The Betsy Thomas Patterson Foundation concentrates its giving on major cultural institutions in the St. Louis region, providing substantial unrestricted operating support to art museums and regional public media/public television. Grants are large and targeted, often repeated to the same organizations, indicating a preference for bolstering institutional capacity rather than project-specific funding. Despite the foundation’s Milwaukee address, its philanthropic footprint is clearly focused on sustaining St. Louis arts and public broadcasting infrastructure.
Concentrated, high-dollar grants to a very small set of repeat grantees; primarily unrestricted/general operating support for established cultural institutions in the St. Louis area.
The Betsy Thomas Patterson Foundation’s recent giving is defined by two St. Louis institutions receiving repeated general operating support: Saint Louis Art Museum and St Louis Regional Public Media Inc. In the latest grants on file, both organizations appear multiple times, with awards at the same large dollar levels across 2023, 2024, and 2025. That pattern points to a funder that is working to sustain core institutional functions rather than underwriting discrete projects. The foundation’s grants are substantial in size and narrowly focused. Its support has gone to major cultural and public media organizations in St. Louis, including Saint Louis Art Museum and St Louis Regional Education & Public Tv, with grant language consistently centered on general operating support. The repetition of these awards suggests an emphasis on continuity for organizational capacity, staffing, and day-to-day operations. Although the foundation is headquartered in Milwaukee, its philanthropic footprint is centered in Missouri, especially St. Louis. The recipient list in the latest data is entirely made up of U.S. organizations, and the recent grants show a clear preference for established institutions serving the region.
The foundation’s giving aligns with organizational capacity and program continuity for established St. Louis institutions. In art museum support, it gave $246,618 in 2023 and $215,162 in 2024 to Saint Louis Art Museum for general operating purposes, then $238,771 in 2025 for general operating support. Public media is the other clear area of support. St Louis Regional Public Media Inc received $246,618 in 2023 and $215,162 in 2024, both listed as general operating grants. A related public television recipient, St Louis Regional Education & Public Tv, received $238,771 in 2025 for general operating support. Across these awards, the foundation backs administrative infrastructure, staffing, and other core expenses for large regional cultural organizations rather than project-specific work.
Typical grant size is tightly clustered: the p25 is $215,162, the median is $230,890, and the p75 is $246,618. The recent record shows repeated awards to the same organizations across 2023, 2024, and 2025, which indicates ongoing support rather than one-time gifts. The foundation is a private foundation with no indication of individual giving or program-related investments in the supplied data. The grants shown are all general operating support.
$514K
$10.5M
$1.1M
$708K
Most grants fall between $215K and $247K, with a median of $231K.
25th Percentile
$215K
Median
$231K
75th Percentile
$247K
About 0% of grants go to recipients in MO.
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Notable grantees: Saint Louis Art Museum, St. Louis Regional Public Media, Inc., St. Louis Regional Education & Public TV
Recent grants are concentrated in Missouri, with St. Louis and Saint Louis appearing across the recipient list. The top state by grant count is MO. Recipient cities include ST LOUIS and SAINT LOUIS, and every recent grant in the supplied data went to a U.S. organization. No non-U.S. recipient countries appear in the recent-grants list.
The recent grants point to established cultural and public media institutions in St. Louis. Saint Louis Art Museum, St Louis Regional Public Media Inc, and St Louis Regional Education & Public Tv all received general operating support, showing a focus on organizational capacity and core operations rather than project-specific funding.
The typical grant size is large and relatively consistent. The p25 is $215,162, the median is $230,890, and the p75 is $246,618, which shows a narrow band of award sizes in the recent data.
Yes. The recent grants show the same St. Louis institutions appearing in multiple years, including Saint Louis Art Museum in 2023, 2024, and 2025, and St Louis Regional Public Media Inc in 2023 and 2024. That pattern suggests recurring support.
Its grants are concentrated in Missouri, and the top state by grant count is MO. The recipient cities in the recent grants are ST LOUIS and SAINT LOUIS, while the HQ is Milwaukee, WI.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SAINT LOUIS ART MUSEUM | SAINT LOUIS, MO | $256,750 | 2026 | GNERAL OPERATING |
| SAINT LOUIS ART MUSEUM | SAINT LOUIS, MO | $256,750 | 2026 | GNERAL OPERATING |
| ST LOUIS REGIONAL EDUCATION & PUBLIC TV | SAINT LOUIS, MO | $256,750 | 2026 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| ST LOUIS REGIONAL EDUCATION & PUBLIC TV | SAINT LOUIS, MO | $256,750 | 2026 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| SAINT LOUIS ART MUSEUM | SAINT LOUIS, MO | $238,771 | 2025 | GNERAL OPERATING |
| ST LOUIS REGIONAL EDUCATION & PUBLIC TV | SAINT LOUIS, MO | $238,771 | 2025 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| ST LOUIS ART MUSEUM | ST LOUIS, MO | $215,162 | 2024 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| ST LOUIS REGIONAL PUBLIC MEDIA INC | SAINT LOUIS, MO | $215,162 | 2024 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| ST LOUIS REGIONAL PUBLIC MEDIA INC | SAINT LOUIS, MO | $246,618 | 2023 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| ST LOUIS ART MUSEUM | ST LOUIS, MO | $246,618 | 2023 | GENERAL OPERATING |
SAINT LOUIS ART MUSEUM
$256,750GNERAL OPERATING
SAINT LOUIS ART MUSEUM
$256,750GNERAL OPERATING
ST LOUIS REGIONAL EDUCATION & PUBLIC TV
$256,750GENERAL OPERATING
ST LOUIS REGIONAL EDUCATION & PUBLIC TV
$256,750GENERAL OPERATING
ST LOUIS REGIONAL EDUCATION & PUBLIC TV
$238,771GENERAL OPERATING