The Cornelsen Foundation concentrates its philanthropy on private education and child- and family-focused services, with sizable general operating grants to a small set of repeat beneficiaries. Their giving mixes major commitments to independent schools and a university with significant support for pediatric health, child welfare, and inclusive recreation in the St. Louis region. Grants are typically unrestricted/“general funding,” suggesting trust in grantee leadership and an emphasis on sustaining core operations.
A defining feature of The Floy L and Paul F Cornelsen Charitable Foundation is its repeated use of general funding for a small set of institutions, including multiple $100,000 grants to Villa Duchesne and Oak Hill School and a $100,000 grant to DePauw University in 2025. The foundation’s giving shows a steady preference for unrestricted support over project-specific awards, which suggests emphasis on helping grantees cover core needs. In the recent grants list, education stands out alongside child- and family-centered services. Alongside school and university support, the foundation backed St. Louis Children’s Hospital Foundation with grants of $92,000 in 2025 and $46,000 in 2024, and it supported without-limits recreation through a $100,000 grant to Without Limits Playground in 2025. The mix of recurring awards and sizable one-time gifts points to a funder that returns to select organizations over multiple years while also making substantial commitments to community-serving nonprofits. Its grantmaking is local, with most recipients in Missouri and a notable concentration in the St. Louis region, while Indiana recipients also appear in the recent record.
Private education is a clear throughline. The foundation gave $100,000 in 2025, $100,000 in 2024, and $100,000 in 2023 to Villa Duchesne and Oak Hill School in Frontenac, Missouri, all listed as general funding. Higher education appears as well: DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana received $100,000 in 2025, $75,000 in 2024, and $50,000 in 2023. Child and family services are another major area. Lutheran Family and Childrens Services of Missouri received $60,096 in 2024 and $47,751 in 2023, while Foster and Adoptive Care Coalition received $50,000 in 2023. The foundation also funded pediatric health and family support through St. Louis Children’s Hospital Foundation and The Mighty Oakes Heart Foundation, both of which appear in the recent grants list.
Recent grants cluster around the foundation’s stated typical size: p25 at $46,876, median at $50,000, and p75 at $67,548. The record also includes larger awards at $100,000, showing that the foundation uses a mix of standard mid-range gifts and occasional higher commitments. General funding appears across the recent list, indicating broad operating support rather than tightly restricted project grants. Several recipients recur across multiple years, including Villa Duchesne and Oak Hill School, DePauw University, Lutheran Family and Childrens Services of Missouri, St. Louis Children’s Hospital Foundation, and The Mighty Oakes Heart Foundation. The foundation does not fund individuals and makes no program-related investments.
$427K
$5.7M
$477K
$470K
Most grants fall between $47K and $68K, with a median of $50K.
25th Percentile
$47K
Median
$50K
75th Percentile
$68K
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Concentrated, relatively large unrestricted gifts to a small number of repeat grantees and hometown organizations; mixes multi-grant relationships with occasional one-off major gifts.
Notable grantees: Villa Duchesne and Oak Hill School, DePauw University, St. Louis Children's Hospital Foundation, Lutheran Family and Children's Services of Missouri, Without Limits Playground
Grantmaking is local and heavily centered in Missouri. Of the recent grants listed, 82% went to recipients in the foundation’s HQ state of Missouri, with the remaining grants going to Indiana. St. Louis appears repeatedly through recipients such as St. Louis Children’s Hospital Foundation, Lutheran Family and Childrens Services of Missouri, Friends of Wings, and Brightside St Louis. Other Missouri recipients include Frontenac, Brentwood, and St. Peters. Outside Missouri, DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana is the clear recurring non-Missouri recipient, and Indiana is also the top state by grant count overall.
The foundation supports private independent and K–12 schools, higher education, pediatric health, child welfare and family services, and inclusive recreation. Recent grantees include Villa Duchesne and Oak Hill School, DePauw University, St. Louis Children’s Hospital Foundation, Lutheran Family and Childrens Services of Missouri, and Without Limits Playground.
