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Ron and Ella Lee Lassiter Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

Ron and Ella Lee Lassiter Foundation

Its FY2019 filing reports that it funds preselected organizations and did not take unsolicited requests; check the foundation's own site before ruling it out.

$320k
Granted FY2019
12
Grants FY2019
5
States reached
$105k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
05Through PlinthRead
01What it funds
0198% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2017 to 2019.

Religion$113kEducation$112kYouth Development$106kHealth$100kPhilanthropy$6kAnimals$2kHousing & Shelter$1kHuman Services$285Other$0
02FY2019 · 12 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2019

  • Under $10k8 grants · $7k
  • $50k–250k4 grants · $312k
$1,035
Median grant
5
States reached
$0
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
SpringSpirit$105,394
HOUSTON HOSPICE$100,000
TEXAS TECH FOUNDATION INC$53,500
THE PARISH SCHOOL$53,500
ESPONSOR NOW INC$6,000
HOUSTON HUMANE SOCIETY$1,035
UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON FOUNDATION$100
LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE$50
CAL FARLEY'S BOYS RANCH$25
DISABLED AMERICAN VETERANS$25
AMERICAN RED CROSS$25
Veterans of Foreign Wars Foundation$25
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 (FY17–19, $150) 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%CONVENANT HOUSE: $50 → 17%CAL FARLEY'S BOYS RANCH: $25 → 20%Wounded Warrior Project Inc: $50 → 14%CONVENANT HOUSE: $25 → 17%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

MN
MI
NY
MA
CT
CA
CO
NE
MO
KY
VA
MD
NM
TN
DC
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.

50%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$221k · 11 repeat orgs$219k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +34% since the first grant, against +28% for those funded once.

11 repeat relationships: 4 still active in FY2019, 7 since wound down; 7 grantees were first funded in FY2019 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

11
26

Total granted

$221k
$6k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+34%
+28%

Still filing today

82%
69%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2019, 33% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $213k went to new ones.

50%100%’17’18’19
RenewedFirst-time

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

’17’18’19
EducationPublic BenefitAnimalsHuman ServicesRecreation & SportsArts & 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

  • SI
    SpringSpirit Inc
    2× · 2018–2019 · $106k · revenue +55%
  • MH
    MEMORIAL HIGH SCHOOL BOOSTER CLUB
    2× · 2017–2018 · $300 · revenue +30%
  • UO
    University of Houston Foundation
    2× · 2017–2019 · $200 · revenue +20%

Funded once

  • WM
    William Marsh Rice Universitygraduated
    one grant, 2018 · $4k · revenue +63%
  • GT
    Gamma Tau House
    one grant, 2018 · $1k
  • SM
    Social Motion Inc
    one grant, 2017 · $100 · revenue -62%
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
President and Fellows of Harvard College

Undergraduate, graduate, and professional education and research across a broad array of academic domains.

Education
2
United States Naval Institute

Provide an independent forum for those who dare to read, think, speak, and write to advance the professional, literary, and scientific understanding of sea power and other issues critical to global security.

—
3
Furman University

The primary mission of furman as a liberal arts institution is to provide a distinctive education in fine arts, humanities, social sciences, mathematics and the sciences, as well as selected professional disciplines.

Education
4
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
5
University of Virginia Foundation

To provide administrative services to university of virginia (university) entities, university associated organizations, or other entities involved in activities which support the university. to engage in matters pertaining to real…

Education
6
University of Virginia Investment Management Company

The university of virginia investment management company (uvimco) is organized to invest funds on behalf of the rector and visitors of the university of virginia (the university or uva) and university-associated organizations (uaos).

Education
7
Usvets - Texas

The successful transition of u.s. military veterans and their families through the provision of housing, counseling, career development and comprehensive support.

Human Services
8
Air & Space Forces Association

The air & space forces association (afa) is a nonprofit, independent, professional military, and aerospace education association. the association's mission is to promote dominant u.s. air and space forces as the foundation of a strong…

Education
9
Us Naval Academy Foundation Inc

To support, promote, and advance the mission of the naval academy.

Education
10
United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee

Empowering the competitive excellence and well-being of team usa athletes, championing the power of sport, and inspiring the nation.

Recreation & Sports
11
Ucsf Foundation Investment Company

The organization provides professional investment management services for endowed gifts and financial assets entrusted to the ucsf foundation.

Education
12
Uso Foundation

The mission of the uso foundation (foundation) is to support uso inc.'s (uso) mission to strengthen the well-being of the people serving in america's military and their families.

