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MataGator Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

MataGator Foundation

Its FY2024 filing reports that it funds preselected organizations and did not take unsolicited requests; check the foundation's own site before ruling it out.

$126k
Granted FY2024still arriving
4
Grants FY2024still arriving
1
States reached
$45k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
05Through PlinthRead
01What it funds
0188% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2018 to 2024.

Education$324kEnvironment$89kRecreation & Sports$46kAnimals$41kArts & Culture$28kFood & Nutrition$11kHuman Services$11kHealth$3kOther$0
02FY2024 · 4 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

$42,500
Median grant
1
States reached
$435k
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
St Francis Episcopal School$45,000
The Posse Foundation$42,500
Individual grant recipient$28,650
Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo$10,000
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:

Dollar for dollar, its grants (FY18–24) land where the poverty rate runs at 16%, against an area that typically sits at 10%. 96% of its dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 10%Quail Forever: $1k → 14%AIM AT MELANOMA: $1k → 5%HAPPY BIRTHDAYS: $700 → 6%Texas Brigades: $1k → 7%UNT: $21k → 8%Brazoria County Historical Museum: $600 → 10%Rodeo Austin: $5k → 10%HABITAT FOR HORSES: $6k → 14%Coastal Prairie Convservacy: $29k → 14%TEXAS RICE INDUSTRY COALITION FOR THE ENVIRONMENT: $15k → 15%KATIE PRAIRIE CONSERVANCY: $33k → 16%Matagorda County Museum: $600 → 20%Briscoe Animal Resource Ctr of Uvalde: $10k → 25%Ducks Unlimited Youth Program: $40k → 17%HAPPY BIRTHDAYS: $500 → 6%HABITAT FOR HORSES: $5k → 14%Coastal Prairie Convservacy: $29k → 14%HOUSTON METHODIST HOSPITAL FOUNDATION: $1k → 16%HABITAT FOR HORSES: $5k → 14%Coastal Prairie Convservacy: $25k → 14%HOUSTON METHODIST HOSPITAL FOUNDATION: $1k → 16%HABITAT FOR HORSES: $5k → 14%The Posse Foundation: $43k → 16%Habitat for Horses: $3k → 14%St Francis Episcopal School: $45k → 16%The Posse Foundation: $75k → 16%The Posse Foundation: $61k → 16%The Posse Foundation: $50k → 16%THE POSSE FOUNDATION INC: $25k → 16%THE POSSE FOUNDATION INC: $25k → 16%THEATER UNDER THE STARS INC: $3k → 16%THEATER UNDER THE STARS INC: $3k → 16%CASA DE ESPERANZA: $5k → 16%CASA DE ESPERANZA: $5k → 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.

70%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$452k · 9 repeat orgs$191k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +77% since the first grant, against +5% for those funded once.

9 repeat relationships: 3 still active in FY2024, 6 since wound down; 1 grantees were first funded in FY2024 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

9
14

Total granted

$452k
$146k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+77%
+5%

Still filing today

67%
50%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 64% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $45k went to new ones.

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

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

’18’19’20’21’22’23’24
AnimalsEnvironmentHealthArts & CultureEducationRecreation & SportsOther
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

  • TP
    THE POSSE FOUNDATION INC
    6× · 2018–2024 · $279k · revenue +28%
  • HOUSTON LIVESTOCK SHOW AND RODEO INC
    4× · 2021–2024 · $46k · revenue +526%
  • HF
    HABITAT FOR HORSES INC
    5× · 2018–2022 · $24k · revenue +77%

Funded once

  • DU
    Ducks Unlimited Youth Program
    one grant, 2020 · $40k
  • CP
    Coastal Prairie Conservancygraduated
    one grant, 2019 · $33k · revenue +306%
  • U
    UNT
    one grant, 2020 · $21k
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 Botanic Garden

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

Environment
2
Trees for Houston

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

—
3
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
4
Glasstire

Glasstire is a website about visual art in Texas. Our mission is to expand the conversation about visual art in Texas.

Arts & Culture
5
Texas a&M Research Foundation

To facilitate research and development within the texas a&m university system and selected other entities.

Education
6
Parks and Wildlife Foundation of Texas

Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation (TPWF) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization thatadvances Texas proud outdoor traditions through meaningful, high-impact programs,partnerships, and a wide range of projects that conserve and enhance our…

Environment
7
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
8
San Jacinto Museum and Battlefield Association

To collect and preserve significant historical materials that relate to the early history and culture of Texas and to promote the study of the history of Texas through exhibits, publications, and educational programs.

