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Carson Family Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

Carson Family Foundation

Its FY2025 filing reports that it funds preselected organizations and did not take unsolicited requests; check the foundation's own site before ruling it out.

$68k
Granted FY2025still arriving
19
Grants FY2025still arriving
1
States reached
$25k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
01What it funds
01100% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2019 to 2025.

Education$70kReligion$60kHuman Services$54kHealth$33kFood & Nutrition$30kArts & Culture$25kCivil Rights$16kEnvironment$10kOther$0
02FY2025 · 19 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2025

  • Under $10k18 grants · $43k
  • $10k–50k1 grant · $25k
$2,500
Median grant
1
States reached
$714k
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
UNITED CAMPUS MINISTRY$25,000
HAYS CALDWELL WOMENS CENTER$3,000
BOWIE HIGH SCHOOL$2,500
SAN MARCOS PUBLIC LIBRARY$2,500
GREAT SPRINGS PROJECT$2,500
PROJECT ART$2,500
WIMBERLEY VALLEY RADIO$2,500
CASA OF CENTRAL TEXAS$2,500
TEXAS STATE UNIVERSITY PHILOSOPHY$2,500
SOUTHSIDE COMMUNITY CENTER$2,500
FARM AND CITY$2,500
EXPLORE AUSTIN$2,500
THE WATERSHED ASSOCIATION$2,500
WIMBERLEY EDUCATION FOUNDATION$2,500
TEXAS STATE UNIVERSITY KEY PARKS$2,000
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 (FY20–25, $13k) land where the poverty rate runs at 10%, against an area that typically sits at 10%. 100% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 10%Barnabas Connection: $3k → 10%BARNABAS CONNECTION: $2k → 10%BARNABAS CONNECTION: $2k → 10%BARNABAS CONNECTION: $2k → 10%BARNABAS CONNECTION: $2k → 10%Barnabas Connection: $2k → 10%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.

92%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$289k · 26 repeat orgs$26k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +46% since the first grant, against +39% for those funded once.

26 repeat relationships: 17 still active in FY2025, 9 since wound down; 2 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

26
7

Total granted

$289k
$21k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+46%
+39%

Still filing today

46%
57%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 93% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $5k went to new ones.

50%100%’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
RenewedFirst-time

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

’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
Human ServicesHealthEducationEnvironmentCivil RightsFood & NutritionOther
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

  • HW
    HAYS-CALDWELL WOMEN'S CENTER
    7× · 2019–2025 · $29k · revenue +6%
  • CO
    CASA of Central Texas Inc
    7× · 2019–2025 · $16k · revenue +25%
  • TB
    THE BARNABAS CONNECTION
    6× · 2020–2025 · $13k · revenue +63%

Funded once

  • TS
    Texas State University Music
    one grant, 2021 · $5k
  • SO
    SPECIAL OPPORTUNITY CENTERgraduated
    one grant, 2021 · $5k · revenue +36%
  • TE
    TEAM ESPERANZA
    one grant, 2022 · $5k
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
Feeding Texas

To lead a unified effort for a hunger-free texas.

Community Improvement
2
Center for Austin Independent Journalism

To equip Austinites to make informed decisions through independent, in-depth reporting, diverse opinions, and civil dialogue. A strong local press is essential for a healthy community and democracy. We work to make Austin a more empowered…

Arts & Culture
3
Food Bank of West Central Texas

To procure and distribute nutritional food to qualified agencies that feed the hungry of West Central Texas.

Food & Nutrition
4
Leadership Austin

Leadership austin connects and develops leaders to courageously engage and transform our communities.

Youth Development
5
Texprotects-the Texas Association for the Protection of Children

TexProtects advances public policy and local implementation to strenghten families to prevent child abuse and neglect.

Youth Development
6
Integrated Care Collaboration

ICC (dba Connxus) is a nonprofit alliance of health care providers in Central Texas dedicated to collecting, analyzing and sharing health information to improve healthcare quality and cost efficiency across the continuum of care.

Health
7
West Texas Food Bank

The WTFB exists to collect, purchase, and distribute food to feed the hungry in 19 counties in West Texas in partnership with volunteers and community organizations and to educate these partners and the public at large about the real face…

—
8
Keep Austin Fed

Reduce hunger and help the environment by connecting surplus food with our neighbors in need.

Food & Nutrition
9
Center for Public Policy Priorities

At the Every Texan, we believe in a Texas that offers everyone the chance to compete and succeed in life. We envision a Texas where everyone is healthy, well educated, and financially secure. We want the best Texas, a proud state that sets…

Public Benefit
10
Raise Texas

RAISE Texas advances equitable policies and programs that foster financial security and economic mobility for low- and moderate-income Texans. We equip, innovate and advocate to reduce disparities, remove barriers and build opportunities…

Human Services
11
Good Work Austin

Good Work Austin's mission is to foster healthy careers in the local food and beverage industry through professional development and advocacy for more equitable practices.

Public Benefit
12
HousingWorks Austin

To provide research, education and advocacy related to affordable housing

Housing & Shelter
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Dell Children's Foundation; the most unlike its peers is Wimberley Valley Radio. 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

17 grantees tracked through their own filings, 2017–2025.

