Our Foundations

The Bellingrath-Morse Foundation

Bellingrath Gardens and Home is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, operated by the Bellingrath-Morse Foundation. The Bellingrath-Morse Foundation was created in 1950 by Walter D. Bellingrath to honor his late wife, Bessie Morse Bellingrath, and to perpetuate the Gardens and Home they created. In the document creating the Foundation, Mr. Bellingrath stated, “These Gardens in all their beauty represent her, and must be maintained as a fitting and permanent memorial to her, in the charitable, religious and educational uses to which they are dedicated.” Mr. Bellingrath firmly believed that our democracy was based on students receiving a basic Christian education, and for that reason, the Bellingrath-Morse Foundation supports three Christian colleges: Rhodes College in Memphis, Tenn.; and Huntingdon College in Montgomery and Stillman College in Tuscaloosa, Ala. On an annual basis, 80% of the distributions from the Foundation go to support these colleges, while 20% of the funds are used to support the Gardens’ operations.

Bellingrath Gardens and Home Foundation

The Bellingrath Gardens and Home Foundation was created in 2004 to assist with garden enhancements, special events, educational programs and capital projects.