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Frank Liu Jr Foundation at a glanceAlso receives grants: funding profile →

· Public charity

Frank Liu Jr Foundation

Provide support for 501(c)(3) organizations

$1.1M
Granted FY2025still arriving
6
Grants FY2025still arriving
1
States reached
$841k
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, FY2017 to 2024.

Education$5.3MScience & Tech$1.7MHealth$1.3MArts & Culture$172kHuman Services$60kFood & Nutrition$55kEnvironment$55kAnimals$50kOther$0
02FY2025 · 6 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2025

  • Under $10k2 grants · $13k
  • $10k–50k1 grant · $10k
  • $50k–250k2 grants · $200k
  • $250k+1 grant · $841k
$100,000
Median grant
1
States reached
$25M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
WILLIAM MARSH RICE UNIVERSITY$841,000
FRANK LIU JR ACADEMY FOR MUSIC AND ARTS$100,000
KIDS MEALS INC$100,000
HOUSTON GRAND OPERA ASSOCIATION INC$10,000
BREAKTHROUGH T1D$7,500
CITIZENS FOR ANIMAL PROTECTION INC$5,500
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 (FY19–25, $1.3M) land where the poverty rate runs at 16%, against an area that typically sits at 12%. 100% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 12%CENTER FOR PURSUIT: $1.1M → 16%Center for Pursuit: $65k → 16%CENTER FOR PURSUIT: $20k → 16%CHINESE COMMUNITY CENTER INC: $10k → 16%KIDS MEALS INC: $100k → 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
PA
CT
CA
UT
CO
DC
TX
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.

93%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$9.3M · 18 repeat orgs$652k to everyone else

18 repeat relationships: 4 still active in FY2025, 14 since wound down; 2 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

18
26

Total granted

$9.3M
$545k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+28%
+28%

Still filing today

89%
73%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 90% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $108k went to new ones.

50%100%’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
RenewedFirst-time

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

’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
EducationArts & CultureHealthHuman ServicesPhilanthropyPublic BenefitOther
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

  • WM
    William Marsh Rice University
    9× · 2017–2025 · $7.1M · revenue +104%
  • CA
    Contemporary Arts Museum Houston
    2× · 2023–2024 · $73k · revenue +27%
  • CF
    Citizens For Animal Protection Inc
    2× · 2021–2025 · $56k · revenue +8%

Funded once

  • BC
    Baylor College of Medicine
    one grant, 2023 · $100k · revenue +17%
  • US
    UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY
    one grant, 2022 · $80k
  • SJ
    Strake Jesuit College Prep
    one grant, 2020 · $75k
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
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
2
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
3
The Awty International School

See Schedule OThe purpose of Awty International School (Awty) is to create an environment where students experience excellence every day to make their mark on the world alongside their community, in a spirit of curiosity, courage and…

—
4
Houston Botanic Garden

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

Environment
5
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
6
Texas Children's Hospital

Texas children's hospital, headquartered in houston, texas, is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to create a healthier future for children and women throughout our global community by leading in patient care, education and…

Health
7
The Fay School

See Schedule O. The Fay School ("the School") is a nonsectarian, not-for-profit, co-educational school in which children of diverse talents and backgrounds with strong academic abilities are offered a high-quality education in a secure,…

—
8
Texas Christian University

Texas christian university is an institution of higher education which includes nine major academic units: liberal arts, science and engineering, business, education, fine arts, communication, honors, nursing and health sciences, and the…

Education
9
Howard Hughes Medical Institute

The mission of the institute has remained constant since its founding in 1953. as its restated articles of incorporation state the primary purpose and objective of the howard hughes medical institute shall be the promotion of human…

Health
10
Byrne Institute

The mission of Houston Institute is to help the people of Rice University think deeply about the best way to live through the study of the liberal arts especially philosophy and literature. Our goal is to help students become better…

Education
11
Houston Academy of Medicine

The mission of the Houston Academy of Medicine is to support the community service, education, scientific, and charitable programs for physicians, their patients, and the community at large in Harris County.

Education
12
Houston Christian University

The mission of houston christian university is to provide a learning experience that instills in students a passion for academic, spiritual, and professional excellence as a result of our central confession, "jesus christ is lord."

—
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is The Methodist Hospital Foundation; the most unlike its peers is Toys Fore Tch Kids. 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

37 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. 37 of the 46 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)
5
Early backer (in before they grew)
37/37
Grantees still filing
27/37
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

