Skip to content
Plinth
Foundation Dossiers
Plinth

· Private foundation

William Knox Holt Foundation

Its FY2024 filing reports that it accepted unsolicited grant applications.

$336k
Granted FY2024still arriving
24
Grants FY2024still arriving
4
States reached
$50k
Largest
01What you fundRead
02The needRead
03Your edgeRead
04Your fieldRead
05Through PlinthRead
01What you fund
01100% classified

What you funded, over time

Every grant placed by its stated purpose and the recipient’s mission, by year — across FY2019–2024.

Education$453kEnvironment$340kArts & Culture$290kScience & Tech$140kPhilanthropy$120kFood & Nutrition$95kAnimals$90kRecreation & Sports$78kOther$0
02FY2024 · 24 grants

Where the money goes

Your grants by size, and where they go.

By grant size · FY2024

  • Under $10k7 grants · $36k
  • $10k–50k16 grants · $250k
  • $50k–250k1 grant · $50k
$10,000
Median grant
4
States reached
$4.4M
Total assets
Largest grants
RecipientAmount
COLORADO ROCKY MOUNTAIN SCHOOL INC$50,000
MONTEREY BAY AQUARIUM FOUNDATION$35,000
JUST KEEP LIVIN FOUNDATION$30,000
UNIVERSITY OF THE PACIFIC$25,000
MOBILE LOAVES & FISHES INC$20,000
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA BERKELEY FOUNDATION$20,000
SAN JOAQUIN PIONEER & HISTORICAL SOCIETY$15,000
WITTE MUSEUM$15,000
AUSTIN YMBL SUNSHINE CAMP$10,000
CMC FOUNDATION OF CENTRAL TEXAS$10,000
THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE LELAND STANFORD JUNIOR UNIVERSITY$10,000
SAN ANTONIO RIVER FOUNDATION$10,000
THE EXPLORER'S CLUB - TEXAS CHAPTER$10,000
MCNAY ART MUSEUM$10,000
TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY - KINGSVILLE FOUNDATION INC$10,000
02The need
03

Do your dollars go where the need is?

Each grant placed by the hardship in its grantee’s ZIP, then read against the area’s typical level.

show:

Dollar for dollar, your grants (FY19–24) land where the poverty rate runs at 13%, against an area that typically sits at 10%. 60% of your dollars go to grantees based in above-average-need neighborhoods. Most of your grants land in higher-need ZIPs.

area typical 10%LAWRENCE HALL OF SCIENCE: $100k → 10%MONTEREY BAY AQUARIUM FOUNDATION: $35k → 12%UNIVERSITY OF THE PACIFIC: $25k → 12%JUST KEEP LIVIN FOUNDATION: $30k → 14%WITTE MUSEUM: $30k → 16%HARTE RESEARCH INSTITUTE: $20k → 17%COLORADO ROCKY MOUNTAIN SCHOOL INC: $50k → 6%LAWRENCE HALL OF SCIENCE: $35k → 10%MONTEREY BAY AQUARIUM: $30k → 12%UNIVERSITY OF THE PACIFIC: $25k → 12%JUST KEEP LIVIN FOUNDATION: $30k → 14%WITTE MUSEUM: $30k → 16%COLORADO ROCKY MOUNTAIN SCHOOL: $25k → 6%LAWRENCE HALL OF SCIENCE: $30k → 10%MONTEREY BAY AQUARIUM: $30k → 12%UNIVERSITY OF THE PACIFIC: $15k → 12%JUST KEEP LIVIN FOUNDATION: $30k → 14%WITTE MUSEUM: $30k → 16%COLORADO ROCKY MOUNTAIN SCHOOL: $20k → 6%UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA BERKELEY FOUNDATION: $20k → 10%MONTEREY BAY AQUARIUM: $30k → 12%UNIVERSITY OF THE PACIFIC: $15k → 12%JUST KEEP LIVIN FOUNDATION: $20k → 14%MUNY CONSERVANCY: $15k → 10%WITTE MUSEUM: $16k → 16%COLORADO ROCKY MOUNTAIN SCHOOL: $20k → 6%LAWRENCE HALL OF SCIENCE: $25k → 10%MONTEREY BAY AQUARIUM: $25k → 12%UNIVERSITY OF THE PACIFIC: $15k → 12%MUNY CONSERVANCY: $15k → 10%SAN ANTONIO BOTANICAL GARDENS: $15k → 16%COLORADO ROCKY MOUNTAIN SCHOOL: $15k → 6%MONTEREY BAY AQUARIUM: $25k → 12%WITTE MUSEUM: $15k → 16%SAN JOAQUIN PIONEER & HISTORICAL SOCIETY: $15k → 12%MCNAY ART MUSEUM: $15k → 16%HAGGIN MUSEUM: $13k → 12%WITTE MUSEUM: $15k → 16%HAGGIN MUSEUM: $12k → 12%HOLDSWORTH CENTER: $20k → 10%HIGHLAND PARK ELEMENTARY PTA: $14k → 10%MOBILE LOAVES & FISHES INC: $20k → 10%MOBILE LOAVES & FISHES: $20k → 10%MOBILE LOAVES & FISHES: $20k → 10%MOBILE LOAVES & FISHES: $20k → 10%MOBILE LOAVES & FISHES: $15k → 10%ALAMO COMMUNITY COLLEGE: $25k → 16%TEXAS BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE: $15k → 16%0%20%40%50%more need →
grant to an above-average-need area below average· circle size = grant amount

