Garden Club of Houston
The Garden Club of Houston is a Houston, Texas-based public charity that supports gardening, environmental quality, conservation, civic improvement, and education through community projects and grants. It was organized in 1924 and has been a member of the Garden Club of America since 1932.
Key facts about Garden Club of Houston
In short: Garden Club of Houston gave $339K across 12 grants in 2025 (avg $28K), mostly in Texas. 33% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.
- EIN
- 76-0008423
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990, 2025
- Annual giving (2025)
- $339,100
- Grants made (2025)
- 12
- Average grant
- $28,258
- Median grant
- $19,000
- New grantees (estimate)
- 33% first-time grantees (4 of 12, 2025; small sample)
- Total assets
- $1,148,442
- Primary geography
- Texas (100% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- Yes
- How to apply
- The club accepts unsolicited requests. Full details ↓
- Deadline
- The 2026 grant guidelines state that requests are accepted from June 1 through 5 p.m.
- Next open deadline
- October 15, 2026 (Community Contributions Committee Grant)
Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology). Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Financial Overview
From 2025 IRS Form 990 · View filing
Total Assets
$1.1M
+6.6% YoY
Annual Giving
$339K
+30.4% YoY
Grant Count
12
+33.3% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$28K
-2.2% YoY
Is Garden Club of Houston open to new grantees?
33%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 4 of 12 grantees (33%) were first-time recipients. With only 12 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 8 points. First grants averaged $10K; repeat grants $38K. How we count
Medians: $10K first-time, $25K repeat.
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 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.
Mission & Focus Areas
The club says its mission is to stimulate knowledge and love of gardening and to restore, improve, and protect the quality of the environment through education, conservation, and civic improvement.
Its grant guidelines describe support for creating and preserving public gardens, parks, school and teaching gardens, arboreta, and nature centers, as well as educational publications and events, scholarships, and library collections. Recent recipients illustrate the range of supported work: Hermann Park Conservancy describes its mission as stewarding and improving Hermann Park; Houston Parks Board says it works to expand, improve, and protect parks and greenspace in the Houston region; and Houston Botanic Garden says it seeks to enrich life through plant and environmental discovery, education, and conservation.
Grantmaking
The club awarded 12 grants totaling $339,100 in 2025. Grant amounts ranged from $8,000 to $100,000, with a median of $19,000. Its largest 2025 awards included $100,000 to Hermann Park Conservancy for habitat restoration, $61,100 to the Museum of Fine Arts Houston for the Rienzi and Main campus south lawn, $36,500 to Houston Museum of Natural Science for general support and butterfly tents, and $28,500 to Hospice at the Texas Medical Center for monthly maintenance and fountain repair. Other awards included $22,000 to Urban Harvest, $20,000 to Memorial Park Conservancy, and $18,000 to Houston Parks Board.
Review Cycle
The 2026 grant guidelines state that requests are accepted from June 1 through **5 p.m. on October 1, 2026**.
How to Apply
The club accepts unsolicited requests. It has no application form; requests must be submitted electronically. Applicants should provide organizational background; a project description with objectives, timeframe, complete budget, and details on use of funds; who will benefit; the amount requested; prior funding history with the club; and other sources of funding. Requests are limited to 501(c)(3) organizations and government entities. Grants are not made for operating funds or endowments. Recipients must report on use of funds one year from the May notification date and be available for on-site visits upon request. Funding is conditional on using the award according to the guidelines and timeframe.
Open Grants
2 open opportunities from Garden Club of Houston
Ready to take the next step with Garden Club of Houston?
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The guidelines give priority to organizations in the greater Houston area. All grant dollars reported for 2025 went to recipients in Texas; the listed 2025 recipients were in Houston.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 12 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $174K (2022) to $339K (2025). In 2025 it made 12 grants totaling $339K.
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Hermann Park Conservancy ($100K). Together the top 10 received $321K.
Grant Size Distribution
62 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 58 grants of 62 (94%).
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Hermann Park Conservancy Houston, TX | Funds for habitat restoration | $100,000 |
| Museum of Fine Arts Houston Houston, TX | Rienzi & Main campus south lawn | $61,100 |
| Houston Museum of Natural Science Houston, TX | General support and butterfly tents | $36,500 |
| Hospice at the Texas Medical Center Houston, TX | Monthly maintenance and fountain repair | $28,500 |
| Urban Harvest Houston, TX | General support | $22,000 |
| Memorial Park Conservancy Houston, TX | General support | $20,000 |
| Houston Parks Board Houston, TX | Support for Bell Park and Bayou Greenway trail | $18,000 |
| Houston Arboretum and Nature Center Houston, TX | General support | $15,000 |
| Holly Hall Houston, TX | Prayer garden enhancement | $10,000 |
| Houston Botanic Garden Houston, TX | Iris garden | $10,000 |
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $1,148,442 | $839,305 | $763,218 | $339,100 (12) |
| 2024 | $1,077,071 | $818,762 | $616,581 | $260,097 (9) |
| 2023 | $839,243 | $625,414 | $644,423 | $310,779 (15) |
The filing type is Form 990 (a public charity).
