Skip to content
Smothers Bruni Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

Smothers Bruni 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.

$178k
Granted FY2025still arriving
31
Grants FY2025still arriving
7
States reached
$25k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
01What it funds
0199% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2017 to 2025.

Arts & Culture$210kEducation$91kHuman Services$89kReligion$64kAnimals$45kMembership Benefit$25kPublic Benefit$25kCrime & Legal$15kOther$0
02FY2025 · 31 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2025

  • Under $10k28 grants · $123k
  • $10k–50k3 grants · $55k
$5,000
Median grant
7
States reached
$1.3M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
Battle of Flowers Association$25,000
Franciscan Friars of Hebbronville Inc$20,000
Bryn Mawr College$10,000
New York City Ballet Inc$7,500
School of American Ballet$5,000
The Magik Theatre$5,000
The Magik Theatre$5,000
Free & Fair Litigation Group$5,000
Ursuline Academy of Dallas Foundation Inc$5,000
Equal Justice Initiative$5,000
Saving Shelter Strays Inc$5,000
Consejo Real De Reyes Feos Anteriores Inc$5,000
Free & Fair Litigation Group$5,000
Champions Educational Foundation$5,000
Individual grant recipient$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 (FY21–23, $66k) land where the poverty rate runs at 14%, against an area that typically sits at 12%. 100% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 12%Mommies In Need Inc: $22k → 14%Mommies In Need Inc: $20k → 14%Mommies In Need Inc: $19k → 14%Boysville Inc: $5k → 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.

82%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$490k · 24 repeat orgs$106k to everyone else

24 repeat relationships: 21 still active in FY2025, 3 since wound down; 5 grantees were first funded in FY2025 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

24
12

Total granted

$490k
$85k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+13%
+17%

Still filing today

63%
50%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 88% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $22k went to new ones.

50%100%’17’21’22’23’24’25
RenewedFirst-time

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

’17’21’22’23’24’25
Arts & CultureEducationAnimalsHuman ServicesReligionHealthOther
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

  • MI
    MOMMIES IN NEED
    3× · 2021–2023 · $61k · revenue +90%
  • MC
    MAGIK CHILDRENS THEATRE OF SAN ANTONIO DBA THE MAGIK THEATRE
    5× · 2021–2025 · $45k · revenue +42%
  • CR
    CONSEJO REAL DE REYES FEOS ANTERIORES INC
    5× · 2021–2025 · $25k · revenue +91%

Funded once

  • AP
    Annie's Place dba Mommies In Need
    one grant, 2024 · $23k
  • BT
    BALLET THEATRE FOUNDATION INC
    one grant, 2023 · $10k · revenue +14%
  • MA
    MCNAY ART MUSEUM
    one grant, 2022 · $10k · revenue -22%
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
Texas Ballet Theater Inc

Texas ballet theater creates, presents, and tours world class ballet, from classical to cutting edge, and promotes its appreciation, accessibility, and technical mastery among students, pre-professionals, and audiences of all ages.

Arts & Culture
2
Midland Festival Ballet

Midland festival ballet is a 501(c)3 nonprofit whose mission is to promote and present the art of classical ballet through education, performance, and outreach.

Arts & Culture
3
Kimbell Art Foundation
Arts & Culture
4
Valor Texas Education Foundation

Valor's mission is to educate the whole person in authentic communities for a full human life. Through our K-12 tuition-free classical charter schools and the Valor Institute, we build communities dedicated to wisdom, virtue, and…

Education
5
San Antonio Academy of Texas

See schedule osan antonio academy of texas offers prekindergarten through eighth grade boys an exceptional academic program that features small classes, a family-like atmosphere, the development of a positive self image and a foundation…

—
6
American Baroque Opera Company

American baroque opera company operates in the state of texas for the primary purpose of furthering the appreciaton of music, particularly opera, for the general public. american baroque opera company performs select operas throughout the…

Arts & Culture
7
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
8
Bosque School

To create transformative learning experiences that empower a diverse community of students to lead lives of intellectual curiosity, personal integrity, and compassionate contribution to a more just world.

Education
9
The Awty International School

See Schedule OThe purpose of Awty International School (Awty) is to create an environment where students experience excellence every day to make their mark on the world alongside their community, in a spirit of curiosity, courage and…

—
10
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
11
The Tobin Theatre Arts Fund
Arts & Culture
12
The Shakespeare Festival of Dallas dba Shakespeare Dallas

Using Shakespeare's works as a cornerstone, Shakespeare Dallas serves the Southwest region with fun and accessible indoor and outdoor theatre, integrated school programs, and cultural enrichment for people of all ages and backgrounds.

