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Nancy and Randy Best Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

Nancy and Randy Best Foundation

Its FY2024 filing reports that it accepted unsolicited grant applications.

$100k
Granted FY2024still arriving
1
Grants FY2024still arriving
1
States reached
$100k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
05Through PlinthRead
01What it funds
0195% classified

What it funded, over time

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

Education$718kRecreation & Sports$155kPhilanthropy$145kReligion$139kSocial Science$60kInternational$55kHousing & Shelter$39kHuman Services$37kOther$0
02FY2024 · 1 grant

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

$100,000
Median grant
1
States reached
$288k
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
president George Bush Library$100,000
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 (FY17–20, $21k) land where the poverty rate runs at 14%, against an area that typically sits at 11%. 100% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 11%Living Water International: $5k → 14%Living Water International: $5k → 14%Living Water International: $5k → 14%The Womens HOme: $1k → 14%4Word: $5k → 14%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.
$993k · 10 repeat orgs$416k to everyone else

10 repeat relationships: 1 still active in FY2024, 9 since wound down.

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

10
27

Total granted

$993k
$416k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+11%
+11%

Still filing today

60%
33%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 100% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $0 went to new ones.

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

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

’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24
Human ServicesPhilanthropyCommunity ImprovementRecreation & SportsYouth DevelopmentArts & CultureOther
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

  • U
    UniversalGiving
    6× · 2017–2022 · $145k · revenue +66%
  • TC
    THE CRYSTAL CHARITY BALL
    5× · 2017–2022 · $30k · revenue +11%
  • Living Water International
    3× · 2018–2020 · $15k · revenue +1%

Funded once

  • LN
    Leadership Network
    one grant, 2017 · $125k · revenue -81%
  • WR
    Woodall Rodgers Park Foundation
    one grant, 2020 · $105k · revenue -39%
  • TW
    TCB Wilapa Bay Air
    one grant, 2023 · $50k
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
Dallas International University

As a christian university, we provide education and research opportunities preparing global leaders to partner with local communities.

Education
2
Glasstire

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

Arts & Culture
3
The Women's Resource of Greater Houston

See Schedule OThe Women's Resource of Greater Houston helps women and girls make choices toward becoming independent, productive, and financially stable. We fulfill our mission by recruiting volunteer instructors to deliver our programs in…

Philanthropy
4
International Womens Writing Guild

IWWG empowers women writers with workshops events and community gatherings to encourage writing speaking and publishing

Education
5
Youth for Christ International Ministries

As part of the body of Christ, to see that every young person in every people group in every nation has the opportunity to make an informed decision to be a follower of Jesus Christ and become a part of the local church.

Religion
6
Christianity Today International

Christianity Today is a global community inspired by evangelical conviction to advance the stories and ideas of the kingdom of God. Our mission is to elevate the storytellers and sages of the global church.

Religion
7
Leadership Austin

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

Youth Development
8
Episcopal Foundation of Dallas

The foundation's mission is to strengthen and support faith communities by partnering wise investments with purposeful giving.

Religion
9
Next Worldwide Inc

With a desire to see the Gospel proclaimed in all nations, we exist to make and multiply disciples of the next generation through the vehicles of church-planting missions and missional leadership training.

—
10
UnBound North Texas

Unbound North Texas exists to support survivors and resource the community to fight human trafficking through Survivor Advocacy, a 24/7 Drop-In Center, and Prevention and Awareness.