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 2025, not grant rows in a single year, so this will not match the grant count on the cover. 17 of the 35 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.

0
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
3
Early backer (in before they grew)
17/17
Grantees still filing
14/17
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

UNITED CAMPUS MINISTRY: $60,000 · OtherUNITED CAMPUS MINISTRYPROJECT ART: $12,500 · OtherPROJECT ARTSOUTHSIDE COMMUNITY CENTER: $12,500 · OtherSOUTHSIDE COMMUNITY CENTERTexas State University Philosophy: $12,500 · OtherTexas State University PhilosophyHays County Food Bank: $12,000 · OtherHays County Food BankSCHEIB CENTER: $11,000 · OtherSAN MARCOS PUBLIC LIBRARY: $10,500 · OtherMEALS ON WHEELS CENTRAL TEXAS: $10,000 · OtherTexas State University Chemistry: $8,000 · OtherWIMBERLEY EDUCATION FOUNDATION: $7,500 · OtherBOWIE HIGH SCHOOL: $7,500 · Other+15 more: $48,500 · Other+15 moreHAYS-CALDWELL WOMEN'S CENTER: $29,000 · Human ServicesHAYS-CALDWELL …THE BARNABAS CONNECTION: $12,500 · Human ServicesTHE BARNABAS C…Farm and City: $12,500 · EducationAUSTIN EXPLORE INC: $7,500 · EducationCASA of Central Texas Inc: $15,650 · Civil RightsWimberley Valley Radio: $12,500 · Arts & CultureHill Country Alliance: $5,000 · EnvironmentTHE GREAT SPRINGS PROJECT INC (AUDIT): $2,500 · EnvironmentMOBILE LOAVES & FISHES INC: $5,000 · Religion
Other$212,500Human Services$41,500Education$20,000Civil Rights$15,650Arts & Culture$12,500Environment$7,500Religion$5,000

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 budgetHAYS-CALDWELL WOMEN'S CENTER: $29,000 over 7y, 0.2% of budgetCASA of Central Texas Inc: $15,650 over 7y, 0.1% of budgetWimberley Valley Radio: $12,500 over 4y, 1.3% of budgetTHE BARNABAS CONNECTION: $12,500 over 6y, 0.9% of budgetFarm and City: $12,500 over 4y, 2.0% of budgetHays County Food Bank: $12,000 over 7y, 0.1% of budgetAUSTIN EXPLORE INC: $7,500 over 3y, 0.2% of budgetSPECIAL OPPORTUNITY CENTER: $5,000 over 1y, 5.6% of budgetHill Country Alliance: $5,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetMOBILE LOAVES & FISHES INC: $5,000 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetCentral Texas Food Bank Inc: $3,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetTHE GREAT SPRINGS PROJECT INC (AUDIT): $2,500 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetSHRINERS HOSPITALS FOR CHILDREN: $2,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetAUSTIN HABITAT FOR HUMANITY INC: $2,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetDELL CHILDREN'S FOUNDATION: $2,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetMEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES USA INC: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetST JUDE CHILDREN'S RESEARCH HOSPITAL INC: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% 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 HAYS-CALDWELL WOMEN'S CENTER ↗
  • Who funds CASA of Central Texas Inc ↗
  • Who funds Wimberley Valley Radio ↗
  • Who funds THE BARNABAS CONNECTION ↗
  • Who funds Farm and City ↗
  • Who funds Hays County Food Bank ↗
  • Who funds AUSTIN EXPLORE INC ↗
  • Who funds SPECIAL OPPORTUNITY CENTER ↗
  • Who funds Hill Country Alliance ↗
  • Who funds MOBILE LOAVES & FISHES INC ↗
  • Who funds Central Texas Food Bank Inc ↗
  • Who funds THE GREAT SPRINGS PROJECT INC (AUDIT) ↗
  • Who funds SHRINERS HOSPITALS FOR CHILDREN ↗
  • Who funds AUSTIN HABITAT FOR HUMANITY INC ↗
  • Who funds DELL CHILDREN'S FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds MEDECINS SANS FRONTIERES USA INC ↗
  • Who funds ST JUDE CHILDREN'S RESEARCH HOSPITAL 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.

The Burdine Johnson F…St David's FoundationAustin Community Foun…San Marcos Lions Inte…Harry L Willett Found…Shield-Ayres Foundati…Meadows Foundation IncShell USA Company Fou…Morgan Stanley Global…Network for GoodNational Philanthropi…Vanguard Charitable E…
The Burdine Johnson FoundationTX24.2× affinity9 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: The Burdine Johnson Foundation · St David's Foundation · Austin Community Foundation Inc · San Marcos Lions International · Harry L Willett Foundation C O Boyd Ryan · Shield-Ayres Foundation · Meadows Foundation Inc · Shell USA Company Foundation · Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust Inc · Network for Good · National Philanthropic Trust · Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program

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 Carson Family Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Carson Family Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 00%1%3%6%10%funder's share of their income ↑0%4%8%11%15%share of the org’s income from government →median 0%
  • Shriners Hospitals for Children: 0% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
0get no government money at all
7report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
0rely on government for over half their income
⤢ axis zoomed · 0–15%
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.

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 35 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 2025, released 2025. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

Source object · view filing

Play a game based on Carson Family’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