Crane Family Foundation
The Crane Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Houston, Texas. In filing year 2025, it gave $382,846 through 14 grants to charitable organizations, including organizations in Texas and other states.
Crane Family Foundation at a glance
In short: Crane Family Foundation gave $383K across 14 grants in 2025 (avg $27K), mostly in Texas. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $382,846
- -53.7% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 14
- +27.3% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $27,346
- -63.6% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $15,000
- Total assets
- $6,034,223
- +233.4% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- Texas (60% 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 Crane Family Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: PO Box 3885, Houston, TX 77253-0000
Phone: (603) 714-8211
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Crane Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Third Option Foundation ($103K). Together the top 10 received $353K.
Grant Size Distribution
55 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 44 grants of 55 (80%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In filing year 2025, grant dollars went to recipients in Texas (60%), Virginia (27%), Missouri (7%), Florida (3%), and the District of Columbia (3%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 14 itemized grants.
Cities
How Crane Family Foundation gives
- 21% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving fell 55% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 199% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (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 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $113K (2020) to $1.3M (2023). In 2025 it made 14 grants totaling $383K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Third Option Foundation Reston, VA | To Further Charitable Purpose | $102,846 |
| Astros Foundation Houston, TX | To Further Charitable Purpose | $100,000 |
| St Johns School Houston, TX | Further Charitable Purpose | $25,000 |
| Museum of Fine Arts Houston, TX | To Further Charitable Purpose | $25,000 |
| University of Central Missouri Warrensburg, MO | To Further Charitable Purpose | $25,000 |
| Kinkaid School Houston, TX | Charitable purpose | $20,000 |
| Men of Distinction Houston, TX | Charitable Contribution | $15,000 |
| Texas Business Hall of Fame Houston, TX | To Further Charitable Purpose | $15,000 |
| Post Oak Little League Houston, TX | To Further Charitable Purpose | $15,000 |
| Richard Davis Kann Melanoma Foundation West Palm Beach, FL | Charitable purpose | $10,000 |
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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 | $6,034,223 | $4,625,847 | $401,295 | $382,846 | 14 | $382,846 | $49,053 | $192,641 |
| 2024 | $1,809,671 | $2,021,505 | $830,545 | $827,500 | 11 | $827,500 | $998,844 | $68,354 |
| 2023 | $1,529,944 | $1,218,553 | $1,440,128 | $1,337,393 | 14 | $1,437,393 | $16,818 | $78,959 |
| 2022 | $1,688,073 | $2,760,583 | $1,131,672 | $841,750 | 5 | $1,126,750 | $29,832 | $44,067 |
| 2021 | $118,311 | $100,000 | $163,450 | $163,450 | 11 | $163,450 | — | $7,389 |
| 2020 | $181,761 | — | $112,500 | $112,500 | 3 | — | — | $11,722 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Crane Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $193K 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 included support for schools, cultural organizations, youth and community organizations, and other charitable organizations. For example, Third Option Foundation describes its mission as supporting families of government employees who died or were seriously injured in service to their country when their employment status prevents them from seeking assistance from normal government sources. St. John’s School describes itself as an independent, co-educational day school providing college-preparatory education and supporting students’ development.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation made 14 grants totaling $382,846. Grants ranged from $5,000 to $102,846, with a median grant of $15,000.
Notable 2025 grants included $102,846 to Third Option Foundation in Reston, Virginia; $100,000 to Astros Foundation in Houston; $25,000 each to St. John’s School and the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, and to the University of Central Missouri in Warrensburg; and $20,000 to Kinkaid School in Houston.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists James R. Crane as president, Jared Crane as vice president, and Krystal Crane Thompson as vice president.
Crane Family Foundation is led by James R. Crane, President on every filing since 2020; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
James R. Crane
President
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Jared Crane
Vice President
Director → Vice President, 2022
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Krystal Crane Thompson
Vice President
Director → Vice President, 2022
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2025. "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 Crane Family Foundation
How much does Crane Family Foundation give each year?
Crane Family Foundation gave $383K across 14 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $828K across 11 grants.
What is Crane Family Foundation's typical grant size?
Crane Family Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $15,000, and its average grant was $27,346, across 14 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does Crane Family Foundation give grants?
Crane Family Foundation gives mostly in Texas: 60% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were Virginia (27%) and Missouri (7%). The most frequent recipient cities were Houston, TX (9 grants).
Who are Crane Family Foundation's largest grantees?
Crane Family Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Third Option Foundation ($102,846), Astros Foundation ($100,000) and St Johns School ($25,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 60% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Crane Family Foundation?
Crane Family Foundation reported $6.0M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $383K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $193K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Crane Family Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants included support for schools, cultural organizations, youth and community organizations, and other charitable organizations. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Crane Family Foundation?
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Crane Family Foundation's EIN?
Crane Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 47-3980494. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Crane Family 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
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS November 15, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS November 14, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS November 16, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 15, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 7, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 14, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Crane Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/crane-family-foundation-morg_bfa419ec577647448b1f7ae419ec7089
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_473980494_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Crane Family Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/crane-family-foundation-morg_bfa419ec577647448b1f7ae419ec7089},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-12. 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 Crane Family 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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