Yes. Several recipients appear across multiple years in the recent grants list, including Villa Duchesne and Oak Hill School, DePauw University, Lutheran Family and Childrens Services of Missouri, St. Louis Children’s Hospital Foundation, and The Mighty Oakes Heart Foundation.
Its typical grant size is concentrated around $50,000, with a p25 of $46,876, a median of $50,000, and a p75 of $67,548. The recent list also shows $100,000 grants, so the foundation uses both standard mid-range awards and larger gifts.
The foundation gives most often in Missouri, which accounts for 82% of grants in the recent record. Indiana is the top state by grant count overall after Missouri, with DePauw University in Greencastle appearing multiple times.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DEPAUW UNIVERSITY | GREENCASTLE, IN | $100,000 | 2025 | GENERAL FUNDING |
| VILLA DUCHESNE AND OAK HILL SCHOOL | FRONTENAC, MO | $100,000 | 2025 | GENERAL FUNDING |
| WITHOUT LIMITS PLAYGROUND | ST PETERS, MO | $100,000 | 2025 | GENERAL FUNDING |
| ST LOUIS CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL FOUNDATION | ST LOUIS, MO | $92,000 | 2025 | GENERAL FUNDING |
| THE MIGHTY OAKES HEART FOUNDATION | ST LOUIS, MO | $35,000 | 2025 | GENERAL FUNDING |
| VILLA DUCHESNE AND OAK HILL SCHOOL | FRONTENAC, MO | $100,000 | 2024 | GENERAL FUNDING |
| DEPAUW UNIVERSITY | GREENCASTLE, IN | $75,000 | 2024 | GENERAL FUNDING |
| LUTHERAN FAMILY AND CHILDRENS SERVICES OF MISSOUR | ST LOUIS, MO | $60,096 | 2024 | GENERAL FUNDING |
| ST LOUIS CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL FOUNDATION | ST LOUIS, MO | $46,000 | 2024 | GENERAL FUNDING |
| THE MIGHTY OAKES HEART FOUNDATION | ST LOUIS, MO | $35,000 | 2024 | GENERAL FUNDING |
| VILLA DUCHESNE AND OAK HILL SCHOOL | FRONTENAC, MO | $100,000 | 2023 | GENERAL FUNDING |
| FRIENDS OF WINGS | ST LOUIS, MO | $50,000 | 2023 | GENERAL FUNDING |
| DEPAUW UNIVERSITY | GREENCASTLE, IN | $50,000 | 2023 | GENERAL FUNDING |
| FOSTER AND ADOPTIVE CARE COALITION | BRENTWOOD, MO | $50,000 | 2023 | GENERAL FUNDING |
| LUTHERAN FAMILY AND CHILDRENS SERVICES OF MISSOUR | ST LOUIS, MO | $47,751 | 2023 | GENERAL FUNDING |
| BRIGHTSIDE ST LOUIS | ST LOUIS, MO | $14,000 | 2023 | GENERAL FUNDING |
DEPAUW UNIVERSITY
$100,000GENERAL FUNDING
VILLA DUCHESNE AND OAK HILL SCHOOL
$100,000GENERAL FUNDING
WITHOUT LIMITS PLAYGROUND
$100,000GENERAL FUNDING
THE MIGHTY OAKES HEART FOUNDATION
$35,000GENERAL FUNDING
VILLA DUCHESNE AND OAK HILL SCHOOL
$100,000GENERAL FUNDING
DEPAUW UNIVERSITY
$75,000GENERAL FUNDING
THE MIGHTY OAKES HEART FOUNDATION
$35,000GENERAL FUNDING
VILLA DUCHESNE AND OAK HILL SCHOOL
$100,000GENERAL FUNDING
FRIENDS OF WINGS
$50,000GENERAL FUNDING
DEPAUW UNIVERSITY
$50,000GENERAL FUNDING
BRIGHTSIDE ST LOUIS
$14,000GENERAL FUNDING