—
11
International Leadership Institute

The international leadership institute (ili) changes history by accelerating the spread of the gospel through training and mobilizing leaders of leaders to reach their nations. ili accomplishes this purpose through cutting edge leadership…

Religion
12
International Women's Forum Inc

The mission of the international women's forum is to advance women's leadership worldwide. iwf takes direct action to achieve our mission in three important ways. connect: our convenings provide networking and cutting-edge content…

Education
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Woodall Rodgers Park Foundation; the most unlike its peers is Kontaktmission Usa. 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

16 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. 16 of the 38 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)
2
Early backer (in before they grew)
16/16
Grantees still filing
10/16
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

Lamar University: $505,000 · OtherLamar Universitypresident George Bush Library: $200,000 · Otherpresident George Bush LibraryLeadership Network: $125,000 · OtherLeadership NetworkThe Hunt Institute: $50,000 · OtherTCB Wilapa Bay Air: $50,000 · OtherGlobal Health Corps Inc: $40,000 · Other+23 more: $98,095 · Other+23 moreUniversalGiving: $145,000 · PhilanthropyUniversalGivin…THE CRYSTAL CHARITY BALL: $30,000 · PhilanthropyTHE CRYSTAL CH…Woodall Rodgers Park Foundation: $105,000 · Recreation & SportsLiving Water International: $15,000 · Human Services4WORD: $5,000 · Human ServicesTHE WOMEN'S HOME: $1,000 · Human ServicesInternational Corridor Vision: $20,000 · Community ImprovementVan Cliburn Foundation Inc: $10,000 · Arts & CultureCAFE MOMENTUM: $10,000 · Youth Development
Other$1,068,095Philanthropy$175,000Recreation & Sports$105,000Human Services$21,000Community Improvement$20,000Arts & Culture$10,000Youth Development$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$10Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetUniversalGiving: $145,000 over 6y, 4.2% of budgetLeadership Network: $125,000 over 1y, 3.5% of budgetWoodall Rodgers Park Foundation: $105,000 over 1y, 0.5% of budgetTHE CRYSTAL CHARITY BALL: $30,000 over 5y, 0.1% of budgetInternational Corridor Vision: $20,000 over 2y, 2.4% of budgetLiving Water International: $15,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetAUSTIN STREET CENTER: $12,890 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetCAFE MOMENTUM: $10,000 over 2y, 0.2% of budgetNEW FRIENDS NEW LIFE: $5,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetThe Winston School: $5,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budget4WORD: $5,000 over 1y, 0.5% of budgetKONTAKTMISSION USA: $5,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetTHE WOMEN'S HOME: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetEDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES INC: $1,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetTexas Women's Foundation: $100 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 UniversalGiving ↗
  • Who funds Leadership Network ↗
  • Who funds Woodall Rodgers Park Foundation ↗
  • Who funds THE CRYSTAL CHARITY BALL ↗
  • Who funds International Corridor Vision ↗
  • Who funds Living Water International ↗
  • Who funds AUSTIN STREET CENTER ↗
  • Who funds Van Cliburn Foundation Inc ↗
  • Who funds CAFE MOMENTUM ↗
  • Who funds NEW FRIENDS NEW LIFE ↗
  • Who funds The Winston School ↗
  • Who funds 4WORD ↗
  • Who funds KONTAKTMISSION USA ↗
  • Who funds THE WOMEN'S HOME ↗
  • Who funds EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES INC ↗
  • Who funds Texas Women's Foundation ↗

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 Dallas FoundationCommunities Foundatio…Jpmorgan Chase Founda…National Philanthropi…Natl Christian Charit…The Bank of America C…Vanguard Charitable E…Donor Advised Charita…American Online Givin…Fidelity Investments …Amazonsmile Foundation
The Dallas FoundationTX17.1× affinity6 shared granteesties to 10 of 10Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: The Dallas Foundation · Communities Foundation of Texas Inc · Jpmorgan Chase Foundation · National Philanthropic Trust · Natl Christian Charitable Fdn Inc · The Bank of America Charitable Foundation Inc · Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program · Donor Advised Charitable Giving Inc · American Online Giving Foundation 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 Nancy and Randy Best Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Nancy and Randy Best Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2023
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 00%0%1%3%5%funder's share of their income ↑0%5%10%15%20%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    0get 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 · 0–20%
    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 Nancy and Randy Best Foundation?

    Find your warmest path to Nancy and Randy Best 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 38 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 Nancy and Randy Best’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