The Danforth Foundation was one of the largest private nonprofit foundations in the

St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

Metropolitan region. It closed its doors in 2011 after 84 years of operation and more than a billion dollars in grants distributed.

Background

Established in 1927 by

Ralston Purina Ralston Purina Company was a St. Louis, Missouri,–based American conglomerate with substantial holdings in animal feed, food, pet food, consumer products, and entertainment. On December 12, 2001, it merged with Swiss food-giant Nestlé's Fr ...

founder

William H. Danforth William H. Danforth (September 10, 1870 – December 24, 1955) was an American businessman known for founding Ralston Purina in St. Louis, Missouri in 1894. He was a co-founder of the American Youth Foundation (AYF) and the author of the book, ' ...

and his wife, the Danforth Foundation grants funded exclusively to the St. Louis region. In the 1950s and 1960s, it funded many projects involving religion and higher education. The Danforth Fellows Program, which supported graduate study in religion for scholars in other fields, was folded into the Society for Values in Higher Education. In 1973,

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related Christian denomination, denominations of Protestantism, Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John W ...

minister and theologian

Merrimon Cuninggim Merrimon Cuninggim (1911–1995) was a Methodist minister and university administrator. Early life Augustus Merrimon Cuninggim was born on May 11, 1911, in Nashville, Tennessee.Robert McG. Thomas, Jr.Merrimon Cuninggim, 84, Minister and Educa ...

resigned as executive director because of a perceived conflict of interest from a $60 million grant to

Washington University in St. Louis Washington University in St. Louis (WashU or WUSTL) is a private research university with its main campus in St. Louis County, and Clayton, Missouri. Founded in 1853, the university is named after George Washington. Washington University i ...

authorized by William Henry Danforth Jr., who was then both chairman of the foundation and chancellor of the university.

References

External links

FoundationCenter.org: Danforth Foundation Shifts Focus, Cuts Staff
{{Authority control Educational foundations in the United States Defunct organizations based in Missouri Non-profit organizations based in Missouri Organizations based in St. Louis Ralston Purina Organizations established in 1927 Organizations disestablished in 2011 1927 establishments in Missouri 2011 disestablishments in Missouri

Background

See also

References

External links