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Albert and Margaret Alkek Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

Albert and Margaret Alkek Foundation

Its FY2024 filing reports that it accepted unsolicited grant applications.

$14M
Granted FY2024still arriving
58
Grants FY2024still arriving
5
States reached
$8.1M
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
05Through PlinthRead
01What it funds
01100% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2020 to 2024.

Health$44MArts & Culture$7.5MEducation$6.3MYouth Development$1.1MHuman Services$1.0MEnvironment$818kInternational$575kReligion$514kOther$0
02FY2024 · 58 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2024

  • Under $10k1 grant · $3k
  • $10k–50k22 grants · $538k
  • $50k–250k29 grants · $2.6M
  • $250k+6 grants · $11M
$50,000
Median grant
5
States reached
$199M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE$8,093,300
THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS MD ANDERSON CANCER CENTER$1,000,000
BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE$564,500
TMI - THE EPISCOPAL SCHOOL OF TEXAS$500,000
HOUSTON SYMPHONY SOCIETY$400,000
AMAZING PLACE$300,000
ST MARY'S UNIVERSITY$200,000
TEXAS STATE UNIVERSITY$200,000
TMI - THE EPISCOPAL SCHOOL OF TEXAS$190,000
TEXAS A&M FOUNDATION$150,000
SOUTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY$125,000
STAR OF HOPE$125,000
THE FIRST TEE OF GREATER HOUSTON INC$125,000
HALO HOUSE FOUNDATION$100,000
MENTAL HEALTH AMERICA OF GREATER HOUSTON$100,000
02The need
03

Does the money reach high-need areas?

Each grant placed by the hardship in its grantee’s ZIP, against the area’s typical level.

show:

Its human-services grants (FY20–24, $485k) land where the poverty rate runs at 16%, against an area that typically sits at 11%. 100% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 11%HILL COUNTRY YOUTH RANCH: $60k → 13%NEHEMIAH CENTER: $25k → 16%HILL COUNTRY YOUTH RANCH: $50k → 13%NEHEMIAH CENTER INC: $25k → 16%NEHEMIAH CENTER INC: $25k → 16%NEHEMIAH CENTER INC: $25k → 16%NEHEMIAH CENTER INC: $20k → 16%PATHWAYS FOR LITTLE FEET: $13k → 16%PATHWAYS FOR LITTLE FEET: $13k → 16%PATHWAYS FOR LITTLE FEET: $10k → 16%PATHWAYS FOR LITTLE FEET: $10k → 16%PATHWAYS FOR LITTLE FEET: $10k → 16%CENTER FOR PURSUIT: $50k → 16%DEPELCHIN CHILDREN'S CENTER: $150k → 16%0%20%40%50%more need →
grant to an above-average-need area below average· circle size = grant amount
How this is measured
Matched: human-services grants are those whose grantee’s IRS cause code is Human Services. Placed by people below the poverty line in the grantee’s ZIP, averaged from the tracts in that ZIP.
How this is measured
US grants placed by each grantee’s ZIP, which can differ from where services are delivered. Need from public data (U.S. Census/ACS, CDC PLACES, Eviction Lab, USDA), shown as context about the area, never attributed to the funder’s giving.
03Its grantees
repeat funding

Who it funds again

Organizations funded in more than one year, against those funded once.

97%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$61M · 50 repeat orgs$1.7M to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +34% since the first grant, against +9% for those funded once.

50 repeat relationships: 44 still active in FY2024, 6 since wound down; 9 grantees were first funded in FY2024 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

50
24

Total granted

$61M
$1.3M

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+34%
+9%

Still filing today

76%
54%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 97% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $440k went to new ones.

50%100%’20’21’22’23’24
RenewedFirst-time

Where new relationships form · theme of each grantee’s first grant

’20’21’22’23’24
EducationArts & CultureHuman ServicesHealthEnvironmentReligionOther
How this is measured
First-time means a grantee’s first year in the filing window; renewed means funded in an earlier year too. The renewed share climbs naturally as a portfolio matures, so the signal is a year that bucks it (a wave of new grantees). The earliest year is left-censored: relationships that predate the data read as new. Theme is the grantee’s IRS cause.

