Skip to content
Nelson Puett Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

Nelson Puett Foundation

Its FY2024 filing reports that it accepted unsolicited grant applications.

$1.3M
Granted FY2024still arriving
55
Grants FY2024still arriving
10
States reached
$510k
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, FY2017 to 2024.

Education$1.7MHealth$1.4MHuman Services$1.3MArts & Culture$1.3MRecreation & Sports$994kReligion$917kAnimals$765kYouth Development$709kOther$0
02FY2024 · 55 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2024

  • Under $10k34 grants · $122k
  • $10k–50k17 grants · $393k
  • $50k–250k3 grants · $283k
  • $250k+1 grant · $510k
$5,100
Median grant
10
States reached
$17M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
REMEMBER THE ALAMO FOUNDATION$510,000
SHIKAR SAFARI CLUB INTERNATIONAL$175,100
TEXAS CAVALIERS CHARITABLE FOUNDATION$58,000
COMMUNITIES IN SCHOOLS CENTRAL TEXAS$50,000
TIVY HIGH SCHOOL$49,000
INGRAM INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT$48,294
SEEDLING FOUNDATION$45,000
LULING HIGH SCHOOL$38,500
WESTMINSTER PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH$26,000
AUSTIN SPEECH LABS$25,000
RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE CHARITIES OF CTX$25,000
AUGUSTHEART$23,500
HONDURAS GOOD WORKS$20,000
THE SPECIAL FORCES CHARITABLE TRUST$20,000
FRIENDS OF THE GOVERNOR'S MANSION$12,000
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 (FY17–24, $629k) land where the poverty rate runs at 10%, against an area that typically sits at 12%. 3% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Its grants skew toward lower-need ZIPs.

area typical 12%CAMP ARANZAZU: $5k → 17%CAMP ARANZAZU: $1k → 17%GIRLS OF SAN ANTONIO: $8k → 16%FIESTA SAN ANTONIO FOUNDATION: $3k → 16%GIRLS OF SAN ANTONIO: $5k → 16%TEXAS SCHOOL FOR THE DEATH FOUNDATION: $20k → 10%TEXAS SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF FOUNDATION: $20k → 10%TEXAS SCHOOL FOR THE DEATH FOUNDATION: $10k → 10%HELPING HAND HOME FOR CHILDREN: $309k → 10%HELPING HAND HOME FOR CHILDREN: $204k → 10%HELPING HAND HOME FOR CHILDREN: $18k → 10%HELPING HAND HOME FOR CHILDREN: $10k → 10%HELPING HAND HOME FOR CHILDREN: $8k → 10%HELPING HAND HOME FOR CHILDREN: $6k → 10%HELPING HAND HOME FOR CHILDREN: $2k → 10%HELPING HAND HOME FOR CHILDREN: $2k → 10%TEEN AND FAMILY SERVICES: $200 → 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.

Which US states its grants reach

ME
WA
IL
MI
MA
IN
OH
PA
CT
CA
CO
NE
AZ
AR
TN
NC
SC
DC
OK
LA
GA
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.
03Its grantees
repeat funding

Who it funds again

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

86%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$8.6M · 93 repeat orgs$1.4M to everyone else

93 repeat relationships: 39 still active in FY2024, 54 since wound down; 15 grantees were first funded in FY2024 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

93
90

Total granted

$8.6M
$1.3M

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+32%
+49%

Still filing today

51%
42%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 91% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $124k 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
EducationArts & CultureHealthHuman ServicesAnimalsRecreation & 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

  • HH
    HELPING HAND HOME FOR CHILDREN INC
    8× · 2017–2024 · $557k · revenue +62%
  • TT
    THE TEXAS CAVALIERS CHARITABLE FOUNDATION
    8× · 2017–2024 · $518k · revenue +66%
  • SC
    Shikar-Safari Club International
    5× · 2020–2024 · $452k · revenue +293% · 46% of their budget

