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Texas · Private foundation

Alvin & Lucy Owsley Foundation

Its FY2024 filing reports that it accepted unsolicited grant applications.

$581k
Granted FY2024(still arriving)
45
Grants FY2024
53
Organizations funded FY2023
38%
First-time grantees FY2023
Read the full brief
Median grant, FY2024
$5,000
Largest grant, FY2024
$99,890
Organizations funded a year
23 to 53
FY2017 to FY2023
States reached, FY2024
8
Total assets, FY2024
$6.6M
Applications
Takes unsolicited applications
Per its most recent filing; check its own site

How open it is to new grantees

In FY2023, 38% of the organizations Alvin & Lucy Owsley Foundation funded were first-time grantees, receiving 16% of its grant dollars.

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2023, 84% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $98k went to new ones.

50%100%’18’19’20’21’22’23
RenewedFirst-time

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

’18’19’20’21’22’23
Arts & CultureEducationEnvironmentPhilanthropyYouth DevelopmentAnimalsOther
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.
The numbers by year
Fiscal yearOrganizations fundedTo those organizationsFirst-time grantees
FY2024still arriving45$581k36%
FY202353$594k38%
FY202231$464k29%
FY202135$553k29%
FY202030$474k27%
FY201935$586k51%
FY201829$389k62%
FY201723$293kn/a
99% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2017 to 2024.

Arts & Culture$2.4MEducation$615kReligion$258kHealth$179kRecreation & Sports$119kEnvironment$103kPhilanthropy$67kInternational$54kOther$0

Where its grants go

Grant dollars by states, across the years we hold.

Which US states its grants reach

IL
MI
NY
MA
PA
CT
CA
CO
AZ
DC
TX

Top grantees

Largest recipients by total granted, FY2017 to FY2024, and the share of each one’s budget the grants supplied at peak.