Matched: human-services grants are those whose grantee’s IRS cause code is Human Services. Placed by people below the poverty linein the grantee’s ZIP, averaged from the tracts in that ZIP; grantee ZIP can differ from where services are delivered.

US grants placed by each grantee’s ZIP, which can differ from where services are actually delivered. Need from public data — U.S. Census/ACS, CDC PLACES, Eviction Lab, USDA — shown as context about the area, never attributed to your giving.

03Your edge
repeat funding

Who you back again

Which organizations you funded more than once, and which you funded a single time. Each grantee is matched to its own filings.

88%of every dollar goes to organizations you’ve funded before.
$1.5M · 22 repeat orgs$192k to everyone else

And the relationships you keep tend to grow: grantees you re-up on have seen median revenue of +26% since the first grant, against +5% for the ones you funded once.

22 repeat relationships — 18 still active in FY2024, 4 since wound down; 5 grantees were first funded in FY2024 (too recent to call).

How the two cohorts compare

Re-uppedFunded once

Organizations

22
13

Total granted

$1.5M
$130k

Median revenue growth · since first grant

+26%
+5%

Still filing today

82%
46%

New vs renewed · share of each year

In FY2024, 81% of grant dollars renewed an existing relationship; $63k went to new ones.

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

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

’19’20’21’22’23’24
Arts & CultureEducationPhilanthropyEnvironmentRecreation & SportsPublic BenefitOther

First-time = a grantee’s first year in your filing window; renewed = funded in an earlier year too. As a portfolio matures the renewed share naturally climbs — once funded, an org stays “renewable” — so the signal is the years that buck it (a new-grantee intake wave). 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

  • MONTEREY BAY AQUARIUM FOUNDATION
    6× · 2019–2024 · $175k · revenue +71%
  • CR
    COLORADO ROCKY MOUNTAIN SCHOOL INC
    6× · 2019–2024 · $140k · revenue +62%
  • WM
    Witte Museum
    6× · 2019–2024 · $136k · revenue +13%

Funded once

  • AC
    ALAMO COMMUNITY COLLEGE
    one grant, 2021 · $25k
  • HR
    HARTE RESEARCH INSTITUTE
    one grant, 2019 · $20k
  • HP
    HIGHLAND PARK ELEMENTARY PTA
    one grant, 2021 · $14k

Repeat = funded in two or more distinct years; growth and survival are read from each grantee’s own subsequent IRS filings.

04Your field

The map has a center of gravity: the average direction from the rest of the sector toward the organizations the foundation funds — the shape of its giving. Scoring every nonprofit along that direction surfaces the ones that look most like the portfolio. These are the closest matchesthat aren’t grantees — a resemblance in what they say they do, not a recommendation.

1
Kimbell Art Foundation
Arts & Culture
2
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
3
Texas Academy of Medicine Engineering Science and Technology

To provide broader recognition of the state's top achievers in medicine, engineering and science, and to build a stronger identity for texas as an important destination and center of achievement in these fields.