Funded once

  • TS
    THE SETON FUND - DSMC FUURE OF CARE
    one grant, 2022 · $300k
  • TS
    THE SALVATION ARMY
    one grant, 2018 · $200k
  • SU
    SOUTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY
    one grant, 2018 · $125k · revenue +16%
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
Uatx

Uatx is a nonprofit dedicated to building a liberal arts university committed to freedom of inquiry, freedom of conscience, and civil discourse. to maintain these principles, the university will be fiercely independent financially,…

Education
2
Leadership Austin

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

Youth Development
3
Texas a&M Research Foundation

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

Education
4
Texas Medical Association

The texas medical association (tma), the nation's largest and one of the oldest state medical societies, represents over 59,000 physicians and medical students dedicated to enhancing the health of all texans. in collaboration with 110…

—
5
The Association of Former Students of Texas a&M University

To strengthen the association of former students, promote the interests and welfare of texas a&m university, perpetuate ties of affection and esteem formed in university or college days, and serve the student body.

Education
6
Forty First Foundation

The forty first foundation supports and advances the university of texas at austin in its pursuit of excellence. we work closely with the office of the president to identify, fund, and implement strategic initiatives that enhance the…

Education
7
Texas Tribune Inc

The texas tribune promotes civic engagement and public education across the state by producing and sharing for free public data interactives, statewide events and intensive and daily reporting on texas public policy, politics and current…

Education
8
Texas Association of Business

As the state chamber of commerce, tab is the most influential and dominant voice for public policy issues affecting business in texas. through proven results-oriented advocacy and member services, tab develops a climate in texas which…

—
9
Witte Museum

The witte museum inspires people to shape the future of texas through transformative and relevant experiences in nature, science and culture.

Arts & Culture
10
The University of TexasTexas a&M Investment Management Company

To generate superior long-term investment returns to support The University of Texas and Texas A&M University systems as they provide world-class teaching, push the boundaries of discovery, and achieve excellence in patient healthcare for…

Education
11
Texas Academy of Family Physicians

The texas academy of family physicians is dedicated to the promotion of a health care environment that values the vital role of family physicians in providing quality, comprehensive care to all texans.

—
12
Texas Business Hall of Fame Foundation

To recognize the accomplishments and contributions of our outstanding Texas business leaders and to perpetuate and inspire the values of entrepreneurial spirit, personal integrity, and community leadership in all generations of Texans.

Community Improvement
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Texas a&M Foundation; the most unlike its peers is The Foundation At Shield Ranch. 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

96 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. 96 of the 200 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.

3
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
25
Early backer (in before they grew)
95/96
Grantees still filing
66/96
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

