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Oshman Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

Oshman 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.

$507k
Granted FY2024still arriving
7
Grants FY2024still arriving
2
States reached
$473k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
05Through PlinthRead
01What it funds
0194% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2020 to 2024.

Arts & Culture$1.1MRecreation & Sports$47kHealth$45kPhilanthropy$12kSocial Science$12kEducation$8kEnvironment$6kAnimals$5kOther$0
02FY2024 · 7 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2024

  • Under $10k4 grants · $14k
  • $10k–50k2 grants · $20k
  • $250k+1 grant · $473k
$5,000
Median grant
2
States reached
$746k
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
THE ORANGE SHOW FOUNDATION$473,000
METHODIST HOSPITAL FOUNDATION$10,000
HOLOCAUST MUSEUM HOUSTON$10,000
STAGES REPERTORY THEATER$5,000
CHRISTMAS BAY FOUNDATION$3,500
AMERICAN VISIONARY ARTS MUSEUM$2,500
SUSAN SMITH BLACKBURN PRIZE$2,500
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 (FY20–22, $3k) land where the poverty rate runs at 16%, against an area that typically sits at 13%. 100% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 13%JEWISH FAMILY SERVICES: $2k → 16%JEWISH FAMILY SERVICES: $1k → 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
NJ
CA
MD
LA
GA
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.

96%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$1.2M · 16 repeat orgs$57k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +68% since the first grant, against +19% for those funded once.

16 repeat relationships: 3 still active in FY2024, 13 since wound down; 4 grantees were first funded in FY2024 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

16
26

Total granted

$1.2M
$37k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+68%
+19%

Still filing today

75%
69%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 96% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $20k went to new ones.

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

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

’20’21’22’23’24
Arts & CultureEnvironmentEducationHuman ServicesRecreation & SportsPhilanthropyOther
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
    The Orange Show Foundation
    5× · 2020–2024 · $1.0M · revenue +353%
  • BC
    Baylor College of Medicine
    3× · 2020–2022 · $35k · revenue +47%
  • HP
    Houston Parks Board
    3× · 2021–2023 · $30k · revenue +92%

Funded once

  • IS
    INTERNATIONAL SCULPTURE CENTER INC
    one grant, 2020 · $5k · revenue -18%
  • OM
    OGDEN MUSEUM
    one grant, 2021 · $3k
  • HB
    Houston Botanic Gardengraduated
    one grant, 2020 · $3k · revenue +90%
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
Kimbell Art Foundation
Arts & Culture
4
Kadist Collection Manager Inc
Arts & Culture
5
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…

—
6
Trees for Houston

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

—
7
Houston Center for Photography Inc

Houston Center for Photography (HCP) strives to encourage artists, build audiences, stimulate dialogue, and promote inquiry about photography and related media through education, exhibitions, publications, fellowship programs, and…

Arts & Culture
8
Art Colony Association Inc

Art Colony Association provides art experiences and education for the greater Houston community by bringing diverse artists to urban Bayou City Art Festivals and supporting local non-profit organizations.

Arts & Culture
9
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
10
Houston Local Information Initiative Inc

The Houston Local Information Initiative, Inc. provides public service journalism that reflects the civic needs of the diverse communities comprising Greater Houston.

Arts & Culture
11
Houston Climate Justice Museum

The Museum brings together the arts with history, science, & activism to tell stories about the unequal effects of environmental change in order to inspire action on the climate crisis.

Arts & Culture
12
Houston Freedmen's Town Conservancy Inc

To completely restore Houston Freedmen's Town as a heritage district that provides America with its only Freedmen's Town.

Community Improvement
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Houston Arts Alliance; the most unlike its peers is Susan Smith Blackburn Prize Inc. 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

33 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. 33 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.