Health
4
William Marsh Rice University

As a leading research university with a distinctive commitment to undergraduate education, Rice University aspires to path breaking research, unsurpassed teaching, and contributions to the betterment of our world. It seeks to fulfill this…

Education
5
American Museum of Natural History

The museum's mission statement is: "to discover, interpret, and disseminate - through scientific research and education - knowledge about human cultures, the natural world, and the universe."

Arts & Culture
6
California Academy of Sciences

The academy is a renowned scientific and educational institution with a mission to regenerate the natural world through science, learning, and collaboration. based in san francisco's golden gate park, it is home to a world-class aquarium,…

Arts & Culture
7
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
8
Lone Star Flight Museum

Lone Star Flight Museum (LSFM) celebrates flight and achievements in Texas aviation, engages youth through STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math), and believes aviation inspires achievement and endless possibilities.

Arts & Culture
9
San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts

The mission of the San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts shall be to establish and maintain a museum in order to house and exhibit a permanent collection of art as well as to provide space for traveling exhibitions, for the purpose of the…

Arts & Culture
10
Texas Museum of Science & Technology

Our mission is to engage the scientist in all of us by igniting a spirit of inquiry. We strive to

Arts & Culture
11
Texas State Aquarium Association

The texas state aquarium's mission is engaging people with animals, inspiring appreciation for our seas, and supporting wildlife conservation. its vision is to be a global leader in fostering support for the conservation of the gulf of…

Animals
12
Texas Trees Foundation

The mission of texas trees foundation is to improve the health of cities and people through the transformative power of trees.

—

For reference, the grantee most central to the portfolio’s shape is San Antonio River Foundation and the most unlike its peers is Explorers Club - Texas Chapter. Resemblance is measured on each organization’s own IRS 990 mission text; it reflects how work is described, not its quality or impact.

For each theme you fund, this compares how the sector’s money is shifting with how your own giving is shifting.

← shrinkinggrowing →↓ leaning in → pulling backsteadyPerforming Arts Organizatio…Private Member Social ClubsCommunity Health SystemsYouth Education and Develop…Professional Trade Associat…Family Philanthropic Founda…
the sector your giving your giving is ahead of the sector the sector’s ahead of you· dot size = how much the theme matters to each side
Ordered by the change in your giving — leaning in on top, pulling back at the bottom. The bar between the two dots is how out of step you are with the sector. Hover any row for detail.

Sector change and giving change are each shown relative to their own range, growing (right) or shrinking (left); both normalized, so inflation isn’t mistaken for growth.

Your grantees are a median of 48 years old; the field is 13. You back the established end — and your money leans older still.

THE FIELDby orgYOUR GRANTEESby number26%4%<5yr15%11%5–10yr19%11%10–20yr16%18%20–35yr14%18%35–55yr12%39%55yr+
THE FIELDby orgYOUR MONEYby value26%1%<5yr15%17%5–10yr19%4%10–20yr16%13%20–35yr14%19%35–55yr12%46%55yr+

The field is 26% startups (under 5 years old) — 4% of your grantees by number, and just 1% of your money.

Closures · last 5 years

The orgs you fund almost never close — 3% lost their exemption, against 13% of the field you don’t fund.

orgs you fund
3%1/32
the rest of the field
13%
5,307/41,433

Age = years since IRS exemption (a founding proxy). “Closed” = auto-revocation for 3 years of non-filing — a floor on closure, not proof, and bigger established orgs lapse least. Association, not causation.

04the grantee network

32 grantees tracked through their own filings, 2017–2025.

Each one resolved to its own IRS returns and tracked year by year — your grant beside their revenue from every source. Association, dated; never a causal claim.

Counted here: distinct organizations you funded across 2017–2025, not grant rows in a single year — so this will not match the grant count on the cover. 32 of the 41 grantees resolved in that span have returns of their own we could reconcile; the rest are funded organizations whose filings we could not track year by year.