| Metric | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $1,148,442 | $1,077,071 | $839,243 |
| Revenue | $839,305 | $818,762 | $625,414 |
| Expenses | $763,218 | $616,581 | $644,423 |
| Net Investment Income | $71,242 | $51,641 | $11,485 |
Data update history
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS April 18, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS April 17, 2023)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS April 15, 2024)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS April 15, 2025)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS April 14, 2026)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS April 8, 2020)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS June 7, 2021)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2025
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Judy Lee as President, Ruthie Kelly as 1st Vice President, Mary Sommer Pyne as 2nd Vice President, Sara Ledbetter as Treasurer, Claire Curtin as Corresponding Secretary, Carol Price as Recording Secretary, and Estelle Lozmack as Immediate Past President.
Garden Club of Houston is led by Judy Lee, President since 2025 (on filings since 2020); none of the 7 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Judy Lee
President
2nd Vice President → 1st Vice President, 2024
1st Vice President → President, 2025
On filings since 2020
30 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Estelle Lozmack
Immediate Past President
1st Vice President → President, 2024
President → Immediate Past President, 2025
On filings since 2023
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Carol Price
Recording Secretary
New on the 2025 filing
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Claire Curtin
Corresponding Secretary
New on the 2025 filing
5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Mary Sommer Pyne
2nd Vice President
New on the 2025 filing
15 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Ruthie Kelly
1st Vice President
New on the 2025 filing
20 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Sara Ledbetter
Treasurer
New on the 2025 filing
20 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (25)
- Former: Nancy Kelley (2019–2024) — Immediate Past President
- Former: Harriet Leavell (2023–2024) — Treasurer
- Former: Catherine Randall (2024) — 2nd Vice President
- Former: Karen Ytterberg (2024) — Recording Secretary
- Former: Sarah Dameris (2024) — Corresponding Secretary
- Former: Meg Tapp (2021–2023) — Prior President
- Former: Lynn Swanson (2023) — Corresponding Secretary
- Former: Patty Porter (2023) — Recording Secretary
- Former: Renee Davis (2023) — 2nd Vice President
- Former: Julie Griffin (2020–2022) — Prior President
- Former: Ruth Kelly (2021–2022) — Treasurer
- Former: Jenny Kempner (2022) — Recording Secretary
- Former: Linda Burdine (2022) — Corresponding Secretary
- Former: Sally Giammalva (2022) — 2nd Vice President
- Former: Margaret Pierce (2019–2021) — Prior President
- Former: Greta Zimmerman (2021) — 2nd Vice President
- Former: Gwen Smith (2021) — Recording Secretary
- Former: Sheila Mayfield (2021) — Corresponding Secretary
- Former: Dana Parkey (2019–2020) — Prior President
- Former: Melinda Nickens (2019–2020) — Treasurer
- Former: Carrie Pepi (2020) — Correspond Secretary
- Former: Mundi Elam (2020) — Recording Secretary
- Former: Adele Bentsen (2019) — Prior President
- Former: Lucy Chambers (2019) — Recording Secretary
- Former: Tonya Judah (2019) — Correspond Secretary
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.
Contact
Mailing address: 4212 San Felipe 486, Houston, TX 77027
Phone: (713) 628-2953
Website: https://gchouston.org
Frequently asked questions about Garden Club of Houston
How much does Garden Club of Houston give each year?
Garden Club of Houston gave $339K across 12 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $260K across 9 grants.
What is Garden Club of Houston's typical grant size?
Garden Club of Houston's median grant in 2025 was $19,000, and its average grant was $28,258, across 12 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Organizations receiving their first grant from Garden Club of Houston that year got $10K on average.
Where does Garden Club of Houston give grants?
Garden Club of Houston gives mostly in Texas: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990 went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Houston, TX (12 grants).
Does Garden Club of Houston give general operating support?
Yes: 33% of Garden Club of Houston's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (4 of 12) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990.
Who are Garden Club of Houston's largest grantees?
Garden Club of Houston's largest 2025 grantees include Hermann Park Conservancy ($100,000), Museum of Fine Arts Houston ($61,100) and Houston Museum of Natural Science ($36,500), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. Together they received 58% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Garden Club of Houston?
Garden Club of Houston reported $1.1M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $839K.
What does Garden Club of Houston fund?
The club says its mission is to stimulate knowledge and love of gardening and to restore, improve, and protect the quality of the environment through education, conservation, and civic improvement. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Garden Club of Houston?
The club accepts unsolicited requests. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Garden Club of Houston's EIN?
Garden Club of Houston's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 76-0008423. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does Garden Club of Houston accept unsolicited proposals?
Yes, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Here's the math on researching Garden Club of Houston by hand.
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