William Marsh Rice University: $7,112,168 · EducationWilliam Marsh Rice UniversityFrank Liu Jr Academy for Music & Arts: $350,000 · Education+9 more: $272,000 · EducationTHE CENTER FOR PURSUIT: $1,185,000 · Human ServicesTHE CENTER FOR …KIDS' MEALS INC: $100,000 · Human ServicesKIDS' MEALS INC+2 more: $50,000 · Human ServicesUTAH STATE UNIVERSITY: $80,000 · OtherUNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON: $75,925 · OtherStrake Jesuit College Prep: $75,000 · OtherThe Houston Food Bank: $55,000 · OtherTrees For Houston: $50,000 · OtherST AGNES ACADEMY: $45,000 · OtherHOUSTON-TAIPEI SOCIETY INC: $40,500 · OtherALVERNIA UNIVERSITY: $25,975 · Other+8 more: $78,812 · OtherContemporary Arts Museum Houston: $73,350 · Arts & CultureASIA SOCIETY TEXAS CENTER: $40,800 · Arts & CultureHouston Grand Opera Association Inc: $40,000 · Arts & CultureOPERA IN THE HEIGHTS: $18,000 · Arts & CultureHOLOCAUST MUSEUM HOUSTON: $10,000 · Arts & CultureMenil Foundation Inc: $10,000 · Arts & Culture+1 more: $5,000 · Arts & CultureBEE CAVE RECOVERY: $10,000 · HealthTHE METHODIST HOSPITAL FOUNDATION: $10,000 · HealthMENDCENTER FOUNDATION: $10,000 · HealthHUNTINGTON MEDICAL RESEARCH INSTITUTES: $10,000 · HealthTOYS FORE TCH KIDS: $9,000 · HealthBREAKTHROUGH T1D: $7,500 · HealthCitizens For Animal Protection Inc: $55,500 · AnimalsLGBTQ Victory Institute Inc: $10,000 · Civil Rights
Education$7,734,168Human Services$1,335,000Other$526,212Arts & Culture$197,150Health$56,500Animals$55,500Civil Rights$10,000

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 budgetWilliam Marsh Rice University: $7,112,168 over 9y, 0.1% of budgetTHE CENTER FOR PURSUIT: $1,185,000 over 3y, 3.3% of budgetFrank Liu Jr Academy for Music & Arts: $350,000 over 2y, 100% of budgetKIDS' MEALS INC: $100,000 over 1y, 0.6% of budgetBaylor College of Medicine: $100,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetContemporary Arts Museum Houston: $73,350 over 2y, 0.6% of budgetCitizens For Animal Protection Inc: $55,500 over 2y, 1.1% of budgetThe Houston Food Bank: $55,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetTrees For Houston: $50,000 over 1y, 0.9% of budgetTHE DENVER WALDORF SCHOOL ASSOCIATION: $43,000 over 3y, 0.4% of budgetTHE UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT FOUNDATION INC: $42,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetASIA SOCIETY TEXAS CENTER: $40,800 over 3y, 0.2% of budgetKNOX COLLEGE: $40,000 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetHouston Grand Opera Association Inc: $40,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetBakerRipley: $40,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetALVERNIA UNIVERSITY: $25,975 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetUniversity of St Thomas: $20,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetHOUSTON BIKE SHARE: $15,812 over 1y, 0.6% of budgetThe Westview School Inc: $15,000 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetSt John's School: $15,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetHOLOCAUST MUSEUM HOUSTON: $10,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetLGBTQ Victory Institute Inc: $10,000 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetMenil Foundation Inc: $10,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetBEE CAVE RECOVERY: $10,000 over 1y, 6.9% of budgetTHE METHODIST HOSPITAL FOUNDATION: $10,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetMENDCENTER FOUNDATION: $10,000 over 1y, 0.5% of budgetHUNTINGTON MEDICAL RESEARCH INSTITUTES: $10,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetCHINESE COMMUNITY CENTER INC: $10,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetTOYS FORE TCH KIDS: $9,000 over 1y, 4.0% of budgetBREAKTHROUGH T1D: $7,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetThe Periwinkle Foundation: $5,000 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetLINK HOUSTON: $5,000 over 1y, 0.4% of budgetNATIONAL TRUST FOR HISTORIC PRESERVATION IN THE UNITED STATES: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetIDEA Public Schools: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetThe Gateway Academy Inc: $5,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetHABIB UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION US INC: $2,000 over 1y, 0.2% 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 Brown Foundation …Shell USA Company Fou…The Elkins FoundationHouston Endowment IncStrake FoundationAlbert & Ethel Herzst…MD Anderson FoundationCenterpoint Energy Fo…Houston Arts AllianceThe Susan Vaughan Fou…Harvey R Houck Jr and…
Greater Houston Community FoundationTX31× affinity16 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Greater Houston Community Foundation · The Brown Foundation Inc · Shell USA Company Foundation · The Elkins Foundation · Houston Endowment Inc · Strake Foundation · Albert & Ethel Herzstein Charitable Foundation · MD Anderson Foundation · Centerpoint Energy Foundation Inc · Houston Arts Alliance · The Susan Vaughan Foundation Inc · Harvey R Houck Jr and Patricia W Houck Foundation Inc

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

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 20%6%25%56%100%funder's share of their income ↑0%10%20%30%40%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    2get no government money at all
    8report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
    0rely on government for over half their income
    ⤢ axis zoomed · 0–40%
    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 Frank Liu Jr Foundation?

    Find your warmest path to Frank Liu Jr 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 46 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 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 Frank Liu Jr’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