—
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Saint Marys Hall Inc; the most unlike its peers is Champions Educational Foundation. 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

24 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. 24 of the 41 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)
4
Early backer (in before they grew)
23/24
Grantees still filing
15/24
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

BATTLE OF FLOWERS ASSOCIATION: $100,000 · Arts & CultureBATTLE OF FLOWERS ASSOCIATIONMAGIK CHILDRENS THEATRE OF SAN ANTONIO DBA THE MAGIK THEATRE: $45,000 · Arts & CultureMAGIK CHILDRENS THEATRE OF SAN ANTONIO…NEW YORK CITY BALLET INC: $25,000 · Arts & CultureNEW YORK CITY BALLET INCSCHOOL OF AMERICAN BALLET INC: $12,500 · Arts & CultureSCHOOL OF AMERICAN BALLET INCBALLET THEATRE FOUNDATION INC: $10,000 · Arts & CultureMCNAY ART MUSEUM: $10,000 · Arts & CultureJDRF Southern Texas Chapter: $25,000 · OtherJDRF Southern Texas ChapterFREE AND FAIR LITIGATION GROUP INC: $25,000 · OtherFREE AND FAIR LITIGATION GROUP INCAnnie's Place dba Mommies In Need: $23,000 · OtherAnnie's Place dba Mommies In NeedALAMO HEIGHTS UNITED METHODIST CHURCH: $15,000 · OtherALAMO HEIGHTS UNITED METHODIST CHU…DARTMOOR PONY REGISTRY OF AMERICA INC: $10,000 · OtherDARTMOOR PONY REGISTRY OF AMERICA …EQUUS SURVIVAL TRUST: $10,000 · OtherEQUUS SURVIVAL TRUSTThe Stewpot: $7,000 · OtherPipe Creek Volunteer Fire Department Inc: $7,500 · Other+14 more: $59,500 · Other+14 moreMOMMIES IN NEED: $61,000 · Human ServicesMOMMIES IN N…BOYSVILLE INC: $5,000 · Human ServicesBOYSVILLE IN…CONSEJO REAL DE REYES FEOS ANTERIORES INC: $25,000 · EducationCONSEJO REAL…BRYN MAWR COLLEGE: $25,000 · EducationBRYN MAWR CO…SAN ANTONIO LIVESTOCK EXPOSITION EDUCATIONAL FUND INC: $10,000 · EducationSAN ANTONIO …SAINT MARYS HALL INC: $5,000 · EducationSAINT MARYS …FRANCISCAN FRIARS OF HEBBRONVILLE INC: $35,000 · ReligionRothko Chapel: $5,000 · ReligionSAVING SHELTER STRAYS INC: $10,000 · AnimalsANIMAL DEFENSE LEAGUE OF TEXAS: $5,000 · AnimalsHooker Ranch Slaughter Horse Rescue: $5,000 · AnimalsA Doggie 4 You: $5,000 · AnimalsEQUAL JUSTICE INITIATIVE: $15,000 · Civil Rights
Arts & Culture$202,500Other$182,000Human Services$66,000Education$65,000Religion$40,000Animals$25,000Civil Rights$15,000

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

25%50%75%100%$1.0M$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ funder's share of their budgetBATTLE OF FLOWERS ASSOCIATION: $100,000 over 5y, 2.7% of budgetMOMMIES IN NEED: $61,000 over 3y, 2.3% of budgetMAGIK CHILDRENS THEATRE OF SAN ANTONIO DBA THE MAGIK THEATRE: $45,000 over 5y, 0.5% of budgetFRANCISCAN FRIARS OF HEBBRONVILLE INC: $35,000 over 2y, 7.1% of budgetCONSEJO REAL DE REYES FEOS ANTERIORES INC: $25,000 over 5y, 1.7% of budgetBRYN MAWR COLLEGE: $25,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetFREE AND FAIR LITIGATION GROUP INC: $25,000 over 2y, 0.8% of budgetNEW YORK CITY BALLET INC: $25,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetEQUAL JUSTICE INITIATIVE: $15,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetSCHOOL OF AMERICAN BALLET INC: $12,500 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetBALLET THEATRE FOUNDATION INC: $10,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetSAVING SHELTER STRAYS INC: $10,000 over 2y, 5.4% of budgetMCNAY ART MUSEUM: $10,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetSAN ANTONIO LIVESTOCK EXPOSITION EDUCATIONAL FUND INC: $10,000 over 1y, 0.2% of budgetPipe Creek Volunteer Fire Department Inc: $7,500 over 3y, 1.1% of budgetSAINT MARYS HALL INC: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetANIMAL DEFENSE LEAGUE OF TEXAS: $5,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetHooker Ranch Slaughter Horse Rescue: $5,000 over 2y, 1.3% of budgetRothko Chapel: $5,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetA Doggie 4 You: $5,000 over 2y, 0.4% of budgetBOYSVILLE INC: $5,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetTriple H Equitherapy Center: $5,000 over 2y, 0.3% of budgetTEXAS SCOTTISH RITE HOSPITAL FOR CRIPPLED CHILDREN: $2,500 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.

San Antonio Area Foun…Faye L & William L Co…The Brown Foundation …Texas Instruments Fou…Amy Shelton McNutt Ch…Marcia & Otto Koehler…Nancy Smith Hurd Foun…Greater Houston Commu…United Way WorldwideShell USA Company Fou…Jpmorgan Chase Founda…The Blackbaud Giving …
San Antonio Area FoundationTX17.1× affinity6 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: San Antonio Area Foundation · Faye L & William L Cowden Charitable Foundation · The Brown Foundation Inc · Texas Instruments Foundation · Amy Shelton McNutt Charitable Trust · Marcia & Otto Koehler Foundation · Nancy Smith Hurd Foundation · Greater Houston Community Foundation · United Way Worldwide · Shell USA Company Foundation · Jpmorgan Chase Foundation · The Blackbaud Giving Fund

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

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 00%1%3%6%10%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
    6report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
    0rely on government for over half their income
    ⤢ axis zoomed · 0–5%
    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.

    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 41 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 Smothers Bruni’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