Getting to Know the Mary Morton Parsons Foundation’s Virginia Giving
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Grantees include the College of William and Mary. Photo: William Silver/shutterstock
Mary Morton Parsons was the only child of the founder of the Home Beneficial Life Insurance Company and a lifelong resident of Richmond, Virginia. With the help of a longtime friend, she created her own private philanthropic foundation to support her many charitable interests close to home.
Based in Parsons’ home city of Richmond, the Parsons Foundation gives priority to groups that serve the city and nonprofits elsewhere in central Virginia. However, it also considers organizations that operate elsewhere in the state. Giving does not typically leave Virginia.
Here are a few important things for Virginia-based nonprofits to know about the Mary Morton Parsons Foundation.
Topics of interest
The Parsons Foundation funds many different charitable causes and supports the following topics of interest: arts and culture, civic and community needs, education, environment and ecology, historic preservation and social services and welfare.
Some of the largest recent grants have gone to the Faison Center, the College of William and Mary, the Patrick Henry School of Science and Arts, and the Norfolk Botanical Garden. Overall, most Parsons grants are between $25,000 and $400,000 each.
Most grants are made on a matching or challenge basis
This is a local foundation that typically sticks with matching and challenge grants to maximize its impact and make contributions alongside other funding sources. It primarily provides project support, although Parsons grants do not fund more than one-third of any project’s total cost. Also, the foundation does not fund general operating expenses for ongoing programs, administrative costs, research, endowment funds or local chapters of national societies. Construction costs and other capital support grant requests are fair game for the Parsons Foundation.
Two grant cycles a year
There are two opportunities to get involved with the Parsons Foundation each year. The spring cycle grant submission deadline is March 15, and the fall cycle deadline is September 15. The foundation prefers grantseekers to make telephone inquiries prior to submitting application materials. Though this is not a requirement, the foundation gives priority consideration to groups that make this initial contact with the executive director, so getting in touch is definitely a good idea.
The application process
There is no standard application form required to apply for a Parsons grant. Grantseekers should simply submit materials in their own desired format, describing their organization, project, financial plan and budget. Organizations must wait a full five years after receiving a Parsons grant before applying for another one.
Thus far, this foundation has awarded over $128 million to grantees. In a recent year, the funder awarded more than $8.2 million in total grants. Read more about this funder and others that give in Virginia in IP’s Mid-Atlantic States funding guide.
