# Donald Danforth Plant Science Center

Donald Danforth Plant Science Center is an Endowment / Foundation based in Saint Louis, United States.

## Overview

- **Organization type:** Endowment / Foundation
- **Headquarters:** Saint Louis, United States
- **Region:** North America
- **Address:** 975 North Warson Road, Saint Louis, MO 63132, United States
- **Founded:** 1998
- **Assets under management:** 300 (Altss estimate)
- **Website:** danforthcenter.org
- **LinkedIn:** https://www.linkedin.com/company/donald-danforth-plant-science-center

## Regulatory record

- **Reports private funds:** No

## About

The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center was established in 1998 by William Henry Danforth as an independent nonprofit research institute. Its endowment supports laboratory work, field trials, and technology transfer in plant biology. The center allocates to private equity and maintains a direct investment program through Danforth Technology Company. Confirmed holdings include Spearhead Bio, Metablify, RNAissance Ag, and Agrela Ecosystems. It operates a 140-acre field research site in St. Charles, Missouri, and maintains geographic exposure in North America, Africa, Asia, and South America. The organization employs 361 people at its Saint Louis headquarters. It owns the BRDG Park innovation district and participates in the 39 North AgTech Innovation District. Recent participation includes a September 2025 panel at Climate Week NYC. The center's structure centers on a wholly owned subsidiary for commercialization and board oversight that includes family representation alongside institutional partners such as Washington University in St. Louis.

## Sectors

- AgriTech & FoodTech
- ClimateTech

## People

- William Henry Danforth — Founder
- Penny Pennington — Chair of the Board

## Questions

### Who runs investment decisions at Donald Danforth Plant Science Center?

The board chaired by Penny Pennington oversees strategy. Day-to-day investment execution occurs through Global Endowment Management and the Danforth Technology Company subsidiary.

### Does the center participate in fund commitments or only direct deals?

It maintains both private equity fund exposure at 3.58 percent of assets and direct startup holdings via its technology subsidiary.

### What investment stages does the center typically target?

Activity centers on seed and early-stage companies in agtech and biotechnology.

### How is the center related to Danforth Technology Company?

Danforth Technology Company is the wholly owned subsidiary that holds and commercializes equity stakes in portfolio companies.

## Related profiles

- [Diebold Nixdorf](https://altss.com/profile/diebold-nixdorf)
- [Green Capital Group](https://altss.com/profile/green-capital-group)

---

Last updated: 2026-06-03T20:00:00.000Z

Canonical page: https://altss.com/profile/donald-danforth-plant-science-center-ddpsc

Maintained by Altss — https://altss.com — methodology: https://altss.com/methodology