0
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
8
Early backer (in before they grew)
33/33
Grantees still filing
24/33
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

The Orange Show Foundation: $1,024,500 · Arts & CultureThe Orange Show FoundationMenil Foundation Inc: $45,000 · Arts & Culture+14 more: $42,100 · Arts & CultureCHRISTMAS BAY FOUNDATION: $11,500 · OtherASIA SOCIETY TEXAS-ASIA HOUSE: $11,500 · OtherSTAGES REPERTORY THEATER: $5,000 · OtherART LEAGUE OF HOUSTON: $4,500 · OtherMENNINGER: $4,000 · OtherMOODY CENTER ARTS -RICE UNIVERSITY: $4,000 · OtherOGDEN MUSEUM: $3,000 · OtherSusan Smith Blackburn Prize Inc: $2,500 · OtherTEXAS PARKS AND WILDLIFE: $2,500 · OtherMUSEUM OF FINE ARTS: $2,500 · OtherINPRINT INC: $2,000 · Other+5 more: $5,900 · OtherBaylor College of Medicine: $35,000 · EducationWilliam Marsh Rice University: $7,500 · Education+1 more: $500 · EducationHouston Parks Board: $30,000 · PhilanthropyDiscovery Green Conservancy: $17,000 · Recreation & SportsTHE METHODIST HOSPITAL FOUNDATION: $10,000 · HealthHouston Botanic Garden: $2,500 · EnvironmentThe Houston Audubon Society: $2,000 · EnvironmentHermann Park Conservancy: $1,500 · EnvironmentHOUSTON WILDERNESS INC: $1,000 · EnvironmentBuffalo Bayou Partnership Inc: $1,000 · EnvironmentFOREST GROVE PRESERVE INC: $500 · EnvironmentJEWISH FAMILY SERVICE: $3,000 · Human ServicesGUIDE DOGS FOR THE BLIND INC: $1,000 · Human Services
Arts & Culture$1,111,600Other$58,900Education$43,000Philanthropy$30,000Recreation & Sports$17,000Health$10,000Environment$8,500Human Services$4,000

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 budgetThe Orange Show Foundation: $1,024,500 over 5y, 15% of budgetMenil Foundation Inc: $45,000 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetBaylor College of Medicine: $35,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetHouston Parks Board: $30,000 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetDiscovery Green Conservancy: $17,000 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetHOLOCAUST MUSEUM HOUSTON: $13,000 over 4y, 0.2% of budgetTHE METHODIST HOSPITAL FOUNDATION: $10,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetHOUSTON CENTER FOR CONTEMPORARY CRAFT: $9,000 over 3y, 0.3% of budgetWilliam Marsh Rice University: $7,500 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetContemporary Arts Museum Houston: $5,000 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetINTERNATIONAL SCULPTURE CENTER INC: $5,000 over 1y, 0.4% of budgetART LEAGUE OF HOUSTON: $4,500 over 2y, 0.3% of budgetJEWISH FAMILY SERVICE: $3,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetHouston Botanic Garden: $2,500 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetSusan Smith Blackburn Prize Inc: $2,500 over 1y, 1.4% of budgetTHE AMERICAN VISIONARY ART MUSEUM INC: $2,500 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetINPRINT INC: $2,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetThe Houston Audubon Society: $2,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetHouston Arts Alliance: $1,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetHermann Park Conservancy: $1,500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetProject Row Houses: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetFotofest Inc: $1,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetHouston Grand Opera Association Inc: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetGUIDE DOGS FOR THE BLIND INC: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetHOUSTON WILDERNESS INC: $1,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetRIVERSIDE ART MUSEUM: $1,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetBuffalo Bayou Partnership Inc: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetGlasstire: $1,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetFOREST GROVE PRESERVE INC: $500 over 1y, 0.9% of budgetEvery Shelter Inc: $500 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetArt Museum of Southeast Texas: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetAMERICAN FOLK ART MUSEUM: $500 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetTHE STUDIO MUSEUM IN HARLEM: $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.

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 …Houston Endowment IncGreater Houston Commu…John P McGovern Found…Shell USA Company Fou…The Powell FoundationHouston Arts AllianceKinder FoundationThe Wortham Foundatio…The Susan Vaughan Fou…The Elkins FoundationUnion Pacific Foundat…
The Brown Foundation IncTX34.1× affinity14 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: The Brown Foundation Inc · Houston Endowment Inc · Greater Houston Community Foundation · John P McGovern Foundation · Shell USA Company Foundation · The Powell Foundation · Houston Arts Alliance · Kinder Foundation · The Wortham Foundation Inc · The Susan Vaughan Foundation Inc · The Elkins Foundation · Union Pacific 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 Oshman Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Oshman Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 00%1%5%11%20%funder's share of their income ↑0%10%20%30%40%share of the org’s income from government →median 6%
  • The American Visionary Art Museum Inc: 6% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
0get 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 Oshman Foundation?

Find your warmest path to Oshman 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-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 Oshman’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