GranteeTotal grantedYearsShare of their budget
Dallas Museum of Art$1,124,22671%
Stages$408,09581%
St John's School$351,50080%
Christ Church Cathedral$235,2008n/a
Contemporary Arts Museum Houston$206,00081%
Camp Allen Camp & Conference Center$105,00050%
Georgetown University$100,00020%
Houston Cinema Arts Society$99,00069%
The Methodist Hospital Foundation$75,00060%
Pepperdine University$52,50030%
Show all 82 grantees
All grantees of Alvin & Lucy Owsley Foundation by total granted
GranteeTotal grantedYearsShare of their budget
Dallas Museum of Art$1,124,22671%
Stages$408,09581%
St John's School$351,50080%
Christ Church Cathedral$235,2008n/a
Contemporary Arts Museum Houston$206,00081%
Camp Allen Camp & Conference Center$105,00050%
Georgetown University$100,00020%
Houston Cinema Arts Society$99,00069%
The Methodist Hospital Foundation$75,00060%
Pepperdine University$52,50030%
Rowdy Foundation Inc$52,5005n/a
Menil Foundation Inc$44,75080%
The Museum of Fine Arts Houston$37,28370%
The Orange Show Foundation$36,50061%
The Beacon of Downtown Houston$35,00080%
River Oaks Chamber Orchestra$27,50051%
Garden Club of Houston$23,50062%
Hermann Park Conservancy$19,51550%
Elite Bahamian Education Program$19,0001n/a
Buffalo Bayou Partnership Inc$17,70030%
Texas Cultural Trust Council$16,50020%
Crime Stoppers of Houston Inc$14,52650%
Houston Hospice$14,00030%
Galveston Bay Foundation Inc$14,00070%
Breakthrough Houston$13,25030%
Friends of River Oaks Theatre Inc$11,00014%
Houston Botanic Garden$11,00030%
Glenwood Cemetery Historic Preservation Foundation$10,00020%
Finnians Foundation for Endangered Species$10,0002n/a
Houston Arboretum & Nature Center$10,00020%
Young Life$10,00030%
Lone Star Flight Museum$9,00030%
Men of Distinction of Greater Houston$7,50011%
Houston Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals$6,00020%
City of Houston$5,5262n/a
Houston Area Parkinson Society$5,50020%
The Arbor School$5,00010%
Harris County Hospital District Foundation$5,00010%
Good Samaritan Foundation of Texas Inc$5,00011%
I Am Waters Foundation Inc$5,00011%
United Way of Greater Houston$5,00010%
Children's Assessment Center Foundation$5,00010%
YES Prep Public Schools Inc$4,00020%
Kiwanis Foundation of Houston$4,00041%
Asia Society Texas Center$3,50020%
Memorial Park Conservancy Inc$3,00010%
Workshop Houston$3,0001n/a
Wild and Free Foundation$3,00030%
River Oaks Foundation$3,00030%
Suffield Academy$3,00020%
United Negro College Fund Inc$2,50010%
Character Camp$2,5001n/a
Performing Arts Houston$2,00010%
Houston Arts Alliance$2,00020%
Small Steps Nurturing Center$1,83020%
Trees For Houston$1,50010%
San Jacinto Museum and Battlefield Association$1,50020%
Communities in Schools of Houston Inc$1,50010%
Local Infant Formula for Emergencies$1,50010%
Houston Museum of Natural Science$1,00010%
The 100 Club Inc$1,00010%
Discovery Green Conservancy$1,00010%
Leland Country Club Foundation$1,0001n/a
Friends of Lake Leelanau$75010%
EMERGE Fellowship$67620%
Girls Incorporated of Greater Houston$60010%
United Against Human Trafficking$57510%
Leland Yacht Club Foundation$5001n/a
The Garden Club of America$50010%
The Council on Recovery$50010%
River Oaks Garden Club$50010%
Bo's Place$50010%
The Rose$50010%
Houston Fire Museum Inc$50010%
Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Inc$50010%
Houston Parks Board$50010%
Old Art Building$25010%
St Annes Catholic Church$2501n/a
Every Mother Counts$25010%
Ehop$2501n/a
Center for Houston's Future Inc$25010%
Casa de Esperanza$2501n/a

What it could do for these grantees

Plus 40 recipients with no EIN on record ($610k), not named here.

Where it is load-bearing

Each grantee by its size and the share of its budget Alvin & Lucy Owsley Foundation supplied at peak.