WESTMINSTER PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH: $584,600 · OtherWESTMINSTER PRESBYTERIAN CHURCHTHE TEXAS CAVALIERS CHARITABLE FOUNDATION: $518,000 · OtherTHE TEXAS CAVALIERS CHARITABLE FOUNDATIONTHE SETON FUND - DSMC FUURE OF CARE: $300,000 · OtherYMCA OF AUSTIN CAMP CYPRESS: $300,000 · OtherTHE SETON FUND: $285,200 · OtherINGRAM INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT: $268,294 · OtherTIVY HIGH SCHOOL: $261,000 · OtherLULING HIGH SCHOOL: $218,000 · OtherTHE SALVATION ARMY: $200,000 · OtherPATRIOTS' HALL OF DRIPPING SPRINGS: $250,000 · OtherTHE JUNIOR LEAGUE OF AUSTIN INC: $250,200 · Other+138 more: $2,368,673 · Other+138 moreRemember the Alamo Foundation: $1,050,000 · Arts & CultureRemember the …TRAIL OF LIGHTS FOUNDATION: $40,000 · Arts & Culture+7 more: $82,930 · Arts & Culture+7 moreUNIVERSITY OF THE SOUTH: $181,500 · EducationUNIVERSITY …SEEDLING FOUNDATION: $170,001 · EducationSEEDLING FO…AUSTIN EXPLORE INC: $150,000 · EducationAUSTIN EXPL…SOUTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY: $125,000 · EducationSOUTHWESTER…BREAKTHROUGH: $110,000 · EducationBREAKTHROUG…Con Mi MADRE: $70,000 · EducationCon Mi MADR…Culver Educational Foundation: $50,000 · EducationCOMMUNITIES IN SCHOOLS OF CENTRAL TEXAS: $50,000 · EducationSchreiner University: $50,000 · Education+8 more: $58,600 · Education+8 moreHELPING HAND HOME FOR CHILDREN INC: $557,200 · Human ServicesTEXAS SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF FOUNDATION: $50,000 · Human Services+5 more: $41,700 · Human ServicesShikar-Safari Club International: $452,375 · Recreation & SportsAUSTIN YMBL SUNSHINE CAMP: $31,500 · Recreation & Sports+3 more: $8,000 · Recreation & SportsTHE FOUNDATION AT SHIELD RANCH: $250,000 · Youth DevelopmentTHE AUSTIN BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB FOUNDATION: $200,000 · Youth DevelopmentCity Kids Adventures: $16,000 · Youth Development+1 more: $2,000 · Youth DevelopmentAUSTIN SPEECH LABS INC: $201,000 · HealthTEXAS BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE: $104,514 · HealthAUGUSTHEART: $59,500 · Health+6 more: $23,200 · Health
Other$5,803,967Arts & Culture$1,172,930Education$1,015,101Human Services$648,900Recreation & Sports$491,875Youth Development$468,000Health$388,214

