About Bellingrath-Morse Foundation
Perpetuate the legacy of Walter and Bessie Bellingrath by preserving and enhancing Bellingrath Gardens & Home — providing public access to horticultural beauty, education, conservation, and community programs.
Focus Areas
horticultureenvironmental educationSTEM education for K-6plant research and conservationpublic programming and eventshistoric site preservation
Funding Style
general operating supportoperational supportunrestricted/core supportongoing/recurring support
Topics
organizational capacity building
About Bellingrath-Morse Foundation
A defining thread in Bellingrath-morse Foundation’s giving is sustained support for Bellingrath Gardens & Home and the institutions tied to its legacy. The foundation’s stated purpose is to perpetuate the legacy of Walter and Bessie Bellingrath by preserving and enhancing Bellingrath Gardens & Home, with public access to horticultural beauty, education, conservation, and community programs. That mission shows up in its largest recent grants, including multi-million-dollar general support to Rhodes College and operational support for Bellingrath Gardens & Home Foundation Inc. The foundation also backs colleges in Alabama with substantial general support. Huntingdon College and Stillman College each appear across multiple recent years, suggesting a pattern of ongoing institutional support rather than isolated awards. Recent grants are sizable: the foundation operates at a scale where individual awards commonly reach seven figures, and its latest 990 year on file is 2025. Across the recent-grants list, the mix points to a funder that prioritizes long-term continuity, preservation, and education-connected institutions over short-term project funding. Its grantmaking is rooted in a specific legacy while extending to partner organizations that align with that mission.
What Bellingrath-Morse Foundation Funds
Bellingrath-morse Foundation supports a narrow set of connected priorities, with repeated emphasis on preservation, education, and institutional continuity. In historic site preservation and operational support, they gave $2,402,422 to Bellingrath Gardens & Home Foundation Inc in 2023 and $1,190,784 in 2025 for operational support. In higher education, the foundation made large general-support grants to Rhodes College, including $2,751,118 in 2023, $2,167,218 in 2024, and $2,721,792 in 2025. Huntingdon College also received general support in 2023, 2024, and 2025, reinforcing a multi-year pattern. The foundation’s Alabama college giving extends to Stillman College as well, with grants in 2023, 2024, and 2025. Taken together, these awards show support for organizations that can sustain programming, campus operations, and long-run institutional goals.
How Bellingrath-Morse Foundation Gives
Bellingrath-morse Foundation’s typical grant size is large: the 25th percentile is $885,694, the median is $1,375,559, and the 75th percentile is $2,284,820. The recent-grants list also shows a multi-year pattern rather than one-off awards, with Rhodes College, Huntingdon College, and Stillman College each receiving grants in more than one year. The foundation is classified as a regular funder, not a DAF, and it does not fund individuals or make program-related investments. Its philosophy tags point to general operating support, operational support, unrestricted/core support, and ongoing support.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$6M
Total Assets
$102.5M
Total Revenue
$7.9M
Total Expenses
$6.7M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $886K and $2.3M, with a median of $1.4M.
25th Percentile
$886K
Median
$1.4M
75th Percentile
$2.3M
Geographic Reach
Regional2 states funded
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
PRESTON BOLT
Accepts unsolicited proposals
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