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Crane Family Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

Crane 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.

$383k
Granted FY2025still arriving
14
Grants FY2025still arriving
6
States reached
$103k
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 2025.

Education$1.3MHealth$628kPublic Benefit$520kPhilanthropy$460kScience & Tech$328kHuman Services$134kArts & Culture$126kRecreation & Sports$75kOther$0
02FY2025 · 14 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2025

  • Under $10k2 grants · $10k
  • $10k–50k10 grants · $170k
  • $50k–250k2 grants · $203k
$15,000
Median grant
6
States reached
$6.0M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
THIRD OPTION FOUNDATION$102,846
ASTROS FOUNDATION$100,000
UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL MISSOURI$25,000
ST JOHNS SCHOOL$25,000
MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS$25,000
Kinkaid School$20,000
MEN OF DISTINCTION$15,000
POST OAK LITTLE LEAGUE$15,000
TEXAS BUSINESS HALL OF FAME$15,000
Richard Davis Kann Melanoma Foundation$10,000
AMERICAN RED CROSS$10,000
SAM HOUSTON AREA COUNCIL$10,000
AMFAR FOUNDATION FOR AIDS RESEARCH$5,000
RIVER OAKS BAPTIST SCHOOL$5,000
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, $149k) land where the poverty rate runs at 8%, against an area that typically sits at 10%. 23% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Its grants skew toward lower-need ZIPs.

area typical 10%AMERICAN RED CROSS: $10k → 14%THIRD OPTION FOUNDATION: $103k → 6%THIRD OPTION FOUNDATION: $12k → 6%ARMS WIDE ADOPTION SERVICES: $4k → 16%PATHWAYS FOR LITTLE FEET: $10k → 16%CORREA FAMILY FOUNDATION: $10k → 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.

Which US states its grants reach

IL
NY
CA
MO
VA
DC
TX
FL
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.
04

Where the work is directed

The same grants placed two ways: where each recipient sits, and where its stated purpose sends the money.

About 7% of Crane Family Foundation’s grant dollars are earmarked for a different county than the recipient’s own address.

Crane Family Foundationlessmore of its giving
Placed by recipient address · 2.7% directed abroad (not shown)
How this is measured
Recipient view: each grant at its grantee’s ZIP, mapped to a county. Directed view: each grant at the county its stated purpose names, falling back to the recipient’s county when the purpose names no place; US grants only. A county shows only if it carries the top 95% of that view’s dollars. Purposes are read from the funder’s own 990 grant descriptions.
03Its grantees
repeat funding

Who it funds again

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

12%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$413k · 9 repeat orgs$3.0M to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +30% since the first grant, against +23% for those funded once.

9 repeat relationships: 6 still active in FY2025, 3 since wound down; 8 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

9
25

Total granted

$413k
$2.8M

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+30%
+23%

Still filing today

78%
72%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 46% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $205k went to new ones.

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

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

’20’21’22’23’24’25
Arts & CultureHuman ServicesPhilanthropyEducationCommunity ImprovementHealthOther
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

  • TO
    THIRD OPTION FOUNDATION
    2× · 2023–2025 · $115k · revenue +40%
  • MH
    Memorial Hermann Foundation
    3× · 2023–2025 · $55k · revenue +30%
  • SJ
    St John's School
    2× · 2022–2025 · $50k · revenue +89%

Funded once

  • LH
    LUTHERAN HIGH SCHOOL
    one grant, 2023 · $1.0M
  • MA
    MD ANDERSON CANCER CENTER
    one grant, 2022 · $505k
  • THE BARACK OBAMA FOUNDATION
    2× · 2024–2025 · $500k · revenue 0%
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
Kimbell Art Foundation
Arts & Culture
2
Houston Botanic Garden

To enrich life through discovery, education, and the conservation of plants and the natural environment.

Environment
3
Trees for Houston

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

—
4
Houston Independent School District Foundation

The HISD Foundation is dedicated to mobilizing the local community to support innovative priorities in HISD to improve outcomes for all students in the district. Our mission is to fund projects and programs of merit that fall outside of…

—
5
Houston Geological Society Foundation
—
6
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
7
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
8
University of Houston Foundation

University of Houston Foundation provides program support to University of Houston System for various scholarship and educational programs.

Education
9
The Museum of Fine Arts Houston

The museum of fine arts, houston serves as a welcoming and inclusive place for all people, connecting the communities of houston with diverse histories of art spanning 6,000 years and six continents. through our permanent collections,…

Arts & Culture
10
Md Anderson Foundation
Philanthropy
11
Mhs Physicians of Texas

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
12
The Methodist Hospital Foundation

Mission: this organization is part of the methodist hospital, doing business as houston methodist hospital, whose mission is: to provide high quality, cost-effective health care that delivers the best value to the people we serve in a…

Health
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Memorial Hermann Foundation; the most unlike its peers is Philip & Amy Mickelson Charitable Foundation. Resemblance is measured on each organization’s own IRS 990 mission text; it reflects how work is described, not its quality or impact.
05the grantee network

31 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. 31 of the 44 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)
31/31
Grantees still filing
19/31
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

