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The O' Sullivan Family Foundation at a glance

· Private foundation

The O' Sullivan Family 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.

$135k
Granted FY2024still arriving
16
Grants FY2024still arriving
1
States reached
$59k
Largest
01What it fundsRead
02The needRead
03Its granteesRead
04Its fieldRead
05Through PlinthRead
01What it funds
0189% classified

What it funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year, FY2022 to 2024.

Education$152kEnvironment$57kHousing & Shelter$53kArts & Culture$36kHealth$33kHuman Services$18kFood & Nutrition$13kCommunity Improvement$8kOther$0
02FY2024 · 16 grants

Where the money goes

Grants by size, and the largest recipients.

By grant size · FY2024

  • Under $10k14 grants · $59k
  • $10k–50k1 grant · $18k
  • $50k–250k1 grant · $59k
$5,000
Median grant
1
States reached
$25k
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
ST JOHN'S SCHOOL$59,100
THE BEACON$17,500
NICK FINNEGAN COUNCELING CENTER$8,500
MENNINGER CLINIC$8,000
THE GARDEN CLUB OF HOUSTON$7,500
TREES FOR HOUSTON$5,750
THE JOHN GARDEN$5,500
AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY$5,000
THE MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS HOUSTON$5,000
ROCO$5,000
THE BROOKWOOD COMMUNITY$2,700
THE RIVER OAKS FOUNDATION$2,000
HOUSTON BOTANIC GARDEN$1,715
HERMAN PARK CONSERVANCY$1,000
EMERGE FELLOWSHIP$556
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:

Dollar for dollar, its grants (FY22–24) land where the poverty rate runs at 17%, against an area that typically sits at 14%. 100% of its dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of its grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 14%THE BROOKWOOD COMMUNITY: $3k → 14%HERMAN PARK CONSERVANCY: $1k → 16%ST ANDREWS UNIVERSITY: $10k → 24%THE JOHN GARDEN: $6k → 14%HERMAN PARK CONSERVANCY: $1k → 16%THE JOHN GARDEN: $3k → 14%NICK FINNEGAN COUNCELING CENTER: $9k → 16%THE GARDEN CLUB OF HOUSTON: $8k → 16%ROCO: $5k → 16%THE GARDEN CLUB OF HOUSTON: $5k → 16%THE GARDEN CLUB OF HOUSTON: $5k → 16%ST LUKE'S METHODIST CHURCH: $3k → 16%NICK FINNEGAN COUNCELING CENTER: $2k → 16%NICK FINNEGAN COUNCELING CENTER: $1k → 16%ROCO: $500 → 16%ST LUKE'S DAY SCHOOL: $500 → 16%RIVER OAKS PROPERTY OWNERS: $300 → 16%RIVER OAKS PROPERTY OWNERS ASSOCIATION: $300 → 16%GREATER HOUSTON FOUNDATION: $250 → 16%ROCO: $250 → 16%THE MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS HOUSTON: $5k → 16%HOUSTON HOSPICE: $10k → 16%ST JOHN'S SCHOOL: $59k → 16%HOUSTON HOSPICE: $2k → 16%ST JOHN'S SCHOOL: $52k → 16%CATHOLIC CHARITIES: $5k → 16%MILLER THEATRE ADVISORY: $1k → 16%ST JOHN'S SCHOOL: $25k → 16%SAN JACINTO MUSEUM: $25k → 16%KIWANIS CLUB OF HOUSTON: $500 → 16%EMERGE FELLOWSHIP: $3k → 16%EMERGE FELLOWSHIP: $556 → 16%THE BEACON: $25k → 16%THE BEACON: $18k → 16%MENNINGER CLINIC: $8k → 16%THE BEACON: $10k → 16%MENNINGER CLINIC: $8k → 16%HOUSTON BOTANIC GARDEN: $10k → 16%HOUSTON BOTANIC GARDEN: $8k → 16%HOUSTON BOTANIC GARDEN: $2k → 16%AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY: $5k → 16%MEMORIAL PARK CONSERVITORY: $5k → 16%HOLY HALL RETIREMENT COMMUNITY: $500 → 16%MEMORIAL PARK CONSERVITORY: $1k → 16%HEUSLER AUDUBON: $3k → 16%RIVER OAKS GARDEN CLUB FORUM: $2k → 16%EASTER SEALS: $500 → 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.
$315k · 14 repeat orgs$71k to everyone else

Grantees it renews have grown median revenue +24% since the first grant, against +1% for those funded once.

14 repeat relationships: 12 still active in FY2024, 2 since wound down; 4 grantees were first funded in FY2024 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

14
15

Total granted

$315k
$58k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+24%
+1%

Still filing today

71%
33%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 90% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $13k went to new ones.

50%100%’22’23’24
RenewedFirst-time

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

’22’23’24
EnvironmentHealthEducationArts & CultureCommunity ImprovementFood & NutritionOther
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

  • SJ
    St John's School
    3× · 2022–2024 · $136k · revenue +89%
  • THE BEACON OF DOWNTOWN HOUSTON
    3× · 2022–2024 · $52k · revenue +24%
  • HB
    Houston Botanic Garden
    3× · 2022–2024 · $19k · revenue +50%

Funded once

  • SJ
    SAN JACINTO MUSEUM
    one grant, 2023 · $25k
  • SA
    ST ANDREWS UNIVERSITYgraduated
    one grant, 2022 · $10k · revenue +38%
  • CC
    CATHOLIC CHARITIES INC
    one grant, 2023 · $5k · revenue -12%
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 Houston Audubon Society

To advance the conservation of birds and their habitats in the Greater Houston Gulf Coast region by acquiring and maintaining critical habitat as bird sanctuaries, providing education programs and nature experiences, and advocating policy…

Environment
3
River Oaks Garden Club

The purpose of River Oaks Garden Club is to stimulate the knowledge and love of gardening and to restore, improve, and protect the quality of the environment through educational programs and action in the fields of conservation and civic…

Environment
4
Houston Parks Board

The Houston Parks Board mission is to expand, improve, and protect parks and greenspace in the Houston region.

