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Parks Bell Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

Parks Bell Foundation

Its FY2025 filing reports that it funds preselected organizations and did not take unsolicited requests; check the foundation's own site before ruling it out.

$832k
Granted FY2025still arriving
12
Grants FY2025still arriving
2
States reached
$585k
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, FY2018 to 2025.

International$2.9MRecreation & Sports$349kEducation$220kHealth$190kAnimals$100kPhilanthropy$85kEmployment$72kScience & Tech$56kOther$0
02FY2025 · 12 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2025

  • Under $10k3 grants · $17k
  • $10k–50k5 grants · $80k
  • $50k–250k3 grants · $150k
  • $250k+1 grant · $585k
$25,000
Median grant
2
States reached
$5.7M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
AMY BELL CHARITIES INC$585,000
TEXAS TECH FOUNDATION INC$50,000
AQH FOUNDATION$50,000
PERMIAN BASIN AREA FOUNDATION$50,000
BOSS MARES INC$25,000
TRINITY SCHOOL ENDOWMENT$25,000
VRDUR FOUNDATION$10,000
NCHA FOUNDATION$10,000
CHRISTCHURCH SCHOOL$10,000
AMY BELL SPORTS FOUNDATION INC$6,975
CHILDFUND INTERNATIONAL$5,000
NATIONAL COWGIRL MUSEUM$5,000
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 (FY25–25, $10k) land where the poverty rate runs at 16%, against an area that typically sits at 9%. 100% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 9%VRDUR FOUNDATION: $10k → 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.

97%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$3.9M · 15 repeat orgs$138k to everyone else

15 repeat relationships: 8 still active in FY2025, 7 since wound down; 3 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

15
7

Total granted

$3.9M
$93k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+7%
+35%

Still filing today

67%
57%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 94% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $45k went to new ones.

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

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

’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25
EducationAnimalsRecreation & SportsPhilanthropyInternationalArts & 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

  • AB
    AMY BELL CHARITIES INC
    5× · 2021–2025 · $2.6M · revenue +3% · 62% of their budget
  • CI
    CHILDFUND INTERNATIONAL USA
    7× · 2019–2025 · $147k · revenue +7%
  • SC
    Safari Club International West Texas Chapter Inc
    2× · 2023–2024 · $70k · revenue +37%

Funded once

  • TO
    THE ORIGINS FOUNDATION INC
    one grant, 2024 · $25k · revenue 0%
  • AF
    ASU FOUNDATION
    one grant, 2023 · $25k
  • FP
    FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
    one grant, 2023 · $18k
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
West Texas a&M Univ Foundation

The foundation supports west texas a&m university, an institution of higher education, and the students of wtamu by receiving and administering gifts from the public.

Education
2
Texas Prairieland Foundation
Philanthropy
3
Texas a&M University-Central Tx Foundati

Operated exclusively for educational purposes specifically including to further educational activities at texas a& m university-central texas within the meaning of 501(c)(3).

Education
4
Midwestern State University Foundation Inc

To receive contributions by means of donations, gifts, and bequests and to expend such funds for the advancement of the literary, scientific, and other educational endeavors of Midwestern State University, a tax exempt institution of…

Education
5
West Texas Geology Foundation

The West Texas Geology Foundation conducts educational, charitable, and scientific activities related to or allied with the field of geology in the West Texas region and adjacent areas.

—
6
Texas Food & Fuel Association Scholarship Foundation

The texas food & fuel association scholarship foundation awards scholarships to outstanding students in the state of texas.

Education
7
Western Texas College Foundation

The western texas college foundation serves western texas college by soliciting, receiving, and administering gifts and grants for student scholarships, educational and cultural activities, and campus facility improvement and development.

Education
8
Texas a&M-Corpus Christi Foundation

For the benefit of texas a&m university - corpus christi

Education
9
Lamar University Foundation Inc

The Foundation supports the development and promotion of Lamar University, its students, faculty and staff. The Lamar University Foundation supports and enhances Lamar University by encouraging the commitment of personal and financial…

Education
10
Texas State Rifle Association Foundation Inc
—
11
The Ute Trail Ranch Foundation
—
12
Tom T East Sr and Alice K East and Alice H East and Robert C East Wildlife Fnd

The East Foundation is an Agricultural Research Organization. On our land, ranchers, scientists, and educators work together to address issues important to wildlife management, rangeland health, and ranch productivity.