Backed again, and grew

  • BC
    Baylor College of Medicine
    5× · 2020–2024 · $38M · revenue +47%
  • TM
    THE MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS HOUSTON
    4× · 2020–2023 · $4.8M · revenue +51%
  • HS
    Houston Symphony Society
    3× · 2022–2024 · $1.2M · revenue +26%

Funded once

  • SL
    ST LUKES UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
    one grant, 2023 · $150k
  • DC
    DEPELCHIN CHILDREN'S CENTER
    one grant, 2021 · $150k · revenue +13%
  • TS
    THE ST BERNARD PROJECT INC
    one grant, 2022 · $150k · revenue -25%
How this is measured

Repeat means funded in two or more distinct years. Growth and survival are read from each grantee’s own subsequent IRS filings.

04Its field

Closest unfunded matches

The nonprofits that most resemble its grantees but are not funded by it, scored along the direction from the rest of the field toward the portfolio. A resemblance in what they say they do, not a recommendation.

1
Trees for Houston

Plant, protect and promote trees all over the greater Houston area.

—
2
Houston Museum of Natural Science

The mission of the Houston Museum of Natural Science shall be to preserve and advance the general knowledge of natural science; to enhance in individuals the knowledge of and delight in natural science and related subjects; and to maintain…

Arts & Culture
3
Harris County Medical Society

Our mission is to be the leading advocate for our member physicians, their patients and our community, in promoting the highest standards of ethical medical practice, access to quality medical care, medical education, research, and…

—
4
The Houston Audubon Society

To advance the conservation of birds and their habitats in the Greater Houston Gulf Coast region by acquiring and maintaining critical habitat as bird sanctuaries, providing education programs and nature experiences, and advocating policy…

Environment
5
Memorial Hermann Medical Group

Memorial hermann health system is a nonprofit, values-driven, community-owned health system dedicated to improving health. our vision is to create healthier communities, now and for generations to come. our values are community,…

Health
6
Breakthrough Houston

The mission of Breakthrough Houston (BTH) is to work with highly motivated students to achieve post-secondary success and empower aspiring leaders to become the next generation of educational advocates.

Education
7
Baylor Scott & White Holdings

Founded as a Christian ministry of healing, Baylor Scott & White Health promotes the well-being of all individuals, families and communities.

Health
8
Houston Christian Foundation dba National Christian Foundation Houston

As the Houston affiliate of the National Christian Foundation (NCF), our mission is to serve and encourage givers to grow as faithful stewards who give wisely to further the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

—
9
John P McGovern Museum of Health & Medical Science

The Health Museum is an innovative science center that provides an interactive and entertaining experience for all ages, promotes understanding and appreciation of the human body, mind, and spirit, and inspires a lifelong commitment to…

Arts & Culture
10
Scott & White Hospital-College Station

Founded as a Christian ministry of healing, Baylor Scott & White Health (BSWH) promotes the well-being of all individuals, families and communities.

Health
11
The Women's Resource of Greater Houston

See Schedule OThe Women's Resource of Greater Houston helps women and girls make choices toward becoming independent, productive, and financially stable. We fulfill our mission by recruiting volunteer instructors to deliver our programs in…

Philanthropy
12
Central Houston Inc

See schedule ocentral houston champions a thriving downtown by connecting influential leaders through initiatives that advance the future of business and community for all.

—
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Texas a&M Foundation; the most unlike its peers is National Wildlife Federation. Resemblance is measured on each organization’s own IRS 990 mission text; it reflects how work is described, not its quality or impact.
04the grantee network

57 grantees tracked through their own filings, 2017–2026.

Each grant beside the grantee’s revenue from every source, year by year.

How this is measured

Counted here: distinct organizations funded across 2017 to 2026, not grant rows in a single year, so this will not match the grant count on the cover. 57 of the 84 grantees resolved in that span have returns of their own we could reconcile.

Each grantee is resolved to its own IRS returns. Association, dated; never a causal claim.

