Elva Johnston Foundation
The Elva Johnston Foundation is a private foundation based in Houston, Texas. In 2025, it gave $72,500 through 22 grants to charitable organizations, with recipients in Texas, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, and Kentucky.
Elva Johnston Foundation at a glance
In short: Elva Johnston Foundation gave $73K across 22 grants in 2025 (avg $3K), mostly in Texas. 18% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $72,500
- +0.0% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 22
- -8.3% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $3,295
- +9.1% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $2,000
- Total assets
- $822,636
- -2.3% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 18% first-time grantees (4 of 22, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Texas (77% 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 Elva Johnston 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.
- Contact
Mailing address: 4605 Post Oak Place Dr Ste 250, Houston, TX 77027
Phone: (512) 345-1754
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Elva Johnston Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Trinity Hope ($10K). Together the top 10 received $54K.
Grant Size Distribution
115 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 115 grants of 115 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation’s 2025 grant dollars went to recipients in Texas (77%), Tennessee (14%), Pennsylvania (7%), and Kentucky (3%).
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 22 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Elva Johnston Foundation open to new grantees?
18%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 4 of 22 grantees (18%) were first-time recipients. With only 22 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 5 points. First grants averaged $4K; repeat grants $3K. How we count
Medians: $4K first-time, $2K repeat.
- 68% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+17%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 101% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). 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 $50K (2020) to $73K (2025). In 2025 it made 22 grants totaling $73K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Trinity Hope Lebanon, TN | Haiti Education Fndn | $10,000 |
| The Story Church Houston, TX | Building Fund | $7,000 |
| Bloom Again Houston Houston, TX | General Operations | $6,000 |
| The Rise School Houston, TX | General Operations | $5,000 |
| San Antonio Area Foundation San Antonio, TX | Camp Mystic Fund | $5,000 |
| Lamar High School PTA Houston, TX | General Operations | $5,000 |
| Childrens Hospital Philadelphia Philadelphia, PA | Spence Family Synovial Sarcoma | $5,000 |
| River Oaks Garden Club Houston, TX | 2026 Azalea Trail | $5,000 |
| Cycle Houston Spring, TX | General Operations | $3,000 |
| Child Advocates Houston, TX | General Operations | $2,500 |
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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 | $822,636 | $59,842 | $80,226 | $72,500 | 22 | $76,250 | $57,500 | $75,421 |
| 2024 | $842,305 | $57,779 | $80,055 | $72,500 | 24 | $76,200 | $66,223 | $75,159 |
| 2023 | $854,178 | $52,592 | $68,457 | $61,000 | 22 | $64,600 | $136,437 | $64,851 |
| 2022 | $782,340 | $49,736 | $69,435 | $62,000 | 24 | $65,600 | $223,624 | $65,018 |
| 2021 | $627,424 | $49,003 | $62,925 | $55,500 | 23 | — | $109,953 | $59,882 |
| 2020 | $578,014 | $45,407 | $57,773 | $49,500 | 21 | — | $71,628 | $53,199 |
| 2019 | $560,312 | $44,430 | $64,335 | $55,500 | 28 | — | $76,441 | $58,480 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Elva Johnston Foundation reported a distributable amount of $75K 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 went to organizations with varied stated missions. For example, Trinity Hope says it teaches Christian beliefs and feeds children in Haiti; Child Advocates says it mobilizes court-appointed volunteers to advocate for abused children; and River Oaks Garden Club says it promotes gardening and environmental quality through education and civic improvement.
Other 2025 recipients describe work that includes cancer support (CanCare), grief support (Bo’s Place), services for families whose children need healthcare (Ronald McDonald House), food access and garden education (Urban Harvest), and support to help students stay in school and achieve in life (Communities In Schools).
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation made 22 grants totaling $72,500. Grants ranged from $500 to $10,000, with a median grant of $2,000.
Among the largest reported grants were $10,000 to Trinity Hope for “Haiti Education Fndn”; $7,000 to The Story Church for its building fund; $6,000 to Bloom Again Houston for general operations; and $5,000 each to The Rise School, San Antonio Area Foundation, Lamar High School PTA, Children’s Hospital Philadelphia, and River Oaks Garden Club. Other reported grants included $3,000 to Cycle Houston and $2,500 to Child Advocates.
Leadership & Key People
Officers and directors from IRS filings
Elva Johnston Foundation is led by Carolyn Josey Young, President-Trustee since 2022 (on filings since 2019); 1 of 6 officers listed in 2025 is compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Carolyn Josey Young
President-Trustee
Trustee → President-Trustee, 2022
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Autumn Davidson
Trustee
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
John H. Young
Secretary-Trustee
Trustee → Secretary-Trustee, 2022
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Kathleen Y. Zinn
Trustee
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Traci Young
Trustee
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Michael Rafferty
Treasurer
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
$6K (2019) → $6K (2025)
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.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $6K, to Michael Rafferty (Treasurer).
Frequently asked questions about Elva Johnston Foundation
How much does Elva Johnston Foundation give each year?
Elva Johnston Foundation gave $73K across 22 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $73K across 24 grants.
What is Elva Johnston Foundation's typical grant size?
Elva Johnston Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $2,000, and its average grant was $3,295, across 22 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Elva Johnston Foundation that year got $4K on average.
Where does Elva Johnston Foundation give grants?
Elva Johnston Foundation gives mostly in Texas: 77% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were Tennessee (14%) and Pennsylvania (7%). The most frequent recipient cities were Houston, TX (16 grants).
Does Elva Johnston Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 64% of Elva Johnston Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (14 of 22) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Elva Johnston Foundation's largest grantees?
Elva Johnston Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Trinity Hope ($10,000), The Story Church ($7,000) and Bloom Again Houston ($6,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 32% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Elva Johnston Foundation?
Elva Johnston Foundation reported $823K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $76K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $75K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Elva Johnston Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants went to organizations with varied stated missions. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Elva Johnston Foundation?
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Elva Johnston Foundation's EIN?
Elva Johnston Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 76-0057287. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does Elva Johnston 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 7, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS February 12, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS February 11, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS February 16, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS February 6, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS March 3, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS February 16, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2025
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Browse active grant opportunities in Elva Johnston Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Elva Johnston Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 11, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/elva-johnston-foundation-morg_0dcd84d802d843f1bc96ef4a08af4a3d
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_760057287_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Elva Johnston Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/elva-johnston-foundation-morg_0dcd84d802d843f1bc96ef4a08af4a3d},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-11. 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 Elva Johnston 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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