Gilbert and Thyra Plass Charitable Trust Grant

The Gilbert and Thyra Plass Charitable Trust is administered by Wells Fargo Trust Philanthropic Services Private Foundations and was established under the Last Will and Testament of Dr. Thyra Nichols Plass. Dr. Plass, a highly educated and accomplished musician, earned degrees in music from the University of Chicago and a doctorate in organ performance and sacred music from Union Theological Seminary. Her husband, Dr. Gilbert Plass, was a physicist who served as the head of the Physics Department at Texas A&M University and was a prominent author in the field of global warming. The couple resided in Bryan, Texas, and the charitable trust they created reflects their broad interests and commitment to supporting their community. The trust supports charitable, educational, religious, and scientific purposes with a specific geographic focus on Brazos County, Texas. It is dedicated to benefiting local residents through a variety of program areas including arts, culture and humanities, education, environmental and animal welfare, health, human services, and religion. To ensure the trust’s impact remains local, all applicant organizations must maintain a physical office within Brazos County. Organizations seeking funding must be classified as tax-exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. One restriction of the trust is that it does not support endowment funding requests. Applications are accepted year-round; however, to be considered during the annual grant review meeting held in September, applications must be submitted no later than July 31. Notification of grant decisions typically occurs by October for all timely submissions. Funding from the trust generally ranges between $5,000 and $10,000 per award. On average, the trust grants approximately 14 awards annually, amounting to a total distribution of around $110,000 each year. This funding is distributed among diverse community-focused programs aligning with the trust’s objectives. Applications must be submitted online through the Wells Fargo grant application portal. Upon submission, applicants will receive an automated email confirmation. For questions or support, applicants may contact the grant administration team via phone at 1-888-235-4351 or email at grantadministration@wellsfargo.com. The trust does not provide educational scholarships through this funding opportunity; individuals seeking scholarships are directed to csascholars.org.