Arts & Culture
9
Hill Country Alliance

The mission of the Hill Country Alliance is to bring together a diverse coalition of partners to preserve the open spaces, starry night skies, clean and abundant waters, and unique character of the Texas Hill Country.

Environment
10
Conservation History Association of Tx

The Association is developing, distributing and archiving oral histories, atlas maps and descriptive essays, and wildlife illustrations to expand public appreciation and grasp of Texas environmental history.

Education
11
Big Thicket Natural Heritage Trust

We acquire properties to be donated to the National Park Service and state entities and advocate for protection of Big Thicket natural resources.

Environment
12
The Heritage Society

The Heritage Society (THS) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1954 whose mission is to tell the stories of the diverse history of Houston and Texas through collections, exhibits, the arts, educational programs, film, video, and other…

—
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is The Methodist Hospital Foundation; the most unlike its peers is Happy Birthdays. 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

14 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. 14 of the 24 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)
4
Early backer (in before they grew)
13/14
Grantees still filing
10/14
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

THE POSSE FOUNDATION INC: $278,501 · EducationTHE POSSE FOUNDATION INCIndividual grant recipient: $82,300 · OtherIndividual grant recipientST FRANCIS EPISCOPAL SCHOOL: $45,000 · OtherST FRANCIS EPISCOPAL SCHOOLDucks Unlimited Youth Program: $40,000 · OtherDucks Unlimited Youth ProgramUNT: $20,600 · OtherUNTTexas A&M AgriLife Extension: $11,328 · OtherCASA DE ESPERANZA: $10,000 · Other+5 more: $9,800 · OtherCoastal Prairie Conservancy: $33,000 · EnvironmentTEXAS RICE INDUSTRY COALITION FOR T ENVIRONMENT: $15,000 · Environment+1 more: $1,000 · EnvironmentHOUSTON LIVESTOCK SHOW AND RODEO INC: $46,000 · Recreation & SportsHABITAT FOR HORSES INC: $24,020 · AnimalsBriscoe Animal Resource Center of Uvalde: $10,000 · AnimalsRODEO AUSTIN: $5,000 · AnimalsDelta Waterfowl Foundation: $2,000 · AnimalsTheatre Under the Stars Inc: $6,000 · Arts & CultureBRAZORIA COUNTY HISTORICAL MUSEUM: $600 · Arts & CultureTHE METHODIST HOSPITAL FOUNDATION: $2,000 · HealthAIM AT MELANOMA: $1,000 · Health
Education$278,501Other$219,028Environment$49,000Recreation & Sports$46,000Animals$41,020Arts & Culture$6,600Health$3,000

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 POSSE FOUNDATION INC: $278,501 over 6y, 0.2% of budgetHOUSTON LIVESTOCK SHOW AND RODEO INC: $46,000 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetCoastal Prairie Conservancy: $33,000 over 1y, 0.7% of budgetHABITAT FOR HORSES INC: $24,020 over 5y, 0.5% of budgetTEXAS RICE INDUSTRY COALITION FOR T ENVIRONMENT: $15,000 over 1y, 2.9% of budgetBriscoe Animal Resource Center of Uvalde: $10,000 over 1y, 0.5% of budgetTheatre Under the Stars Inc: $6,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetRODEO AUSTIN: $5,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetTHE METHODIST HOSPITAL FOUNDATION: $2,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetDelta Waterfowl Foundation: $2,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetHappy Birthdays: $1,200 over 2y, 1.6% of budgetBobwhite Brigade: $1,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetAIM AT MELANOMA: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetBRAZORIA COUNTY HISTORICAL MUSEUM: $600 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.

The Brown Foundation …Greater Houston Commu…Shell USA Company Fou…Raymond James Charita…National Philanthropi…American Online Givin…Donor Advised Charita…Fidelity Investments …Amazonsmile Foundation
The Brown Foundation IncTX13.4× affinity4 shared granteesties to 8 of 8Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: The Brown Foundation Inc · Greater Houston Community Foundation · Shell USA Company Foundation · Raymond James Charitable Endowment Fund · National Philanthropic Trust · American Online Giving Foundation Inc · Donor Advised Charitable Giving Inc · Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund · Amazonsmile 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 MataGator Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from MataGator Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 00%0%1%3%5%funder's share of their income ↑0%13%25%38%50%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    0get no government money at all
    5report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
    0rely on government for over half their income
    ⤢ axis zoomed · 0–50%
    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 MataGator Foundation?

    Find your warmest path to MataGator 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 24 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 MataGator’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