1
Load-bearing (≥25% of a budget)
5
Early backer (in before they grew)
30/32
Grantees still filing
21/32
Grew since you first funded

Where your money sits — by cause, then by grantee

LAWRENCE HALL OF SCIENCE — $190,000 · OtherLAWRENCE HALL OF SCIENCECAESAR KLEBERG WILDLIFE RESEARCH CENTER — $40,000 · OtherCAESAR KLEBERG WILDLIFE RESEARCH CENTERHAGGIN MUSEUM — $34,550 · OtherHAGGIN MUSEUMSAN ANTONIO ACADEMY — $30,000 · OtherALAMO COMMUNITY COLLEGE — $25,000 · OtherMIND SCIENCE FOUNDATION — $25,000 · OtherAUSTIN YMBL SUNSHINE CAMP — $40,000 · OtherAUSTIN YMBL SUNSHINE CAMPPease Park Conservancy — $35,000 · OtherPease Park ConservancyMUNY CONSERVANCY — $37,500 · OtherMUNY CONSERVANCYTEXAS BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE — $46,000 · OtherTEXAS BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE+10 more — $114,050 · Other+10 moreCOLORADO ROCKY MOUNTAIN SCHOOL INC — $140,000 · EducationCOLORADO ROCKY MOUNTA…University of the Pacific — $105,000 · EducationUniversity of the Pac…THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE LELAND STANFORD JUNIOR UNIVERSITY — $30,000 · EducationTHE BOARD OF TRUSTEES…UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA BERKELEY FOUNDATION — $20,000 · EducationUNIVERSITY OF CALIFOR…+3 more — $19,000 · Education+3 moreWitte Museum — $136,250 · Arts & CultureWitte MuseumMCNAY ART MUSEUM — $40,000 · Arts & CultureMCNAY ART MUSEU…Musical Bridges Around the World Inc — $15,000 · Arts & CultureMusical Bridges…SCIENCE MILL — $10,000 · Arts & CultureSAN ANTONIO CHILDREN'S MUSEUM — $10,000 · Arts & CultureGREATER AUSTIN PERFORMING ARTS CENTER INC — $10,000 · Arts & Culture+2 more — $14,000 · Arts & Culture+2 moreJUST KEEP LIVIN FOUNDATION — $120,000 · PhilanthropyJUST KEEP LI…THE HOLDSWORTH CENTER — $60,000 · PhilanthropyTHE HOLDSWOR…MONTEREY BAY AQUARIUM FOUNDATION — $175,000 · AnimalsMONTEREY BA…MOBILE LOAVES & FISHES INC — $95,000 · ReligionSAN ANTONIO RIVER FOUNDATION — $40,000 · EnvironmentSAN ANTONIO BOTANICAL GARDEN SOCIETY INC — $35,000 · Environment
Other$617,100Education$314,000Arts & Culture$235,250Philanthropy$180,000Animals$175,000Religion$95,000Environment$75,000

Each org by its size and your share of it — top-left is where you’re load-bearing

25%50%75%100%$100k$1.0M$10M$100Mgrantee revenue →↑ your share of their budgetMONTEREY BAY AQUARIUM FOUNDATION — $175,000 over 6y, 0.0% of budgetCOLORADO ROCKY MOUNTAIN SCHOOL INC — $140,000 over 6y, 0.3% of budgetWitte Museum — $136,250 over 6y, 0.4% of budgetJUST KEEP LIVIN FOUNDATION — $120,000 over 5y, 0.6% of budgetUniversity of the Pacific — $105,000 over 6y, 0.0% of budgetMOBILE LOAVES & FISHES INC — $95,000 over 5y, 0.1% of budgetTHE HOLDSWORTH CENTER — $60,000 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetTEXAS BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE — $46,000 over 5y, 0.0% of budgetSAN ANTONIO RIVER FOUNDATION — $40,000 over 4y, 2.5% of budgetMCNAY ART MUSEUM — $40,000 over 4y, 0.1% of budgetAUSTIN YMBL SUNSHINE CAMP — $40,000 over 4y, 0.6% of budgetMUNY CONSERVANCY — $37,500 over 3y, 1.1% of budgetPease Park Conservancy — $35,000 over 4y, 1.4% of budgetSAN ANTONIO BOTANICAL GARDEN SOCIETY INC — $35,000 over 3y, 0.1% of budgetTHE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE LELAND STANFORD JUNIOR UNIVERSITY — $30,000 over 3y, 0.0% of budgetMIND SCIENCE FOUNDATION — $25,000 over 5y, 1.1% of budgetDELL CHILDREN'S FOUNDATION — $20,000 over 2y, 0.1% of budgetUNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA BERKELEY FOUNDATION — $20,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budgetSAN JOAQUIN PIONEER & HISTORICAL SOCIETY — $15,000 over 1y, 0.5% of budgetMusical Bridges Around the World Inc — $15,000 over 3y, 0.4% of budgetSCIENCE MILL — $10,000 over 1y, 0.5% of budgetSAN ANTONIO CHILDREN'S MUSEUM — $10,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetSAN ANTONIO FOUNDATION FOR FREE ENTERPRI — $10,000 over 1y, 19% of budgetEXPLORERS CLUB - TEXAS CHAPTER — $10,000 over 1y, 33% of budgetTexas A&M University - Kingsville Foundation Inc — $10,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetGREATER AUSTIN PERFORMING ARTS CENTER INC — $10,000 over 2y, 0.0% of budgetMEEKER EDUCATION FOUNDATION INC — $8,000 over 1y, 4.9% of budgetFilm Society of Austin Inc — $7,500 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetBrazos Valley Museum of Natural History — $6,500 over 1y, 1.2% of budgetSOUTHWEST SCHOOL OF ART — $5,000 over 1y, 0.1% of budgetSAINT MARYS HALL INC — $1,000 over 1y, 0.0% of budget
Go grantee by grantee — a decade per org, and how each moved after you funded them