—
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Wounded Warrior Project Inc; the most unlike its peers is William Marsh Rice University. 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

35 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. 35 of the 47 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)
3
Early backer (in before they grew)
34/35
Grantees still filing
29/35
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

CHAPELWOOD METHODIST CHURCH: $112,832 · OtherCHAPELWOOD METHODIST CHURCHHouston Hospice: $100,000 · OtherHouston HospiceTHE PARISH SCHOOL: $53,500 · OtherTHE PARISH SCHOOL+23 more: $7,778 · OtherSpringSpirit Inc: $105,944 · Recreation & SportsSpringSpirit Inc+2 more: $54 · Recreation & SportsTEXAS TECH FOUNDATION INC: $53,500 · EducationTEXAS TECH FOU…William Marsh Rice University: $4,193 · EducationWilliam Marsh …+3 more: $575 · EducationHOUSTON HUMANE SOCIETY: $1,570 · Animals+2 more: $50 · AnimalsCOAST GUARD FOUNDATION INC: $100 · Public BenefitJUDICIAL WATCH INC: $70 · Public BenefitUNITED SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS INC: $60 · Public BenefitLeadership Institute: $50 · Public BenefitPAWS FOR PURPLE HEARTS: $50 · Public BenefitFRIENDS OF FULTON MANSION: $100 · Arts & CultureHARVARD MAGAZINE INC: $55 · Arts & CultureCOVENANT HOUSE: $75 · Human ServicesWOUNDED WARRIOR PROJECT INC: $50 · Human ServicesCAL FARLEY'S BOYS RANCH: $25 · Human Services
Other$274,110Recreation & Sports$105,998Education$58,268Animals$1,620Public Benefit$330Arts & Culture$155Human Services$150

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 budgetHouston Hospice: $100,000 over 1y, 0.5% of budgetTEXAS TECH FOUNDATION INC: $53,500 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetWilliam Marsh Rice University: $4,193 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetHOUSTON HUMANE SOCIETY: $1,570 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetMEMORIAL HIGH SCHOOL BOOSTER CLUB: $300 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetUniversity of Houston Foundation: $200 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetVETERANS OF FOREIGN WARS FOUNDATION: $100 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetFRIENDS OF FULTON MANSION: $100 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetCOAST GUARD FOUNDATION INC: $100 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetHILLSDALE COLLEGE: $75 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCOVENANT HOUSE: $75 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetJUDICIAL WATCH INC: $70 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetUNITED SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS INC: $60 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetMAYO CLINIC: $57 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetLeadership Institute: $50 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetWOUNDED WARRIOR PROJECT INC: $50 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetPAWS FOR PURPLE HEARTS: $50 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetSPECIAL OLYMPICS OF TEXAS INC: $29 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetSTAR OF HOPE MISSION: $25 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetLaw Enforcement Legal Defense Fund: $25 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetMEALS ON WHEELS AND MORE INC: $25 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetMUTTS WITH A MISSION: $25 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetThe Houston Food Bank: $25 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetVESTED INTEREST IN K9S INC: $25 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCAL FARLEY'S BOYS RANCH: $25 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetUNITY CHILDREN'S HOME INC: $25 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetUNITED STATES OLYMPIC AND PARALYMPIC FOUNDATION: $25 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetDisabled American Veterans: $25 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetDISABLED AMERICAN VETERANS DEPARTMENT OF TEXAS: $25 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetYoung America's Foundation: $25 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetCitizens United Foundation: $22 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetNATIONAL ARBOR DAY FOUNDATION: $20 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.

Greater Houston Commu…Shell USA Company Fou…Natl Christian Charit…National Philanthropi…Morgan Stanley Global…The Bank of America C…Vanguard Charitable E…Donor Advised Charita…Fidelity Investments …Amazonsmile Foundation
Greater Houston Community FoundationTX14.3× affinity5 shared granteesties to 9 of 9Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Greater Houston Community Foundation · Shell USA Company Foundation · Natl Christian Charitable Fdn Inc · National Philanthropic Trust · Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding Trust Inc · The Bank of America Charitable Foundation Inc · Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program · 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 Ron and Ella Lee Lassiter Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from Ron and Ella Lee Lassiter Foundation. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 30%0%1%3%5%funder's share of their income ↑0%15%30%45%60%share of the org’s income from government →median 0%
  • Wounded Warrior Project Inc: 0% of income from government
no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
3get 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 · 0–60%
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 Ron and Ella Lee Lassiter Foundation?

Find your warmest path to Ron and Ella Lee Lassiter 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 47 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 2019, released 2019. Filings run roughly 12 to 24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

Source object · view filing

Play a game based on Ron and Ella Lee Lassiter’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