1
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
12
Early backer (in before they grew)
57/57
Grantees still filing
42/57
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

Baylor College of Medicine: $38,096,000 · EducationBaylor College of Medicine+8 more: $2,037,500 · EducationTHE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS MD ANDERSON CANCER CENTER: $5,050,000 · OtherTHE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS …TMI - THE EPISCOPAL SCHOOL OF TEXAS: $1,940,000 · OtherTMI - THE EPISCOPAL SCHO…St Mary's University: $1,000,000 · OtherSt Mary's UniversityAMAZING PLACE: $825,000 · OtherAMAZING PLACETEXAS STATE UNIVERSITY: $600,000 · Other+40 more: $4,396,500 · Other+40 moreTHE MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS HOUSTON: $4,800,000 · Arts & CultureTHE MUSEUM …Houston Symphony Society: $1,200,000 · Arts & CultureHouston Sym…River Oaks Chamber Orchestra: $375,000 · Arts & CultureRiver Oaks …+6 more: $305,000 · Arts & CultureSOMEBODY CARES AMERICA INC: $575,000 · Human ServicesChristian Community Service Center Inc: $175,000 · Human ServicesDEPELCHIN CHILDREN'S CENTER: $150,000 · Human ServicesNehemiah Center Inc: $120,000 · Human ServicesHILL COUNTRY YOUTH RANCH: $110,000 · Human ServicesYoung Men's Christian Association of the Greater Houston Area: $75,000 · Human ServicesBakerRipley: $75,000 · Human ServicesPathways for Little Feet: $55,000 · Human ServicesTHE CENTER FOR PURSUIT: $50,000 · Human ServicesMental Health America of Greater Houston Inc: $250,000 · HealthARTHUR NAGEL COMMUNITY CLINIC INC: $195,000 · HealthHalo House Foundation: $100,000 · HealthCHILDBUILDERS: $50,000 · HealthHEARTGIFT FOUNDATION: $25,000 · HealthBOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF BANDERA COUNTY: $300,000 · Recreation & SportsHouston Golf Association Youth Program Inc dba First Tee of Greater Houston: $175,000 · Recreation & SportsHouston Golf Association Inc: $25,000 · Recreation & SportsPRO-VISION INC: $225,000 · ReligionHope and Healing Center & Institute: $80,000 · ReligionCANCARE INC: $40,000 · ReligionMERCY GATE MINISTRIES: $25,000 · Religion
Education$40,133,500Other$13,811,500Arts & Culture$6,680,000Human Services$1,385,000Health$620,000Recreation & Sports$500,000Religion$370,000