Each grantee by its size and the funder’s share of it; top left is load-bearing

25%50%75%100%$100k$1.0M$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetRemember the Alamo Foundation: $1,050,000 over 2y, 1.9% of budgetHELPING HAND HOME FOR CHILDREN INC: $557,200 over 8y, 2.8% of budgetTHE TEXAS CAVALIERS CHARITABLE FOUNDATION: $518,000 over 8y, 7.4% of budgetShikar-Safari Club International: $452,375 over 5y, 46% of budgetTHE JUNIOR LEAGUE OF AUSTIN INC: $250,200 over 2y, 11% of budgetPATRIOTS' HALL OF DRIPPING SPRINGS: $250,000 over 2y, 11% of budgetTHE FOUNDATION AT SHIELD RANCH: $250,000 over 2y, 8.3% of budgetAUSTIN SPEECH LABS INC: $201,000 over 7y, 3.7% of budgetTHE AUSTIN BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB FOUNDATION: $200,000 over 3y, 57% of budgetUNIVERSITY OF THE SOUTH: $181,500 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetSAN ANTONIO ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY: $178,500 over 7y, 0.1% of budgetSEEDLING FOUNDATION: $170,001 over 6y, 3.7% of budgetAUSTIN EXPLORE INC: $150,000 over 2y, 6.1% of budgetSOUTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY: $125,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetTHE SPECIAL FORCES CHARITABLE TRUST: $120,000 over 8y, 0.6% of budgetBREAKTHROUGH: $110,000 over 3y, 0.9% of budgetTEXAS BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE: $104,514 over 8y, 0.1% of budgetORPHAN GRAIN TRAIN INC: $80,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetCon Mi MADRE: $70,000 over 4y, 2.7% of budgetPLAYHOUSE 2000 INC: $70,000 over 4y, 4.0% of budgetSOUND OFF: $60,000 over 4y, 3.7% of budgetAUGUSTHEART: $59,500 over 6y, 5.9% of budgetJEREMIAH PROGRAM: $50,001 over 3y, 0.2% of budgetCulver Educational Foundation: $50,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCOMMUNITIES IN SCHOOLS OF CENTRAL TEXAS: $50,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetTEXAS SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF FOUNDATION: $50,000 over 3y, 16% of budgetSchreiner University: $50,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetTRAIL OF LIGHTS FOUNDATION: $40,000 over 4y, 0.4% of budgetFRIENDS OF THE GOVERNOR'S MANSION: $38,600 over 8y, 1.5% of budgetNATIONAL HOUSING ENDOWMENT: $38,000 over 3y, 1.1% of budgetTHE CHARITY BALL ASSOCIATION OF SAN ANTONIO INC: $37,000 over 7y, 0.5% of budgetMANOS DE CRISTO INC: $33,333 over 1y, 1.0% of budgetCENTER FOR CHILD PROTECTION: $32,380 over 1y, 0.5% of budgetAUSTIN YMBL SUNSHINE CAMP: $31,500 over 2y, 1.1% of budgetMOBILE LOAVES & FISHES INC: $25,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetASCENSION SETON FOUNDATION: $25,000 over 1y, 0.3% of budgetPARKS AND WILDLIFE FOUNDATION OF TEXAS: $25,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetTHE ARC OF THE CAPITAL AREA: $25,000 over 3y, 0.5% of budgetBetter ATX: $25,000 over 1y, 1.8% of budgetTEXAS BIOMEDICAL FORUM: $20,470 over 3y, 1.7% of budgetSAN ANTONIO CHILDREN'S MUSEUM: $20,130 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetWATERLOO GREENWAY CONSERVANCY: $20,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetHONDURAS GOOD WORKS: $20,000 over 1y, 2.6% of budgetCity Kids Adventures: $16,000 over 3y, 1.7% of budgetDUKE UNIVERSITY: $14,500 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetSt Edwards University: $14,000 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetThe 100 Club of Central Texas: $13,800 over 8y, 1.0% of budgetCENTRAL TEXAS PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION: $13,500 over 7y, 1.6% 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 Remember the Alamo Foundation ↗
  • Who funds HELPING HAND HOME FOR CHILDREN INC ↗
  • Who funds THE TEXAS CAVALIERS CHARITABLE FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds Shikar-Safari Club International ↗
  • Who funds THE JUNIOR LEAGUE OF AUSTIN INC ↗
  • Who funds PATRIOTS' HALL OF DRIPPING SPRINGS ↗
  • Who funds THE FOUNDATION AT SHIELD RANCH ↗
  • Who funds AUSTIN SPEECH LABS INC ↗
  • Who funds THE AUSTIN BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds UNIVERSITY OF THE SOUTH ↗
  • Who funds SAN ANTONIO ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY ↗
  • Who funds SEEDLING FOUNDATION ↗
  • Who funds AUSTIN EXPLORE INC ↗
  • Who funds SOUTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY ↗
  • Who funds THE SPECIAL FORCES CHARITABLE TRUST ↗
  • Who funds BREAKTHROUGH ↗
  • Who funds TEXAS BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE ↗
  • Who funds ORPHAN GRAIN TRAIN INC ↗
  • Who funds Con Mi MADRE ↗
  • Who funds PLAYHOUSE 2000 INC ↗
  • Who funds SOUND OFF ↗
  • Who funds AUGUSTHEART ↗
  • Who funds JEREMIAH PROGRAM ↗
  • Who funds Culver Educational 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.

Austin Community Foun…Alice Kleberg Reynold…Greater Houston Commu…The Moody FoundationSt David's FoundationHarry E and Eda L Mon…Mays Family FoundationShield-Ayres Foundati…San Antonio Area Foun…The Brown Foundation …Betty Stieren Kelso F…Better Business Bureau
Austin Community Foundation IncTX52.2× affinity28 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Austin Community Foundation Inc · Alice Kleberg Reynolds Meyer Foundat A0479800 · Greater Houston Community Foundation · The Moody Foundation · St David's Foundation · Harry E and Eda L Montandon Charitable Tr · Mays Family Foundation · Shield-Ayres Foundation · San Antonio Area Foundation · The Brown Foundation Inc · Betty Stieren Kelso Foundation · Better Business Bureau

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

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 00%3%13%28%50%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
    24report 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.

    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 200 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 Nelson Puett’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