The Harry E Bovay Jr Foundation is a private family foundation based in Houston, Texas, established in 2001. The foundation was created to honor the legacy of Harry E. Bovay, Jr. (1914–2011), whose life was dedicated to building bridges—both literally as an engineer and figuratively through community service. The foundation operates as a 501(c)(3) organization with a focus on supporting innovative and effective programs aligned with Mr. Bovay's core values of integrity, compassion, and honesty.
Financial Overview
From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$40.0M
-0.7% YoY
Annual Giving
$2.5M
+9.8% YoY
Grant Count
82
+110.3% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$30K
-47.8% YoY
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation's mission centers on "Building a Bridge to a Better Future," guided by Mr. Bovay's values and legacy. The foundation supports innovative and effective programs in three core areas of interest:
- Education — including scholarships and educational institutions
- Scouting — youth development and scouting programs
- Community Development — community revitalization initiatives
Grantmaking
The foundation is an active grantmaker with the following characteristics:
Grant Range
$10,000
Average Grant
amounts typically fall between $958–$1,169,910
How to Apply
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation's grantmaking has primary focus in:
- Kansas
- Alabama
- Mississippi
- Texas (home state)
Grant Distribution by State
States
Cities
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
As of 2024:
- Total Assets: $39,995,907
- Total Revenues: $3,078,697
- Total Expenses: $3,467,860
- Total Giving: $2,454,511
- Number of Employees: 2
As of 2023:
- Total Assets: $40.3 million
- Total Revenues: $2.27 million
- Total Expenses: $2.72 million
- Total Liabilities: $0
The foundation's assets have remained relatively stable, with investment income and dividends serving as the primary revenue source.
| Metric | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $39,995,907 | $40,285,070 | $40,732,884 |
| Revenue | $3,078,697 | $2,273,870 | $1,698,174 |
| Expenses | $3,467,860 | $2,721,684 | $3,117,695 |
| Qualifying Distributions | $2,771,234 | $2,483,092 | $2,781,366 |
| Net Investment Income | $2,316,303 | $1,503,309 | $1,434,110 |
| Distributable Amount | $2,618,154 | $2,556,937 | $2,569,224 |
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
Grant Size Distribution
164 grants across all recorded years
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
No grants recorded for .
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The foundation's board of directors includes:
- Peggy L Kelly (Director)
- Michael L Patrick (Director)
- C Ronald Dorchester (Director)
- Edward Naumes (Director)
- Frances Escriva (Director)
- Carl F Jaedicke (Director)
Contact:
- Phone: 713-651-2328
- Email: RDietz@legacytrust.com
- Website: bovayfoundation.org
- Address: PO Box 1471, Houston, TX 77251-1471
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
From 2024 filing
| Name | Title | Hours | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michael L Patrick | President/Director | 40 | $125,000 |
| Peggy L Kelly | Vice President/Secretary/Director | 20 | $53,000 |
| Frances Escriva | Treasurer/Director | 0.5 | $9,000 |
| C Ronald Dorchester | Director | 0.5 | $9,000 |
| Carl F Jaedicke | Director | 0.5 | — |
| Edward R Naumes | Director | 0.5 | — |
Recent News & Activity
Recent developments and announcements
The foundation has been actively supporting educational initiatives, particularly in the sciences:
A named chair in chemistry was established at Texas A&M University through foundation support, with chemist Wenshe Ray Liu named to the Bovay Chair in Chemistry (2022)
Texas A&M Chemist Wenshe Ray Liu Named to Bovay Chair in ChemistryThe foundation supports the Harry E Bovay Jr. Foundation Symposium in Chemical Biology at Texas A&M
Texas A&M Chemist Wenshe Ray Liu Named to Bovay Chair in ChemistryThe foundation has provided funding opportunities for research initiatives at UTHealth Houston, including the Institute on Aging and geroscience research programs
Funding Opportunities - Institute on Aging - UTHealth HoustonSubject Areas
Focus areas based on grantmaking activity
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Data last updated April 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated April 2026.
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