Philanthropy
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Texas Tech Foundation Inc; the most unlike its peers is Kalene Advancement 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

18 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. 18 of the 27 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.

2
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
2
Early backer (in before they grew)
18/18
Grantees still filing
9/18
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

AMY BELL CHARITIES INC: $2,590,000 · PhilanthropyAMY BELL CHARITIES INC+2 more: $85,000 · PhilanthropyAQH FOUNDATION: $190,000 · OtherAQH FOUNDATIONAFRICAN CHILDRENS SCHOOLS FOUNDATION: $120,000 · OtherAFRICAN CHILDREN…SCI FOUNDATION: $108,500 · OtherSCI FOUNDATIONNCHA FOUNDATION: $40,000 · OtherNCHA FOUNDATIONASU FOUNDATION: $25,000 · OtherFIRST ODESSA CHRISTIAN ACADEMY: $22,500 · OtherNATIONAL COWGIRL MUSEUM AND HALL OF FAME INC: $40,000 · OtherNATIONAL COWGIRL…+5 more: $53,000 · Other+5 moreAMY BELL SPORTS FOUNDATION INC: $348,718 · Recreation & SportsAMY BELL S…NRCHA Foundation: $20,000 · Recreation & SportsNRCHA Foun…CHILDFUND INTERNATIONAL USA: $146,500 · InternationalTEXAS TECH FOUNDATION INC: $75,000 · EducationKalene Advancement Inc: $25,000 · EducationTRINITY SCHOOL ENDOWMENT CORPORATION: $25,000 · EducationTRINITY SCHOOL OF MIDLAND TEXAS: $10,000 · EducationEASTERN NEW MEXICO UNIVERSITY FOUNDATION: $5,000 · EducationSafari Club International West Texas Chapter Inc: $70,000 · AnimalsTHE ORIGINS FOUNDATION INC: $25,000 · AnimalsSAFARI CLUB INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION: $5,000 · AnimalsBOSS MARES INC: $72,000 · Employment
Philanthropy$2,675,000Other$599,000Recreation & Sports$368,718International$146,500Education$140,000Animals$100,000Employment$72,000

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 budgetAMY BELL CHARITIES INC: $2,590,000 over 5y, 62% of budgetAMY BELL SPORTS FOUNDATION INC: $348,718 over 2y, 1.4% of budgetCHILDFUND INTERNATIONAL USA: $146,500 over 7y, 0.0% of budgetTEXAS TECH FOUNDATION INC: $75,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetBOSS MARES INC: $72,000 over 3y, 47% of budgetSafari Club International West Texas Chapter Inc: $70,000 over 2y, 4.3% of budgetNATIONAL COWGIRL MUSEUM AND HALL OF FAME INC: $40,000 over 4y, 0.8% of budgetCOMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF ABILENE: $35,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetKalene Advancement Inc: $25,000 over 2y, 14% of budgetTHE ORIGINS FOUNDATION INC: $25,000 over 1y, 1.8% of budgetTRINITY SCHOOL ENDOWMENT CORPORATION: $25,000 over 1y, 4.7% of budgetNRCHA Foundation: $20,000 over 2y, 11% of budgetVRDUR FOUNDATION INC: $10,000 over 1y, 4.1% of budgetTRINITY SCHOOL OF MIDLAND TEXAS: $10,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetSAFARI CLUB INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION: $5,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetHorsemen for Christ: $5,000 over 1y, 1.1% 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.

Permian Basin Area Fo…Safari Club Internati…Morgan Stanley Global…Natl Christian Charit…National Philanthropi…Donor Advised Charita…Fidelity Investments …Amazonsmile Foundation
Permian Basin Area FoundationTX15.6× affinity5 shared granteesties to 7 of 7Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Permian Basin Area Foundation · Safari Club International West Texas Chapter Inc · Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust Inc · Natl Christian Charitable Fdn Inc · National Philanthropic Trust · 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 Parks Bell Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Parks Bell Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 00%6%25%56%100%funder's share of their income ↑0%1%3%4%5%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    0get no government money at all
    0rely on government for over half their income
    ⤢ axis zoomed · 0–5%
    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 Parks Bell Foundation?

    Find your warmest path to Parks Bell 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 27 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 2025, released 2025. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

    Source object · view filing

    Play a game based on Parks Bell’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