Each grantee by its size and the funder’s share of it; top left is load-bearing

25%50%75%100%$1.0M$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetBaylor College of Medicine: $38,096,000 over 5y, 0.4% of budgetTHE MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS HOUSTON: $4,800,000 over 4y, 0.8% of budgetHouston Symphony Society: $1,200,000 over 3y, 1.7% of budgetSt Mary's University: $1,000,000 over 5y, 0.1% of budgetTexas A&M Foundation: $600,000 over 4y, 0.1% of budgetSOMEBODY CARES AMERICA INC: $575,000 over 5y, 33% of budgetSOUTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY: $575,000 over 5y, 0.1% of budgetRiver Oaks Chamber Orchestra: $375,000 over 5y, 5.7% of budgetBOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF BANDERA COUNTY: $300,000 over 5y, 15% of budgetWilliam Marsh Rice University: $300,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetTHE NATURE CONSERVANCY: $300,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetMental Health America of Greater Houston Inc: $250,000 over 3y, 3.0% of budgetPRO-VISION INC: $225,000 over 3y, 5.4% of budgetWitte Museum: $210,000 over 5y, 0.9% of budgetALLIANCE FOR CHOICE IN EDUCATION: $200,000 over 4y, 0.1% of budgetTHE POSSE FOUNDATION INC: $200,000 over 4y, 0.2% of budgetARTHUR NAGEL COMMUNITY CLINIC INC: $195,000 over 5y, 3.5% of budgetHouston Golf Association Youth Program Inc dba First Tee of Greater Houston: $175,000 over 3y, 6.3% of budgetChristian Community Service Center Inc: $175,000 over 4y, 1.0% of budgetPARKS AND WILDLIFE FOUNDATION OF TEXAS: $168,000 over 5y, 0.3% of budgetDEPELCHIN CHILDREN'S CENTER: $150,000 over 1y, 0.5% of budgetTHE ST BERNARD PROJECT INC: $150,000 over 1y, 0.4% of budgetREMIND: $130,000 over 5y, 2.4% of budgetChildren's Assessment Center Foundation: $125,000 over 2y, 0.9% of budgetSTAR OF HOPE MISSION: $125,000 over 1y, 0.5% of budgetTHE AUSTIN CENTER FOR GRIEF AND LOSS: $125,000 over 5y, 4.4% of budgetNehemiah Center Inc: $120,000 over 5y, 2.3% of budgetChildren At Risk: $115,000 over 5y, 0.8% of budgetHILL COUNTRY YOUTH RANCH: $110,000 over 2y, 0.5% of budgetHalo House Foundation: $100,000 over 1y, 2.9% of budgetHope and Healing Center & Institute: $80,000 over 3y, 0.9% of budgetYoung Men's Christian Association of the Greater Houston Area: $75,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetYELLOWSTONE ACADEMY INC DBA YELLOWSTONE SCHOOLS: $75,000 over 3y, 0.4% of budgetNATIONAL WILDLIFE FEDERATION: $75,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetBakerRipley: $75,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetBIG BROTHERS BIG SISTERS LONE STAR: $75,000 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetTHE CENTER FOR HEARING AND SPEECH: $75,000 over 3y, 0.4% of budgetBobwhite Brigade: $60,000 over 1y, 13% of budgetPathways for Little Feet: $55,000 over 5y, 2.8% of budgetHouston Botanic Garden: $50,000 over 2y, 0.5% of budgetThe Houston Food Bank: $50,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetNew Hope Housing Inc: $50,000 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetTHE CENTER FOR PURSUIT: $50,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetCHILDBUILDERS: $50,000 over 2y, 7.6% of budgetHOUSTON WILDERNESS INC: $40,000 over 4y, 1.6% of budgetCANCARE INC: $40,000 over 4y, 1.1% of budgetTEXAS GOLF HALL OF FAME & MUSEUM (AUDIT): $30,000 over 1y, 5.8% of budgetROB & BESSIE WELDER WILDLIFE CONSERVATION FOUNDATION: $26,500 over 1y, 12% of budget
Grantee by grantee: a decade per organization, before and after funding

A decade per grantee: revenue shaded, grants as bars, all rows on one timeline.

  • Who funds Baylor College of Medicine ↗
  • Who funds THE MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS HOUSTON ↗
  • Who funds Houston Symphony Society ↗
  • Who funds St Mary's University ↗
  • Who funds Texas A&M Foundation ↗
  • Who funds SOMEBODY CARES AMERICA INC ↗
  • Who funds SOUTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY ↗
  • Who funds River Oaks Chamber Orchestra ↗
  • Who funds BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF BANDERA COUNTY ↗
  • Who funds William Marsh Rice University ↗
  • Who funds THE NATURE CONSERVANCY ↗
  • Who funds Mental Health America of Greater Houston Inc ↗
  • Who funds PRO-VISION INC ↗
  • Who funds Witte Museum ↗
  • Who funds ALLIANCE FOR CHOICE IN EDUCATION ↗
  • Who funds THE POSSE FOUNDATION INC ↗
  • Who funds ARTHUR NAGEL COMMUNITY CLINIC INC ↗
  • Who funds Houston Golf Association Youth Program Inc dba First Tee of Greater Houston ↗
  • Who funds Christian Community Service Center Inc ↗
  • Who funds PARKS AND WILDLIFE FOUNDATION OF TEXAS ↗
  • Who funds DEPELCHIN CHILDREN'S CENTER ↗
  • Who funds THE ST BERNARD PROJECT INC ↗
  • Who funds REMIND ↗
  • Who funds Children's Assessment Center Foundation ↗
  • Who funds STAR OF HOPE MISSION ↗
  • Who funds THE AUSTIN CENTER FOR GRIEF AND LOSS ↗
  • Who funds Nehemiah Center Inc ↗

Co-funders

Grantmakers whose grantees overlap with this funder’s far more than size alone predicts. Closer means stronger alignment; arcs show where they also fund each other. Here they form a tightly interlocked group: most of these funders back each other's grantees too.