25%50%75%100%$1.0M$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetDallas Museum of Art: $1,124,226 over 7y, 0.7% of budgetStages: $408,095 over 8y, 1.4% of budgetSt John's School: $351,500 over 8y, 0.1% of budgetContemporary Arts Museum Houston: $206,000 over 8y, 1.2% of budgetCamp Allen Camp & Conference Center: $105,000 over 5y, 0.4% of budgetGeorgetown University: $100,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetHouston Cinema Arts Society: $99,000 over 6y, 9.5% of budgetThe Methodist Hospital Foundation: $75,000 over 6y, 0.0% of budgetPepperdine University: $52,500 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetMenil Foundation Inc: $44,750 over 8y, 0.0% of budgetThe Museum of Fine Arts Houston: $37,283 over 7y, 0.0% of budgetThe Orange Show Foundation: $36,500 over 6y, 0.7% of budgetThe Beacon of Downtown Houston: $35,000 over 8y, 0.2% of budgetRiver Oaks Chamber Orchestra: $27,500 over 5y, 0.8% of budgetGarden Club of Houston: $23,500 over 6y, 1.8% of budgetHermann Park Conservancy: $19,515 over 5y, 0.1% of budgetBuffalo Bayou Partnership Inc: $17,700 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetTexas Cultural Trust Council: $16,500 over 2y, 0.4% of budgetCrime Stoppers of Houston Inc: $14,526 over 5y, 0.1% of budgetHouston Hospice: $14,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetGalveston Bay Foundation Inc: $14,000 over 7y, 0.0% of budgetBreakthrough Houston: $13,250 over 3y, 0.2% of budgetFriends of River Oaks Theatre Inc: $11,000 over 1y, 4.2% of budgetHouston Botanic Garden: $11,000 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetGlenwood Cemetery Historic Preservation Foundation: $10,000 over 2y, 0.4% of budgetHouston Arboretum & Nature Center: $10,000 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetYoung Life: $10,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetLone Star Flight Museum: $9,000 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetMen of Distinction of Greater Houston: $7,500 over 1y, 1.4% of budgetHouston Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals: $6,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetHouston Area Parkinson Society: $5,500 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetThe Arbor School: $5,000 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetHarris County Hospital District Foundation: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetGood Samaritan Foundation of Texas Inc: $5,000 over 1y, 0.7% of budgetI Am Waters Foundation Inc: $5,000 over 1y, 1.0% of budgetUnited Way of Greater Houston: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetChildren's Assessment Center Foundation: $5,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetYES Prep Public Schools Inc: $4,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetKiwanis Foundation of Houston: $4,000 over 4y, 0.6% of budgetAsia Society Texas Center: $3,500 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetMemorial Park Conservancy Inc: $3,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetWild and Free Foundation: $3,000 over 3y, 0.5% of budgetRiver Oaks Foundation: $3,000 over 3y, 0.3% of budgetSuffield Academy: $3,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetUnited Negro College Fund Inc: $2,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetPerforming Arts Houston: $2,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetHouston Arts Alliance: $2,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetSmall Steps Nurturing Center: $1,830 over 2y, 0.0% of budget

Tap a dot to name the grantee.

How this is measured
Share of budget is the funder’s grant in a year over the grantee’s total revenue that year, at its highest across the years we hold; revenue is from all sources. Only grantees confirmed against their own filings, whose grants do not exceed their revenue, are plotted: the largest 70.

Nonprofits that may fit its grantmaking

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.

The Brown Foundation IncTX62.5× affinity29 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: The Brown Foundation Inc · Greater Houston Community Foundation · Houston Endowment Inc · The Elkins Foundation · Albert & Ethel Herzstein Charitable Foundation · Vivian L Smith Foundation · Strake Foundation · The Powell Foundation · Shell USA Company Foundation · Hobby Family Foundation · John P McGovern Foundation · The Methodist Hospital

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.

Compare Alvin & Lucy Owsley Foundation with peer funders

Warm introductions · Powered by PlinthPlus

How do I get to Alvin & Lucy Owsley Foundation?

Find your warmest path to Alvin & Lucy Owsley 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.

About Alvin & Lucy Owsley Foundation

How much does Alvin & Lucy Owsley Foundation give?
Alvin & Lucy Owsley Foundation reported 45 grants totaling $580,900 in its FY2024 IRS filing. It funded between 23 and 53 organizations a year over FY2017 to FY2023.
What does Alvin & Lucy Owsley Foundation fund?
By grant dollars over FY2017 to FY2024, its largest causes are Arts & Culture (61%), Education (16%), Religion (7%).
Who are Alvin & Lucy Owsley Foundation's largest grantees?
By total granted over FY2017 to FY2024: Dallas Museum of Art ($1.1M), Stages ($408k), St John's School ($352k).
Does Alvin & Lucy Owsley Foundation fund new organizations?
In FY2023, 38% of the organizations it funded were first-time grantees.
Does Alvin & Lucy Owsley Foundation accept unsolicited applications?
Its most recent filing reports that it accepts unsolicited grant applications.
Which funders back the same organizations as Alvin & Lucy Owsley Foundation?
Its strongest co-funders, measured against what their size predicts, include The Brown Foundation Inc, Greater Houston Community Foundation, Houston Endowment Inc.
Where is Alvin & Lucy Owsley Foundation based?
Alvin & Lucy Owsley Foundation is based in TX.

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 122 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

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