Caris Foundation
Caris Foundation is a private foundation based in Irving, Texas, established there in 2002. It says its mission is to help people in need and alleviate human suffering, with an emphasis on culturally relevant, sustainable solutions for impoverished communities.
Caris Foundation at a glance
In short: Caris Foundation gave $5.7M across 14 grants in 2024 (avg $410K), mostly in Texas. 21% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $5,739,165
- +6.6% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 14
- +40.0% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $409,940
- -23.9% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $30,050
- Total assets
- $16,825,731
- -3.7% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 21% first-time grantees (3 of 14, 2024; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Texas (99% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Caris Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations.
- Contact
Mailing address: 750 W John Carpenter Frwy Ste 800, Irving, TX 75039
Phone: (972) 947-2781
Website: https://carisfoundation.org
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Caris Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Caris Foundation International ($2.7M). Together the top 10 received $5.7M.
Grant Size Distribution
61 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 37 grants of 61 (61%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2024, 99% of grant dollars went to recipients in Texas; the reported shares for New York and Arkansas were each 0%. The foundation’s website also describes its own programs in Kenya and Haiti.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 14 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Caris Foundation open to new grantees?
21%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 3 of 14 grantees (21%) 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 $28K; repeat grants $514K. How we count
Medians: $25K first-time, $35K repeat.
- 64% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving grew 25% from 2021 to 2024. Method
- In 2024 it paid out 331% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2024). 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 2020 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $4.2M (2020) to $5.7M (2024). In 2024 it made 14 grants totaling $5.7M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Caris Foundation International Irving, TX | Payment for General Support | $2,747,576 |
| Abilene Christian University Abilene, TX | Payment for General Support | $2,550,000 |
| George W Bush Foundation Dallas, TX | Payment for General Support | $100,000 |
| Fortress Youth Development Center Fort Worth, TX | Teacher Appreciation | $91,001 |
| Bands Ministries North Richland Hills, TX | Payment for General Support | $65,786 |
| CL - Changing Lives Carrollton, TX | Payment for General Support | $50,000 |
| Touch a Life Foundation Inc McKinney, TX | Payment for General Support | $35,000 |
| New York Cancer Foundation Westhampton Beach, NY | Payment for General Support | $25,100 |
| Van Zandt-Guinn Elementary School Fort Worth, TX | Teacher Appreciation | $21,467 |
| McKinney Nell Burks Elementary School McKinney, TX | Teacher Appreciation | $20,942 |
Ready to take the next step with Caris 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $16,825,731 | $5,592,424 | $6,247,164 | $5,739,165 | 14 | $6,051,736 | $5,414,389 | $1,831,077 |
| 2023 | $17,479,513 | $2,128,155 | $6,172,838 | $5,385,190 | 10 | $5,895,344 | $1,727,499 | $1,666,425 |
| 2022 | $21,524,863 | $3,658,404 | $5,968,516 | $5,104,325 | 15 | $5,600,961 | $3,233,861 | $1,757,575 |
| 2021 | $23,822,805 | $3,968,426 | $5,373,886 | $4,585,654 | 11 | $5,051,489 | $3,527,789 | $2,165,884 |
| 2020 | $25,232,349 | $1,752,540 | $4,933,876 | $4,167,992 | 11 | — | $1,331,506 | $1,831,527 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Caris Foundation reported a distributable amount of $1.8M for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation’s stated mission is to demonstrate grace to impoverished people, empower participants to fulfill their potential, sustain that potential through training and equipping, and transform communities from despair and survival to hope and productivity.
Its 2024 grants included general support for Abilene Christian University, which describes its mission as Christian higher education, and for organizations whose stated work includes free medical and dental services (Bands Ministries), assistance to families working to end generational poverty (Fortress Youth Development Center), and support for Christian mission work in Brazil (CL – Changing Lives). Other grants included teacher appreciation awards to schools and general support for organizations including the George W. Bush Foundation and Touch A Life Foundation.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the foundation made 14 grants totaling $5,739,165. Individual awards ranged from $1,000 to $2,747,576, with a median of $30,050. The largest grants were $2,747,576 to Caris Foundation International and $2,550,000 to Abilene Christian University, both for general support. Other grants included $100,000 to the George W. Bush Foundation for general support and $91,001 to Fortress Youth Development Center for teacher appreciation.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Kathryn A. Halbert as executive director and president; David D. Halbert and Christopher Harmon as vice presidents; Kristen S. Halbert as director and treasurer; Christopher Harmon as secretary; and Michael D. Halbert and Patrick D. Halbert as directors.
Caris Foundation is led by Kathryn A. Halbert, Executive Director & President on every filing since 2020; 1 of 6 officers listed in 2024 is compensated.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Kathryn A. Halbert
Executive Director & President
On filings since 2020
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
David D. Halbert
Vice President & Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Kristen S. Halbert
Director & Treasurer
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Michael D. Halbert
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Patrick D. Halbert
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Christopher Harmon
Vice President & Secretary
On filings since 2020
20 hrs/week
$129K (2020) → $140K (2024)
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2024. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2024 filing was $140K, to Christopher Harmon (Vice President/Secretary).
Frequently asked questions about Caris Foundation
How much does Caris Foundation give each year?
Caris Foundation gave $5.7M across 14 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $5.4M across 10 grants.
What is Caris Foundation's typical grant size?
Caris Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $30,050, and its average grant was $409,940, across 14 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Caris Foundation that year got $28K on average.
Where does Caris Foundation give grants?
Caris Foundation gives mostly in Texas: 99% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Fort Worth, TX (3 grants) and McKinney, TX (2 grants).
Does Caris Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 79% of Caris Foundation's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (11 of 14) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Recurring purposes include "Teacher Appreciation" (3 grants).
Who are Caris Foundation's largest grantees?
Caris Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include Caris Foundation International ($2,747,576), Abilene Christian University ($2,550,000) and George W Bush Foundation ($100,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 94% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Caris Foundation?
Caris Foundation reported $16.8M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $6.1M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $1.8M (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Caris Foundation fund?
The foundation’s stated mission is to demonstrate grace to impoverished people, empower participants to fulfill their potential, sustain that potential through training and equipping, and transform communities from despair and survival to hope and productivity. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Caris Foundation?
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Caris Foundation's EIN?
Caris Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 46-0510753. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Does Caris 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
(6)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS November 12, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS November 11, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS November 14, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS November 14, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS November 12, 2025)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Live grants for the work Caris Foundation funds
Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Caris Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Caris Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 21, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/caris-foundation-morg_f8aa55abfc2842a68f3f3c37fb2f0848
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_460510753_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Caris Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/caris-foundation-morg_f8aa55abfc2842a68f3f3c37fb2f0848},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-21. 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 Caris 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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