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The Howell Fund at a glance

· Private foundation

The Howell Fund

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.

$79k
Granted FY2025still arriving
6
Grants FY2025still arriving
1
States reached
$70k
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, FY2017 to 2025.

Education$195kHealth$79kInternational$40kArts & Culture$26kFood & Nutrition$25kHousing & Shelter$18kReligion$14kHuman Services$10kOther$0
02FY2025 · 6 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2025

  • Under $10k5 grants · $9k
  • $50k–250k1 grant · $70k
$1,000
Median grant
1
States reached
$363k
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
EPISCOPAL HIGH SCHOOL$70,000
TIRR FOUNDATION$5,000
STAR OF HOPE$1,000
UNDIES FOR EVERYONE$1,000
AD PLAYERS AT THE GEORGIA THEATER$1,000
KIDS MEALS INC$1,000
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 (FY17–25, $30k) land where the poverty rate runs at 16%, against an area that typically sits at 11%. 100% of those dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 11%SPECIAL REACH INC: $10k → 16%KIDS MEALS INC: $1k → 16%KIDS MEALS INC: $1k → 16%KIDS MEALS INC: $1k → 16%LIFE HOUSTON: $5k → 16%LIFE HOUSTON: $5k → 16%LIFE HOUSTON: $5k → 16%LIFE HOUSTON: $2k → 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.

95%of every dollar goes to organizations it has funded before.
$390k · 16 repeat orgs$20k to everyone else

16 repeat relationships: 6 still active in FY2025, 10 since wound down.

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

16
3

Total granted

$390k
$20k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+17%
+59%

Still filing today

81%
100%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2025, 100% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $0 went to new ones.

50%100%’17’18’20’21’22’23’24’25
RenewedFirst-time

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

’17’18’20’21’22’23’24’25
HealthEducationArts & CultureHuman ServicesInternationalHousing & ShelterOther
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

  • HE
    HAITI EDUCATION FOUNDATION INC
    2× · 2017–2018 · $40k · revenue +68%
  • TF
    TIRR Foundation
    5× · 2021–2025 · $24k · revenue +18%
  • BC
    Baylor College of Medicine
    3× · 2020–2022 · $20k · revenue +47%

Funded once

  • SR
    Special Reach Incgraduated
    one grant, 2017 · $10k · revenue +241%
  • BC
    BRIGHTON CENTERgraduated
    one grant, 2018 · $5k · revenue +59%
  • The Houston Food Bankgraduated
    one grant, 2020 · $5k · revenue +36%
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
Collaborative for Children

The mission of Collaborative for Children is to meaningfully improve the quality of early childhood education and care for Greater Houston's children through those most influential in their lives.

Human Services
2
Arbor Research Collaborative for Health

Arbor research collaborative for health is committed to improving patient care through research that shapes medical policies and practice. in particular, arbor research conducts health outcomes research on chronic disease and end-stage…

Health
3
Texas a&M Research Foundation

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

Education
4
Trees for Houston

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

—
5
FIRST3YEARS

First3years nurtures early relational and mental health of infants and toddlers in texas. working in deep collaboration with caregivers, parents, and professionals statewide, we cultivate strong early childhood systems, educate our…

—
6
Dallas International University

As a christian university, we provide education and research opportunities preparing global leaders to partner with local communities.

Education
7
Houston Botanic Garden

To enrich life through discovery, education, and the conservation of plants and the natural environment.

Environment
8
Central Houston Inc

See schedule ocentral houston champions a thriving downtown by connecting influential leaders through initiatives that advance the future of business and community for all.

—
9
Connectability

ConnectAbility's mission is to empower those with life altering disabilities and their caregivers to reach their fullest potential.

Human Services
10
Children's Hospital Corporation

Provider of pediatric healthcare, education, research & community service

Health
11
Handicap International

Handicap international dba humanity & inclusion (hi) works with people with disabilities and people living in situations of vulnerability, including poverty, exclusion, conflict, and disaster.

International
12
Leadership Indianapolis Inc

Educate, Inspire, Connect and Mobilize Community Leaders to serve and strengthen greater Indianapolis.

Public Benefit
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is Kids' Meals Inc; the most unlike its peers is The Houston Food Bank. 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

17 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. 17 of the 20 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)
2
Early backer (in before they grew)
17/17
Grantees still filing
12/17
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

EPISCOPAL HIGH SCHOOL: $175,000 · OtherEPISCOPAL HIGH SCHOOLTRINITY ANGLICAN SEMINARY: $10,000 · OtherLeadership Institute: $10,000 · Other+3 more: $12,000 · Other+3 moreTIRR Foundation: $24,000 · HealthTIRR FoundationGLOBAL LYME ALLIANCE INC: $20,000 · HealthGLOBAL LYME ALL…THE MENNINGER CLINIC: $15,000 · HealthTHE MENNINGER C…HAITI EDUCATION FOUNDATION INC: $40,000 · InternationalHAITI EDUC…Baylor College of Medicine: $20,000 · EducationBaylor Col…Children of Fallen Patriots Foundation: $15,000 · EducationChildren o…BRIGHTON CENTER: $5,000 · EducationBRIGHTON C…LOCAL INFANT FORMULA FOR EMERGENCIES: $17,000 · Human ServicesSpecial Reach Inc: $10,000 · Human ServicesKIDS' MEALS INC: $3,000 · Human ServicesADMIRAL NIMITZ FOUNDATION: $10,000 · Arts & CultureMEDIA RESEARCH CENTER: $10,000 · Arts & CultureA D Players: $5,500 · Arts & CultureSTAR OF HOPE MISSION: $18,000 · Housing & Shelter
Other$207,000Health$59,000International$40,000Education$40,000Human Services$30,000Arts & Culture$25,500Housing & Shelter$18,000

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 budgetHAITI EDUCATION FOUNDATION INC: $40,000 over 2y, 3.1% of budgetTIRR Foundation: $24,000 over 5y, 0.2% of budgetGLOBAL LYME ALLIANCE INC: $20,000 over 2y, 0.4% of budgetBaylor College of Medicine: $20,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetSTAR OF HOPE MISSION: $18,000 over 7y, 0.0% of budgetLOCAL INFANT FORMULA FOR EMERGENCIES: $17,000 over 4y, 0.7% of budgetTHE MENNINGER CLINIC: $15,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetChildren of Fallen Patriots Foundation: $15,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetLeadership Institute: $10,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetADMIRAL NIMITZ FOUNDATION: $10,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetSpecial Reach Inc: $10,000 over 1y, 5.5% of budgetMEDIA RESEARCH CENTER: $10,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetA D Players: $5,500 over 4y, 0.0% of budgetBRIGHTON CENTER: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetThe Houston Food Bank: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetUndies for Everyone: $3,000 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetKIDS' MEALS INC: $3,000 over 3y, 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…The Elkins FoundationAmerican Endowment Fo…Donor Advised Charita…National Philanthropi…Natl Christian Charit…Fidelity Investments …Amazonsmile Foundation
Greater Houston Community FoundationTX18.3× affinity7 shared granteesties to 7 of 7Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Greater Houston Community Foundation · The Elkins Foundation · American Endowment Foundation · Donor Advised Charitable Giving Inc · National Philanthropic Trust · Natl Christian Charitable Fdn 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 The Howell Fund funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from The Howell Fund. Bigger dots raise more.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 10%0%1%3%5%funder's share of their income ↑0%5%10%15%20%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    1get no government money at all
    3report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
    0rely on government for over half their income
    ⤢ axis zoomed · 0–20%
    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 The Howell Fund?

    Find your warmest path to The Howell Fund 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 20 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 Howell’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