Gardenia Foundation
Gardenia Foundation is a private foundation based in Houston, Texas. Its 2024 filing says it makes donations to religious, charitable, and educational institutions and has no direct charitable activities or control over how donated funds are used.
Gardenia Foundation at a glance
In short: Gardenia Foundation gave $834K across 13 grants in 2024 (avg $64K), mostly in Texas. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $833,700
- +17.4% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 13
- +30.0% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $64,131
- -9.7% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $7,000
- Total assets
- $31,994,764
- +5.5% vs 2023
- Primary geography
- Texas (100% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated October 2026.
How to apply to Gardenia Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: 4400 Post Oak Parkway Suite 1100, Houston, TX 77027
Phone: (713) 297-6913
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Gardenia Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Gardenia Foundation Fund ($500K). Together the top 10 received $830K.
Grant Size Distribution
23 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 15 grants of 23 (65%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
All 2024 grant dollars went to recipients in Texas. The listed recipients were in Houston, except for Planned Parenthood, which the grantee description identifies as being in San Antonio.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 13 itemized grants.
States
Cities
How Gardenia Foundation gives
- 15% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- In 2024 it paid out 54% 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 (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 2023 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $710K (2023) to $834K (2024). In 2024 it made 13 grants totaling $834K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Gardenia Foundation Fund Houston, TX | General Fund | $500,000 |
| Houston Symphony Development Houston, TX | General Fund | $100,000 |
| UT Health Houston Houston, TX | General Fund | $80,000 |
| Planned Parenthood Houston, TX | General Fund | $50,000 |
| Victory Houston Houston, TX | General Fund | $50,000 |
| Wacgh Houston, TX | General Fund | $30,000 |
| Bayou Bend Collections and Garden Houston, TX | General Fund | $7,000 |
| World Affairs Council Houston, TX | General Fund | $5,000 |
| The Heritage Society Houston, TX | General Fund | $5,000 |
| Urban Harvest Houston, TX | General Fund | $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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $31,994,764 | $2,510,010 | $841,542 | $833,700 | 13 | $833,700 | $1,553,273 | $1,542,752 |
| 2023 | $30,326,296 | $31,036,296 | $710,000 | $710,000 | 10 | $710,000 | $36,296 | $1,514,476 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Gardenia Foundation reported a distributable amount of $1.5M 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
No mission statement is provided. The 2024 grants show support for organizations including cultural, health-related, educational, and community organizations. For example, Planned Parenthood describes its mission as providing accessible reproductive health services and evidence-based resources; Victory Houston says it raises money to support cancer-related initiatives in Greater Houston. The Heritage Society describes its mission as telling the diverse history of Houston and Texas through collections, exhibits, arts, and educational programs. Urban Harvest describes its work as improving access to fresh, locally sourced food through markets, partnerships, and garden education.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the foundation reported 13 grants totaling $833,700. Grants ranged from $1,000 to $500,000, with a median grant of $7,000. The largest listed grants were $500,000 to Gardenia Foundation Fund, $100,000 to Houston Symphony Development, $80,000 to UT Health Houston, and $50,000 each to Planned Parenthood and Victory Houston. Other listed grants included $30,000 to WACGH, $7,000 to Bayou Bend Collections and Garden, and $5,000 each to World Affairs Council and The Heritage Society.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists S C Morian, Sarah W Dyke, Lars K Wadstrom, and Michael Henry Clark as members of the board of directors.
Gardenia Foundation's 2024 filing lists 4 officers; none of the 4 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Lars K. Wadstrom
Board of Directors
On filings since 2023
No compensation reported
S. C. Morian
Board of Directors
On filings since 2023
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Sarah W. Dyke
Board of Directors
On filings since 2023
No compensation reported
Michael Henry Clark
Board of Directors
New on the 2024 filing
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2023–2024. "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 Gardenia Foundation
How much does Gardenia Foundation give each year?
Gardenia Foundation gave $834K across 13 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $710K across 10 grants.
What is Gardenia Foundation's typical grant size?
Gardenia Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $7,000, and its average grant was $64,131, across 13 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does Gardenia Foundation give grants?
Gardenia Foundation gives mostly in Texas: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Houston, TX (12 grants).
Does Gardenia Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of Gardenia Foundation's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (13 of 13) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Gardenia Foundation's largest grantees?
Gardenia Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include Gardenia Foundation Fund ($500,000), Houston Symphony Development ($100,000) and UT Health Houston ($80,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 82% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Gardenia Foundation?
Gardenia Foundation reported $32.0M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $834K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $1.5M (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 Gardenia Foundation fund?
No mission statement is provided. The 2024 grants show support for organizations including cultural, health-related, educational, and community organizations. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Gardenia Foundation?
The foundation 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 Gardenia Foundation's EIN?
Gardenia Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 92-4001588. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2023–2024.
Does Gardenia 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
(1)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2023–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Gardenia Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 15, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/gardenia-foundation-morg_cdff194d6e7048dfb38285956c536961
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_924001588_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Gardenia Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/gardenia-foundation-morg_cdff194d6e7048dfb38285956c536961},
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 Gardenia 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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