LUTHERAN HIGH SCHOOL: $1,000,000 · OtherLUTHERAN HIGH SCHOOLMD ANDERSON CANCER CENTER: $505,000 · OtherMD ANDERSON CANCER CENTERCOLD SPRINGS HARBOR LAB: $300,000 · OtherCOLD SPRINGS HARBOR LABUNIVERSITY OF ST ANDREWS: $100,000 · Other+18 more: $335,450 · Other+18 moreTHE BARACK OBAMA FOUNDATION: $500,000 · Arts & CultureTHE BARACK OBAMA F…ALLEY THEATRE: $25,000 · Arts & CultureHouston Grand Opera Association Inc: $25,000 · Arts & CultureASIA SOCIETY TEXAS CENTER: $25,000 · Arts & CultureCHILDREN'S MUSEUM INC: $21,250 · Arts & Culture+1 more: $2,500 · Arts & CultureCOMMUNITY FOUNDATION FOR MONTEREY COUNTY: $200,000 · PhilanthropyCOMMUNITY FOUND…ASTROS FOUNDATION: $100,000 · PhilanthropyASTROS FOUNDATI…MONTEREY PENINSULA FOUNDATION: $100,000 · PhilanthropyMONTEREY PENINS…PHILIP & AMY MICKELSON CHARITABLE FOUNDATION: $60,000 · PhilanthropyPHILIP & AMY MI…Men of Distinction of Greater Houston: $27,500 · PhilanthropyMen of Distinct…THIRD OPTION FOUNDATION: $115,239 · Human ServicesCORRERA FAMILY FOUNDATION: $10,000 · Human ServicesAmerican National Red Cross & Its Constituent Chapters and Branches: $10,000 · Human ServicesPathways for Little Feet: $10,000 · Human Services+1 more: $3,500 · Human ServicesThe Kinkaid School Inc: $30,000 · EducationUniversity of Central Missouri Foundation: $25,000 · EducationThe Brookwood Community Inc: $10,000 · EducationTHE GEORGE AND BARBARA BUSH FOUNDATION: $10,000 · EducationANGELS AND CAUSES INC: $60,000 · Recreation & SportsMemorial Hermann Foundation: $55,000 · Health
Other$2,240,450Arts & Culture$598,750Philanthropy$487,500Human Services$148,739Education$75,000Recreation & Sports$60,000Health$55,000

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 budgetTHE BARACK OBAMA FOUNDATION: $500,000 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetCOMMUNITY FOUNDATION FOR MONTEREY COUNTY: $200,000 over 3y, 0.2% of budgetTHIRD OPTION FOUNDATION: $115,239 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetMONTEREY PENINSULA FOUNDATION: $100,000 over 2y, 0.5% of budgetANGELS AND CAUSES INC: $60,000 over 2y, 1.8% of budgetPHILIP & AMY MICKELSON CHARITABLE FOUNDATION: $60,000 over 1y, 17% of budgetMemorial Hermann Foundation: $55,000 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetSt John's School: $50,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetThe Kinkaid School Inc: $30,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetMen of Distinction of Greater Houston: $27,500 over 3y, 0.7% of budgetALLEY THEATRE: $25,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetUniversity of Central Missouri Foundation: $25,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetHouston Grand Opera Association Inc: $25,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetASIA SOCIETY TEXAS CENTER: $25,000 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetCHILDREN'S MUSEUM INC: $21,250 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetHouston Zoo Inc: $21,200 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetBayou Bend Gardens Endowment: $20,000 over 2y, 3.2% of budgetLittle League Baseball Inc 3431607 Post Oak LL: $15,000 over 1y, 0.9% of budgetThe Brookwood Community Inc: $10,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetMISSION OF YAHWEH INC: $10,000 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetTHE GEORGE AND BARBARA BUSH FOUNDATION: $10,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetCORRERA FAMILY FOUNDATION: $10,000 over 1y, 3.1% of budgetAmerican National Red Cross & Its Constituent Chapters and Branches: $10,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetPathways for Little Feet: $10,000 over 1y, 1.7% of budgetRIVER OAKS FOUNDATION: $5,000 over 1y, 1.5% of budgetTHE ROSE: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetSPAULDING FOR CHILDREN: $3,500 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetHouston Museum of Natural Science: $2,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCrime Stoppers of Houston Inc: $1,750 over 1y, 0.1% 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.

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…The Alkek and William…The Robert and Janice…Hobby Family Foundati…Alvin & Lucy Owsley F…The Holthouse Foundat…John P McGovern Found…Mechia FoundationStrake FoundationThe Kayser FoundationThe Weingarten Schnit…Vivian L Smith Founda…
Greater Houston Community FoundationTX22.7× affinity10 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Greater Houston Community Foundation · The Alkek and Williams Foundation · The Robert and Janice McNair Foundation · Hobby Family Foundation · Alvin & Lucy Owsley Foundation · The Holthouse Foundation for Kids · John P McGovern Foundation · Mechia Foundation · Strake Foundation · The Kayser Foundation · The Weingarten Schnitzer Foundation Inc · Vivian L Smith 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 Crane Family Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Crane Family Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 10%1%5%11%20%funder's share of their income ↑0%3%5%8%10%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    1get no government money at all
    4report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
    0rely on government for over half their income
    ⤢ axis zoomed · 0–10%
    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 Crane Family Foundation?

    Find your warmest path to Crane Family 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 44 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 Crane 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