Grits Foundation
Grits Foundation is a private foundation based in Houston, Texas. In its 2025 filing, it reported making 15 grants totaling $370,000 to charitable organizations, with recipients including a children’s hospital, reproductive health provider, education organizations, and community organizations.
Grits Foundation at a glance
In short: Grits Foundation gave $370K across 15 grants in 2025 (avg $25K), mostly in Texas. 0% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $370,000
- +12.1% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 15
- -6.3% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $24,667
- +19.6% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $10,000
- Total assets
- $3,846,889
- -2.9% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 0% first-time grantees (0 of 15, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Texas (95% 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 Grits Foundation
- How to Apply
-
The foundation has no formal application. Requests from 501(c)(3) organizations should be mailed for consideration. The foundation states that it does not restrict giving to preselected organizations. The filing lists John T. Peterkin as the contact and states that there are no restrictions on awards.
- Contact
Application contact: John T Peterkin
Mailing address: 7811 Wedgewood Ln, Houston, TX 77055
Phone: (281) 888-3351
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Grits Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Texas Children's Hospital ($165K). Together the top 10 received $345K.
Grant Size Distribution
78 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 68 grants of 78 (87%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 95% of grant dollars went to recipients in Texas, 4% to California, and 1% to Massachusetts.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 15 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Grits Foundation open to new grantees?
0%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 0 of 15 grantees (0%) were first-time recipients. With only 15 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 7 points. How we count
- 100% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 48% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 102% 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 $210K (2020) to $370K (2025). In 2025 it made 15 grants totaling $370K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Texas Children's Hospital Houston, TX | To Fund Charitable Activities | $165,000 |
| Planned Parenthood Houston, TX | To Fund Charitable Activities | $100,000 |
| Teach for America Houston, TX | To Fund Charitable Activities | $15,000 |
| Cohen Bray House Oakland Oakland, CA | To Fund Charitable Activities | $10,000 |
| Communities in School Houston, TX | To Fund Charitable Activities | $10,000 |
| Medical Bridges Houston, TX | To Fund Charitable Activities | $10,000 |
| Neuhaus Education Center Bellaire, TX | To Fund Charitable Activities | $10,000 |
| The Rise School Houston, TX | To Fund Charitable Activities | $10,000 |
| Urban Harvest Houston, TX | To Fund Charitable Activities | $10,000 |
| Archaeological Institute of America Boston, MA | To Fund Charitable Activities | $5,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Grits 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $3,846,889 | $257,745 | $375,633 | $370,000 | 15 | $372,103 | $254,215 | $366,583 |
| 2024 | $3,963,280 | $197,561 | $335,091 | $330,000 | 16 | $332,084 | $194,554 | $340,049 |
| 2023 | $4,100,067 | $175,203 | $297,708 | $290,000 | 15 | $292,074 | $169,569 | $291,605 |
| 2022 | $4,217,244 | $77,943 | $260,143 | $250,000 | 16 | $252,428 | $74,671 | $294,264 |
| 2021 | $4,388,303 | $2,343,736 | $311,008 | $300,000 | 16 | $301,996 | $493,597 | $323,710 |
| 2020 | $2,691,871 | $284,807 | $223,192 | $210,000 | 16 | — | $275,490 | $203,842 |
| 2019 | $2,628,928 | $311,724 | $238,487 | $220,000 | 17 | — | $295,919 | $213,351 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Grits Foundation reported a distributable amount of $367K 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 foundation mission is stated in the available information. Its 2025 grants went to organizations working in areas including health care, reproductive health, education, food access, medical supply distribution, archaeology, nature education, and care for children in crisis.
Among the grantees, Texas Children’s Hospital describes its mission as creating a healthier future for children and women through patient care, education, and research. Planned Parenthood describes its work as providing accessible reproductive health services and evidence-based resources. Urban Harvest says it works to improve access to fresh, locally sourced food through farmers’ markets, mobile markets, and garden education. Medical Bridges says it procures and distributes medical, dental, and surgical supplies to underserved communities. These are descriptions of the grantees’ missions, not the foundation’s.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation reported 15 grants totaling $370,000. Grant amounts ranged from $5,000 to $165,000, with a median of $10,000. Among the largest awards were $165,000 to Texas Children’s Hospital, $100,000 to Planned Parenthood, and $15,000 to Teach for America. Other reported awards included $10,000 each to Communities in School, Medical Bridges, Neuhaus Education Center, The Rise School, Urban Harvest, and Cohen Bray House Oakland.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists John T. Peterkin as president; George A. Peterkin III as vice-president and director; Susan Peterkin as vice-president; Lynn Peterkin as treasurer; and Kate F. Peterkin as secretary.
Grits Foundation is led by John T. Peterkin, President on every filing since 2019; none of the 5 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
John T. Peterkin
President
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
George A. Peterkin III
V-P & Director
Director → V-P & Director, 2020
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Lynn Peterkin
Treasurer
Director → Treasurer, 2024
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Kate F. Peterkin
Secretary
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Susan Peterkin
Vice President
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (2)
- Former: Susan Peterkin Hey (2019–2024) — Vice President
- Former: Nancy G. Peterkin (2019–2020) — Director
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.
Frequently asked questions about Grits Foundation
How much does Grits Foundation give each year?
Grits Foundation gave $370K across 15 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $330K across 16 grants.
What is Grits Foundation's typical grant size?
Grits Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $10,000, and its average grant was $24,667, across 15 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does Grits Foundation give grants?
Grits Foundation gives mostly in Texas: 95% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Houston, TX (11 grants).
Does Grits Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 15 grants with a stated purpose on Grits Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "To Fund Charitable Activities" (15 grants).
Who are Grits Foundation's largest grantees?
Grits Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Texas Children's Hospital ($165,000), Planned Parenthood ($100,000) and Teach for America ($15,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 76% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Grits Foundation?
Grits Foundation reported $3.8M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $372K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $367K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Grits Foundation fund?
No foundation mission is stated in the available information. Its 2025 grants went to organizations working in areas including health care, reproductive health, education, food access, medical supply distribution, archaeology, nature education, and care for children in crisis. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Grits Foundation?
The foundation has no formal application. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Grits Foundation's EIN?
Grits Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 31-1505617. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
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 2019 (received by the IRS August 12, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 5, 2026)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS August 19, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS November 8, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 19, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS March 21, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 13, 2025)
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Grits Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Grits Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/grits-foundation-morg_f3eb71dee3a44be5a54de6538f466c52
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_311505617_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Grits Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/grits-foundation-morg_f3eb71dee3a44be5a54de6538f466c52},
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 Grits 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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