A decade per grantee — revenue shaded, your grants as bars, all rows on one timeline.

The grantmakers whose grantees overlap with yours far more than size alone predicts. Each orbits closer the stronger the alignment; the arcs between them show where they also fund each other. Here it reads as a tightly interlocked camp — most of these funders back each other's grantees too.

The Brown Foundation …Holt Atherton Educati…Elizabeth Huth Coates…Nancy Smith Hurd Foun…Muriel F Siebert Foun…Faye L & William L Co…Alice Kleberg Reynold…The Jesse H and Susan…Jack and Doris Smothe…The Moody FoundationSan Antonio Area Foun…Austin Community Foun…
The Brown Foundation IncTX27.7× affinity11 shared granteesties to 11 of 11Hover any node to trace its alignments.Compare side by side →

Open a dossier: The Brown Foundation Inc · Holt Atherton Educational Foundation · Elizabeth Huth Coates Charitable Foundation of 1992 · Nancy Smith Hurd Foundation · Muriel F Siebert Foundation Inc · Faye L & William L Cowden Charitable Foundation · Alice Kleberg Reynolds Meyer Foundat A0479800 · The Jesse H and Susan R Oppenheimer Foundation · Jack and Doris Smothers and Bud Smothers Memorial Foundation · The Moody Foundation · San Antonio Area Foundation · Austin Community Foundation Inc

Affinity is a Gamma-Poisson posterior co-funding rate, re-centered on the typical rate, so thin evidence shrinks toward no signal. A research starting point: overlap is association, not proof of shared intent.

Government reliance of your grantees

Every dot is one organization William Knox Holt Foundation funds. Left–right is the share of its income from government; up–down is the share from you. Bigger dots raise more. Filter to federal or a single department — and drag the year to watch it move.

2024
’20’21’22’23’24’25
no gov · 00%3%10%23%40%your share of their income ↑0%13%25%38%50%share of the org’s income from government →
    no gov moneyreceives it· size = income
    0get no government money at all
    7report government grants on their 990 we could not trace to a source (not plotted)
    0rely on government for over half their income
    ⤢ axis zoomed · 0–50%
    typical government reliance, FY20–25

    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 your grant caused the public funding. Coverage is precision-first — a floor, not 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 12–24 months.

    05Through Plinth

    Warm introductions · Powered by PlinthPlus

    How do I get to William Knox Holt Foundation?

    Find your warmest path to William Knox Holt 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 directly from IRS e-file XML — your own 990/990-PF and the multi-year returns of the 41 grantees we resolved across every year we hold, several hundred filings in all (a different count from the grant rows on the cover, which are one fiscal year)— each linked to its source. Grantee achievements and outcomes are each organization’s own program-service reporting (Form 990, Part III); we read these as association with sustained funding — the foundation is one of several forces — suppress low-confidence name matches rather than guess, and say so where a figure rests on a single grant or filing. Not everything on this page is a filed figure, and the difference matters. Filed is what you reported on your 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. How we build these →

    Generated from your IRS Form 990-PF e-file return for fiscal year 2024, released 2024. Filings run roughly 12–24 months behind; figures are dated accordingly.

    Source object · view filing

    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 camps
    funders cluster by geography, not ideology
    By state
    where grant money is based, and what stays home
    State money flows
    the interactive map of money crossing state lines