas H. Moog, and Linda B. Nussbaum as directors.
Trio Foundation of St Louis is led by Marissa Berkow Rosen, Executive Director on every filing since 2024; 1 of 9 officers listed in 2025 is compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Marissa Berkow Rosen
Executive Director
On filings since 2024
30 hrs/week
$75K (2024) → $83K (2025)
Terri S. Mason
President
Director → President, 2024
On filings since 2020
3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
James R. Moog
Director
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Linda B. Nussbaum
Director
President → Director, 2021
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Nicki Friedland
Director
Vice President → President, 2021
President → Director, 2024
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Thomas H. Moog
Director
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Caroline Caplan
Director
On filings since 2024
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Mary B. Moog
Secretary & Assistant Treasurer
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
William L. Nussbaum Jr.
Vice President & Treasurer
Treasurer → Vice President & Treasurer, 2021
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (2)
- Former: Wendy F. Jaffe (2020–2023) — Assistant Secretary
- Former: Donna L. Moog (2020–2022) — Director
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 $83K, to Marissa Berkow Rosen (Executive Director).
Frequently asked questions about Trio Foundation of St Louis
How much does Trio Foundation of St Louis give each year?
Trio Foundation of St Louis gave $1.9M across 100 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $1.7M across 91 grants.
What is Trio Foundation of St Louis's typical grant size?
Trio Foundation of St Louis's median grant in 2025 was $22,500, and its average grant was $18,525, across 100 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Trio Foundation of St Louis that year got $10K on average.
Where does Trio Foundation of St Louis give grants?
Trio Foundation of St Louis gives mostly in Missouri: 90% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were St. Louis, MO (73 grants), Portland, OR (3 grants), Atlanta, GA (2 grants) and New York, NY (2 grants).
Does Trio Foundation of St Louis give general operating support?
Yes: 58% of Trio Foundation of St Louis's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (58 of 100) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Trio Foundation of St Louis's largest grantees?
Trio Foundation of St Louis's largest 2025 grantees include Seed St Louis ($50,000), Planned Parenthood Great Rivers ($45,000) and Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater St Louis ($30,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 7% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Trio Foundation of St Louis?
Trio Foundation of St Louis reported $36.9M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $2.0M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $1.7M (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Trio Foundation of St Louis fund?
The foundation’s mission is to support programs and organizations that promote equity of opportunity, independence, equitable access to the creative experience, ecological preservation, and environmental justice. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Trio Foundation of St Louis?
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests in 2026. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Trio Foundation of St Louis's EIN?
Trio Foundation of St Louis's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 43-1553538. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Trio Foundation of St Louis accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated October 2026.
Data update history
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS October 12, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS August 25, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 15, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 15, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 14, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 14, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Trio Foundation of St Louis's focus areas in our free grants database
Similar Funders
Funders that support many of the same organizations
Enterprise Holdings Foundation
Saint Louis, MO
The Enterprise Holdings Foundation supports charitable and educational nonprofits in communities where Enterprise Mobility operates, focusing on health, education, arts, and disaster relief; applicants must be actively supported by an Enterprise Mobility team member, spouse, or domestic partner. Giving varies widely: it reported 9,499 grants in 2024, but its 2025 filing showed one grant of $101.4 million, so that amount is not a typical award. Applications are accepted at any time through eligible Enterprise-affiliated applicants; the Foundation does not limit giving to preselected organizations.
Assets
$594.3M
Grants
1
Total Given
$101.4M
The Bellwether Foundation
St. Louis, MO
The Bellwether Foundation supports St. Louis-area 501(c)(3) organizations in arts and sciences, culture, education, and the environment, with a preference for program grants and interest in projects serving under-resourced communities. Recent grants ranged from $1,000 to $2 million, with a median of $5,000 in 2025. It does not accept unsolicited requests; applications are by invitation only.
Assets
$79.0M
Grants
39
Total Given
$6.7M
St Louis Community Foundation
St. Louis, MO
The St. Louis Community Foundation’s discretionary grants focus on economic mobility—such as housing, financial health, and jobs—and youth connections, including early education, educational innovation, and scholarships; it also administers grants for private and family foundations with their own priorities. Its 2024 itemized grants had a median of about $11,000, and recipients were primarily in Missouri, with others in Kansas, New York, Illinois, and Colorado.
Assets
$104.0M
Grants
228
Total Given
$6.6M
Pott Foundation
Eagan, MN
The Pott Foundation supports evidence-based programs for children and families, especially those focused on family support, preventive health care, early learning, and high-quality child care. Its 2025 grants ranged from $2,500 to $90,000, with a median of $10,000; most funding went to Missouri, with some grants in Virginia and Illinois. It does not limit giving to preselected organizations and directs applicants to its website for an application and guidelines.
Assets
$27.0M
Grants
85
Total Given
$1.4M
Pershing Charitable Trust
St. Louis, MO
The Trust supports a broad range of work, including pediatric care, re-entry services, education, youth development, plant science, housing, and regional economic growth; 97% of its 2025 grant dollars went to Missouri. Grants ranged from $5,000 to $600,000, with a median of $30,000. It accepts unsolicited written requests, with no stated deadline.
Assets
$88.4M
Grants
83
Total Given
$5.2M
United Way of Greater St Louis Inc
Saint Louis, MO
United Way of Greater St. Louis funds local nonprofits working on essential needs, youth success, health, financial mobility, and community stability, including direct services and efforts addressing root causes. Its 2025 grants ranged from $5,305 to $2.1 million, with a median of about $78,500; it primarily serves a 16-county region in Missouri and Illinois. It accepts applications through listed funding cycles, including a 2027 Targeted Fund cycle due October 12, 2026.
Assets
$122.5M
Grants
294
Total Given
$47.8M
More similar funders
More Funders in Missouri
Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Trio Foundation of St Louis funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 10, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/trio-foundation-of-st-louis-morg_ce741df3bf5d4854a1fc32a2e14b4f3e
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_431553538_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Trio Foundation of St Louis funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/trio-foundation-of-st-louis-morg_ce741df3bf5d4854a1fc32a2e14b4f3e},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-10. 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 Trio Foundation of St Louis'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.
Trio Foundation of St Louis down — hundreds of funders to go?