Bess L Rayford Foundation
Bess L Rayford Foundation is a private foundation based in Henderson, Texas. Its 2025 filing reports 14 grants totaling $125,000, all to recipients in Texas.
Bess L Rayford Foundation at a glance
In short: Bess L Rayford Foundation gave $125K across 14 grants in 2025 (avg $9K), mostly in Texas. 7% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $125,000
- +4.2% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 14
- -6.7% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $8,929
- +11.6% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $5,000
- Total assets
- $1,740,231
- +18.2% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 7% first-time grantees (1 of 14, 2025; small sample)
- 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. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Bess L Rayford Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests. Its 2023 filing says it contributes only to preselected charitable organizations.
- Contact
Mailing address: PO Box 820, Henderson, TX 75653
Phone: (903) 657-8521
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Bess L Rayford Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Boys Girls Club of Rusk County ($45K). Together the top 10 received $108K.
Grant Size Distribution
69 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 69 grants of 69 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
All grant dollars reported for 2025 went to recipients in Texas. Listed recipients include organizations in Henderson and Kilgore, Texas, as well as SPCA of East Texas in Tyler.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 14 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Bess L Rayford Foundation open to new grantees?
7%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 1 of 14 grantees (7%) were first-time recipients. With only 14 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 7 points. First grants averaged $10K; repeat grants $9K. How we count
Medians: $10K first-time, $5K repeat.
- 93% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−2%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 98% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Foundations have until the end of the next year to meet it. Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2019–2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $104K (2021) to $128K (2022). In 2025 it made 14 grants totaling $125K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Boys Girls Club of Rusk County Henderson, TX | General Funds | $45,000 |
| Henderson Interchurch Ministry Henderson, TX | General Funds | $17,000 |
| Henderson Civic Theatre Henderson, TX | General Funds | $10,000 |
| Rusk County Historical Commission Henderson, TX | General Funds | $6,000 |
| Rusk County Children's Advocacy Cen Henderson, TX | General Funds | $5,000 |
| One Step at a Time Inc Henderson, TX | General Funds | $5,000 |
| Rusk County Friends Helping Friends Henderson, TX | Prescription Assistance Program | $5,000 |
| Texas Shakespeare Festival Kilgore, TX | General Funds,& Black Box Theater Project | $5,000 |
| Henderson Food Bank Henderson, TX | General Funds | $5,000 |
| Rusk County Heritage Association Henderson, TX | General Funds | $5,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Bess L Rayford Foundation?
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 | $1,740,231 | $418,632 | $151,124 | $125,000 | 14 | $126,350 | $395,353 | $128,349 |
| 2024 | $1,472,723 | $129,003 | $144,834 | $120,000 | 15 | $121,300 | $106,698 | $122,258 |
| 2023 | $1,488,554 | $104,938 | $149,807 | $126,000 | 15 | $127,200 | $83,695 | $114,251 |
| 2022 | $1,533,423 | $119,554 | $152,938 | $128,000 | 14 | $129,150 | $96,386 | $125,673 |
| 2021 | $1,566,807 | $66,981 | $129,669 | $104,000 | 11 | — | $43,596 | $129,956 |
| 2020 | $1,629,495 | $137,796 | $139,557 | $116,000 | 12 | — | $116,290 | $116,223 |
| 2019 | $1,631,256 | $112,063 | $143,938 | $120,000 | 14 | — | $91,474 | $117,256 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Bess L Rayford Foundation reported a distributable amount of $128K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants include support for community services, arts and cultural organizations, and other charitable organizations. For example, Henderson Interchurch Ministry describes its mission as providing food and financial assistance to low-income clients in Rusk County; Henderson Civic Theatre says it provides the community with theater opportunities. These are the grantees’ stated missions, not the foundation’s.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation made 14 grants totaling $125,000. Grant amounts ranged from $2,000 to $45,000, with a median grant of $5,000. Among the largest listed awards were $45,000 to Boys Girls Club of Rusk County, $17,000 to Henderson Interchurch Ministry, and $10,000 to Henderson Civic Theatre. Other listed recipients included Rusk County Historical Commission ($6,000) and Rusk County Children’s Advocacy Center ($5,000). The foundation also gave $5,000 to SPCA of East Texas, whose stated work includes rescuing and placing homeless animals and promoting pet-population reduction.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists David R Alford as president, Woodie Tipps as vice president, and Mary Frances Engle Alford as secretary/treasurer.
Bess L Rayford Foundation is led by David R. Alford, President on every filing since 2019; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
David R. Alford
President
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Mary Frances Engle Alford
Secretary & Treasurer
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Woodie Tipps
Vice President
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
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 Bess L Rayford Foundation
How much does Bess L Rayford Foundation give each year?
Bess L Rayford Foundation gave $125K across 14 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $120K across 15 grants.
What is Bess L Rayford Foundation's typical grant size?
Bess L Rayford Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $5,000, and its average grant was $8,929, across 14 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Bess L Rayford Foundation that year got $10K on average.
Where does Bess L Rayford Foundation give grants?
Bess L Rayford 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 Henderson, TX (11 grants) and Tyler, TX (2 grants).
Does Bess L Rayford Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 93% of Bess L Rayford Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (13 of 14) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Bess L Rayford Foundation's largest grantees?
Bess L Rayford Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Boys Girls Club of Rusk County ($45,000), Henderson Interchurch Ministry ($17,000) and Henderson Civic Theatre ($10,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 58% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Bess L Rayford Foundation?
Bess L Rayford Foundation reported $1.7M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $126K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $128K (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 Bess L Rayford Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants include support for community services, arts and cultural organizations, and other charitable organizations. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Bess L Rayford Foundation?
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Bess L Rayford Foundation's EIN?
Bess L Rayford Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 31-1583091. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does Bess L Rayford Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(8)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS February 13, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS February 16, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS February 15, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS February 14, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS February 8, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS February 18, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS February 17, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2025
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—
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Bess L Rayford Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 15, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/bess-l-rayford-foundation-morg_b80b6f2bedb043cfa6bbe94d15a1188f
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_311583091_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Bess L Rayford Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/bess-l-rayford-foundation-morg_b80b6f2bedb043cfa6bbe94d15a1188f},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-15. 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 Bess L Rayford 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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