Philanthropy
5
Houston Arboretum & Nature Center

The mission of the Houston Arboretum & Nature Center is to provide education about the natural environment to people of all ages and to protect and enhance the Arboretum as a haven and sanctuary for native plants and animals.

Environment
6
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…

—
7
Harris County Medical Society

Our mission is to be the leading advocate for our member physicians, their patients and our community, in promoting the highest standards of ethical medical practice, access to quality medical care, medical education, research, and…

—
8
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
9
American Leadership Forum Houston Gulf Coast Chapter

American Leadership Forum (ALF) brings together, in classes, leaders with diverse perspectives so they can build relationships, learn to dialogue and respectfully differ, and work together for the good of our community.

—
10
Breakthrough Houston

The mission of Breakthrough Houston (BTH) is to work with highly motivated students to achieve post-secondary success and empower aspiring leaders to become the next generation of educational advocates.

Education
11
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
12
Memorial Park Conservancy Inc

Memorial Park Conservancy is committed to preserving, restoring, & enhancing Memorial Park for the enjoyment of all Houstonians, today and tomorrow. This supports public use, recreation, & education in accordance with conditions of…

Environment
How this is measured
The grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is The Beacon of Downtown Houston; the most unlike its peers is Last Organic Outpost. 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 33 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)
1
Early backer (in before they grew)
17/18
Grantees still filing
11/18
Grew since first funded

Where the money sits, by cause and then by grantee

St John's School: $136,100 · OtherSt John's SchoolSAN JACINTO MUSEUM: $25,000 · OtherSAN JACINTO MUSEUMTrees For Houston: $18,500 · OtherTrees For HoustonHouston Hospice: $12,000 · OtherNICK FINNEGAN COUNCELING CENTER: $11,700 · OtherST ANDREWS UNIVERSITY: $10,000 · Other+16 more: $44,100 · Other+16 moreTHE BEACON OF DOWNTOWN HOUSTON: $52,000 · HealthTHE BEACON OF DOWNT…THE MENNINGER CLINIC: $16,000 · HealthTHE MENNINGER CLINI…Houston Botanic Garden: $18,715 · EnvironmentHouston Bot…Garden Club of Houston: $17,500 · EnvironmentGarden Club…Hermann Park Conservancy: $2,000 · EnvironmentRIVER OAKS FOUNDATION: $8,000 · Community ImprovementTHE MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS HOUSTON: $5,000 · Arts & CultureMiller Theatre Advisory Board Inc: $1,000 · Arts & CultureEMERGE Fellowship: $3,056 · EducationThe Brookwood Community Inc: $2,700 · EducationLast Organic Outpost: $3,000 · Food & Nutrition
Other$257,400Health$68,000Environment$38,215Community Improvement$8,000Arts & Culture$6,000Education$5,756Food & Nutrition$3,000

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 budgetSt John's School: $136,100 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetTHE BEACON OF DOWNTOWN HOUSTON: $52,000 over 3y, 0.6% of budgetHouston Botanic Garden: $18,715 over 3y, 0.2% of budgetTrees For Houston: $18,500 over 3y, 0.3% of budgetGarden Club of Houston: $17,500 over 3y, 0.9% of budgetTHE MENNINGER CLINIC: $16,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetHouston Hospice: $12,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetST ANDREWS UNIVERSITY: $10,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetRIVER OAKS FOUNDATION: $8,000 over 3y, 1.6% of budgetCATHOLIC CHARITIES INC: $5,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetTHE MUSEUM OF FINE ARTS HOUSTON: $5,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetEMERGE Fellowship: $3,056 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetThe Brookwood Community Inc: $2,700 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetHermann Park Conservancy: $2,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetMiller Theatre Advisory Board Inc: $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetKIWANIS CLUB OF HOUSTON: $500 over 1y, 1.2% of budgetRIVER OAKS PROPERTY OWNERS INC: $300 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…The Brown Foundation …Alvin & Lucy Owsley F…The Elkins FoundationThe Prioleau Family F…The RR Family Foundat…Hobby Family Foundati…Vivian L Smith Founda…The Powell FoundationStrake FoundationAlbert & Ethel Herzst…Houston Endowment Inc
Greater Houston Community FoundationTX18.1× affinity7 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: Greater Houston Community Foundation · The Brown Foundation Inc · Alvin & Lucy Owsley Foundation · The Elkins Foundation · The Prioleau Family Foundation · The RR Family Foundation · Hobby Family Foundation · Vivian L Smith Foundation · The Powell Foundation · Strake Foundation · Albert & Ethel Herzstein Charitable Foundation · Houston Endowment Inc

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 O' Sullivan Family Foundation funds: left to right is the share of its income from government, bottom to top the share from The O' Sullivan Family Foundation. 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%1%3%4%5%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    1get 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 · 0–5%
    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 The O' Sullivan Family Foundation?

    Find your warmest path to The O' Sullivan Family 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 33 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 O' Sullivan Family’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