Helms Family Foundation
Helms Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Scottsdale, Arizona. Its 2025 filing reports grants to charitable organizations working in areas including education, religion, food and clothing assistance, housing, and support for people with disabilities.
Helms Family Foundation at a glance
In short: Helms Family Foundation gave $335K across 10 grants in 2025 (avg $34K), top state Oklahoma. 30% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $335,142
- +168.3% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 10
- -23.1% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $33,514
- +248.8% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $6,776
- Total assets
- $4,646,340
- -2.7% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 30% first-time grantees (3 of 10, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Oklahoma (45% 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 Helms Family Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations.
- Contact
Mailing address: 20875 North 90Th Place 210, Scottsdale, AZ 85255
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Helms Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Gamma Delta Chapter Sigma Chi House ($150K). Together the top 10 received $335K.
Grant Size Distribution
42 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 38 grants of 42 (90%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The 2025 grant dollars went to recipients in Oklahoma (45%), Arizona (44%), Missouri (7%), North Carolina (3%), and Colorado (1%). These percentages describe the locations of reported recipients.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 10 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Helms Family Foundation open to new grantees?
30%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 3 of 10 grantees (30%) were first-time recipients. With only 10 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 10 points. First grants averaged $10K; repeat grants $43K. How we count
Medians: $5K first-time, $8K repeat.
- 50% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 2655% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 118% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2025). 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 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $7K (2021) to $335K (2025). In 2025 it made 10 grants totaling $335K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Gamma Delta Chapter Sigma Chi House Durant, OK | Help construct and develop the educational and non-educational areas of the chapter home | $150,000 |
| Illuminate Community Church Scottsdale, AZ | For Religious and Charitable Efforts | $100,000 |
| Harvest Compassion Phoenix, AZ | To help provide food and clothing to the greater phoenix area | $35,852 |
| Midwest Innocence Project Kansas City, MO | To educate about, advocate for, and obtain and support the exoneration and release of wrongfully convicted people. | $25,000 |
| House of Refuge Phoenix, AZ | Help Provide Housing for the Needy | $8,266 |
| Proverbs 31 Ministries Matthews, NC | To help lead women into a personal relationship with christ | $5,285 |
| Samaritan's Purse Boone, NC | To help provide spiritual and physicl aid to hurting people around the world | $5,010 |
| Fresh Start Womens Foundation Phoenix, AZ | To help empower women to help them take the first step toward a new life | $2,500 |
| Compassion International Colorado Springs, CO | To Help Reduce Child Poverty Worldwide | $2,200 |
| Cortney's Place Scottsdale, AZ | To help provide experiences to adults with developmental disabilities that ensure a meaningful day through specialized, interactive programming. | $1,029 |
Ready to take the next step with Helms Family 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 | $4,646,340 | $228,531 | $355,612 | $335,142 | 10 | $335,142 | $210,880 | $283,027 |
| 2024 | $4,773,422 | $212,154 | $142,998 | $124,895 | 13 | $124,895 | $196,087 | $269,977 |
| 2023 | $4,704,265 | $154,518 | $157,332 | $141,955 | 8 | $141,955 | $141,688 | $235,510 |
| 2022 | $4,707,079 | $-106,296 | $26,560 | $12,166 | 7 | $12,166 | $92,809 | $228,924 |
| 2021 | $4,839,935 | $68,838 | $20,868 | $7,322 | 4 | $7,322 | $55,566 | $233,311 |
| 2020 | $4,791,965 | $3,146,054 | $17,999 | $16,600 | 8 | — | $19,457 | $88,308 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Helms Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $283K 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 include support for a chapter home’s educational and non-educational areas, religious and charitable efforts, food and clothing assistance, housing, wrongful-conviction advocacy, women’s services, international aid, child-poverty reduction, and programming for adults with developmental disabilities.
The grantees describe their own work in varied terms. For example, Midwest Innocence Project says it works to support the exoneration and release of wrongfully convicted people in five states. House of Refuge describes its work as transitional housing and supportive services for Arizona families experiencing homelessness. Fresh Start Women’s Foundation says it helps women achieve self-sufficiency, while Cortneys Place describes a community day program for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. These are grantees’ descriptions, not stated missions of the foundation.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation reported 10 grants totaling $335,142. Grants ranged from $1,029 to $150,000, with a median grant of $6,776.
The largest reported grants were $150,000 to Gamma Delta Chapter Sigma Chi House for construction and development of the chapter home; $100,000 to Illuminate Community Church for religious and charitable efforts; $35,852 to Harvest Compassion to help provide food and clothing in the Greater Phoenix area; and $25,000 to Midwest Innocence Project. Other reported grants included $8,266 to House of Refuge, $5,285 to Proverbs 31 Ministries, $5,010 to Samaritan’s Purse, $2,500 to Fresh Start Women’s Foundation, $2,200 to Compassion International, and $1,029 to Cortneys Place.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Roger T Helms as President and Darla K Helms as Secretary.
Helms Family Foundation is led by Roger T. Helms, President on every filing since 2020; none of the 2 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Roger T. Helms
President
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Darla K. Helms
Secretary
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2025. "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 Helms Family Foundation
How much does Helms Family Foundation give each year?
Helms Family Foundation gave $335K across 10 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $125K across 13 grants.
What is Helms Family Foundation's typical grant size?
Helms Family Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $6,776, and its average grant was $33,514, across 10 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Helms Family Foundation that year got $10K on average.
Where does Helms Family Foundation give grants?
Helms Family Foundation's top state is Oklahoma, with 45% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. The next largest states were Arizona (44%) and Missouri (7%). The most frequent recipient cities were Phoenix, AZ (3 grants) and Scottsdale, AZ (2 grants).
Does Helms Family Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 10 grants with a stated purpose on Helms Family Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support.
Who are Helms Family Foundation's largest grantees?
Helms Family Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Gamma Delta Chapter Sigma Chi House ($150,000), Illuminate Community Church ($100,000) and Harvest Compassion ($35,852), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 85% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Helms Family Foundation?
Helms Family Foundation reported $4.6M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $335K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $283K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Helms Family Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Helms Family Foundation?
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Helms Family Foundation's EIN?
Helms Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 20-3794532. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Helms Family 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
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS April 13, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS April 8, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS April 6, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS March 22, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS March 4, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS March 13, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2025
Live grants for the work Helms Family Foundation funds
Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
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Browse active grant opportunities in Helms Family Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Helms Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 22, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/helms-family-foundation-morg_89bf0a5f758b44aaaa0379b5df068c6f
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_203794532_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Helms Family Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/helms-family-foundation-morg_89bf0a5f758b44aaaa0379b5df068c6f},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-22. 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 Helms Family 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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