Bertha Foundation
Bertha Foundation is a private foundation located in Graham, Texas. Its 2025 filing reports six grants totaling $394,341, all to recipients in Texas. The foundation’s website describes a broader mission of supporting activists, storytellers, and lawyers working for social and economic justice, through grant funding, fellowships, spaces, and other programs.
Bertha Foundation at a glance
In short: Bertha Foundation gave $394K across 6 grants in 2025 (avg $66K), mostly in Texas. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $394,341
- +11.0% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 6
- -33.3% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $65,724
- +66.4% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $2,750
- Total assets
- $4,080,117
- -1.3% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- Texas (100% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026.
How to apply to Bertha Foundation
- How to Apply
-
The filing says to apply in writing with a contact name, address, telephone number, and the nature of the request. Consideration is limited to tax-exempt organizations located in Young County, Texas, or requests benefiting organizations located there. The foundation says it does not restrict giving to preselected organizations.
- Contact
Application contact: Bertha Foundation
Mailing address: PO Box 1110, Graham, TX 76450
Phone: (940) 549-1400
Website: https://berthafoundation.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Open Grants
2 open opportunities from Bertha Foundation
Who Bertha Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 6 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was North Texas Community Foundation ($380K). Together the top 6 received $394K.
Grant Size Distribution
48 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 39 grants of 48 (81%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The 2025 filing reports that 100% of grant dollars went to recipients in Texas, and its application restrictions specify a connection to Young County, Texas. Separately, the foundation’s website describes some programs as international: for example, Bertha Artivism Awards applicants may work in any country.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 6 itemized grants.
States
Cities
How Bertha Foundation gives
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+19%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 99% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Foundations have until the end of the next year to meet it. Method
From the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $275K (2020) to $394K (2025). In 2025 it made 6 grants totaling $394K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| North Texas Community Foundation Fort Worth, TX | Provide funds in support of various charitable endeavors and projects in and around Graham, TX. | $380,000 |
| Old Post Office Museum Art Center Graham, TX | Provided funds for the RK Exhibit. | $7,500 |
| Graham Regional Medical Center Graham, TX | Provide funds for the Health Fair. | $3,500 |
| Graham Concert Assn Graham, TX | Provide funds for operating expenses. | $2,000 |
| City of Graham Graham, TX | Provide funds for operating expenses associated with the Graham Library. | $1,041 |
| Keep Graham Beautiful Graham, TX | Operating expenses. | $300 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $4,080,117 | $407,966 | $459,700 | $394,341 | 6 | $423,952 | $375,022 | $426,461 |
| 2024 | $4,131,851 | $189,348 | $408,518 | $355,378 | 9 | $379,007 | $173,805 | $421,590 |
| 2023 | $4,351,021 | $99,507 | $376,125 | $337,226 | 11 | $354,870 | $179,679 | $368,029 |
| 2022 | $4,627,639 | $133,771 | $372,153 | $330,248 | 10 | $348,524 | $126,923 | $357,249 |
| 2021 | $4,866,021 | $172,103 | $355,323 | $319,672 | 12 | $336,188 | $154,403 | $357,595 |
| 2020 | $5,049,241 | $212,732 | $301,750 | $274,685 | 12 | — | $198,903 | $323,455 |
| 2019 | $5,138,259 | $172,665 | $418,344 | $392,994 | 11 | — | $159,714 | $349,125 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Bertha Foundation reported a distributable amount of $426K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation’s stated mission is to support activists, storytellers, and lawyers working to bring about social and economic justice. Its website describes programs including the Bertha Challenge, a year-long fellowship for activists, investigative journalists, filmmakers, and lawyers; the Bertha Artivism Awards, which fund arts activism; the Bertha Accelerator, a residency program; and Bertha Spaces, which support public spaces designed to advance spatial justice.
The 2025 filing shows support for local charitable activities in and around Graham. Its stated purposes included community projects, an art exhibit, a health fair, a concert association’s operating expenses, Graham Library expenses, and Keep Graham Beautiful’s operating expenses. The filing describes the North Texas Community Foundation grant as support for charitable endeavors and projects in and around Graham, serving residents and visitors.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation reported six grants totaling $394,341. Grants ranged from $300 to $380,000, with a median of $2,750. The largest was $380,000 to North Texas Community Foundation for charitable endeavors and projects in and around Graham. Other reported grants were $7,500 to Old Post Office Museum Art Center for the RK Exhibit; $3,500 to Graham Regional Medical Center for a health fair; $2,000 to Graham Concert Assn for operating expenses; $1,041 to City of Graham for Graham Library operating expenses; and $300 to Keep Graham Beautiful for operating expenses.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Melissa York as President, Vicki Mills as Secretary, Blake Estess as Vice President, Sandra Estess as Director, and Donald Shierry as Treasurer.
Bertha Foundation is led by Melissa York, President on every filing since 2020; none of the 5 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Melissa York
President
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Sandra Estess
Director
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Donald Shierry
Treasurer
Vice President → Treasurer, 2020
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Vicki Mills
Secretary
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Blake Estess
Vice President
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Former officers (4)
- Former: E Bruce Street Jr. (2019–2020) — Vice President
- Former: Alice Ann Street (2019) — President
- Former: Joe Montgomery (2019) — Treasurer
- Former: Malcolm B Street Jr. (2019) — Director
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Frequently asked questions about Bertha Foundation
How much does Bertha Foundation give each year?
Bertha Foundation gave $394K across 6 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $355K across 9 grants.
What is Bertha Foundation's typical grant size?
Bertha Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $2,750, and its average grant was $65,724, across 6 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does Bertha Foundation give grants?
Bertha Foundation gives mostly in Texas: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Graham, TX (5 grants).
Does Bertha Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 50% of Bertha Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (3 of 6) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Bertha Foundation's largest grantees?
Bertha Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include North Texas Community Foundation ($380,000), Old Post Office Museum Art Center ($7,500) and Graham Regional Medical Center ($3,500), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 99% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Bertha Foundation?
Bertha Foundation reported $4.1M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $424K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $426K (roughly 5% of its investment assets). Falling short in one year is not a violation: foundations have until the end of the next year to meet the minimum.
What does Bertha Foundation fund?
The foundation’s stated mission is to support activists, storytellers, and lawyers working to bring about social and economic justice. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Bertha Foundation?
The filing says to apply in writing with a contact name, address, telephone number, and the nature of the request. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Bertha Foundation's EIN?
Bertha Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 75-6050023. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated October 2026.
Data update history
(3)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS March 31, 2020)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS June 30, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Bertha Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 17, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/bertha-foundation-morg_c2da455f9c3c4924920adb2e1ed0c213
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_756050023_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Bertha Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/bertha-foundation-morg_c2da455f9c3c4924920adb2e1ed0c213},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-17. Data licensed CC BY 4.0}
}The figures on this page are open data under CC BY 4.0: reuse them with credit to Grantable and a link. Download the data.
Figures come from Bertha Foundation's IRS filings (methodology). AI-written summaries, news items and logos are not covered by the open licence. Spot an error? Email hello@grantable.co.
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