Greater Houston Commu…Strake FoundationThe Elkins FoundationHarry S & Isabel C Ca…Albert & Ethel Herzst…The Brown Foundation …Sterling-Turner Found…Vivian L Smith Founda…The William Stamps Fa…The Powell FoundationJ Squared Family Foun…MD Anderson Foundation
Greater Houston Community FoundationTX40× affinity23 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Greater Houston Community Foundation · Strake Foundation · The Elkins Foundation · Harry S & Isabel C Cameron Foundation Sentinel Trust Company · Albert & Ethel Herzstein Charitable Foundation · The Brown Foundation Inc · Sterling-Turner Foundation · Vivian L Smith Foundation · The William Stamps Farish Fund · The Powell Foundation · J Squared Family Foundation · MD Anderson Foundation

How this is measured
Affinity is a Gamma-Poisson posterior co-funding rate, re-centered on the typical rate, so thin evidence shrinks toward no signal. Overlap is association, not proof of shared intent.

How much its grantees rely on government

Each dot is one organization Albert and Margaret Alkek Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Albert and Margaret Alkek Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 00%3%10%23%40%funder's share of their income ↑0%19%38%56%75%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    0get no government money at all
    14report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
    0rely on government for over half their income
    ⤢ axis zoomed · 0–75%
    typical government reliance, FY20–25
    How this is measured
    Government income is each org’s traced federal awards (USASpending grants and contracts) plus state payments (open checkbooks) as a share of its total revenue (IRS Form 990); the self-reported government-grant line (990 line 1e) is carried for cross-check: a grantee that reports government grants we could not trace to a source is left off the chart rather than shown as receiving none. An association, not a claim that a grant caused the public funding. Coverage is precision-first, a floor rather than a census; state records exist for 9 states, so a grantee outside them shows no state figure (dimmed) rather than a false zero. Federal award amounts are obligations, which can span years, so a single-year share is indicative. 990 filings lag 12 to 24 months.
    05Through Plinth

    Warm introductions · Powered by PlinthPlus

    How do I get to Albert and Margaret Alkek Foundation?

    Find your warmest path to Albert and Margaret Alkek Foundation through trustees and officers whose names appear on both boards. Search for your organization and Plinth traces the shortest route it can evidence.

    Each link is a name appearing on two organizations’ public IRS 990 filings, matched on that name and, where the filings support it, on location. A same-state match has geographic support, which is a second matching feature rather than confirmation that the two are one person; a cross-state one is the likeliest to be two people who share a name. Every hop shows its tier, low-confidence and distant paths are held back rather than guessed, and it is worth confirming the person before you use the introduction.

    On method. Every financial figure here is read from IRS e-file XML, the funder’s own 990/990-PF, and from the multi-year returns of the 84 grantees we resolved, each linked to its source. Grantee outcomes are each organization’s own program-service reporting (Form 990, Part III), read as association with funding, never as caused by it. Low-confidence name matches are suppressed rather than guessed. How we build these →

    How this is measured
    Each figure carries one of six labels. Filed is what the funder reported on its return. Official is another government record about an organization, such as a federal award or a charity register, joined by name where no shared identifier exists. Resolved is an identity we worked out where the filing named a recipient without an EIN, kept only above a measured confidence threshold. Computed is arithmetic over those, like themes, portfolio clusters and co-funder strength. Context is a statistic about a place rather than about an organization, which is what the need overlay is: it describes the area a grantee’s address sits in, not where its work lands. Inferred is drawn by a model from text, like the partnerships read out of public news and organization websites. Each is labeled where it appears.

    Generated from the IRS Form 990-PF e-file return for fiscal year 2024, released 2024. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

    Source object · view filing

    Play a game based on Albert and Margaret Alkek’s filings →

    More from the funding graph

    The unnamed billions
    grants reported with no recipient in the public record
    The regranting layer
    51% of grant dollars land in the regranting layer
    The DAF merry-go-round
    $9.7B circulates between donor-advised funds
    The endowment market
    who holds foundation money, and what just moved
    The camps
    funders cluster by geography, not ideology
    By state
    where grant money is based, and what stays home