Houston Family Foundation Inc

Private foundation · Grantmaker Tulsa, OK EIN: 47-2677603

Houston Family Foundation Inc is a private foundation based in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Its 2025 filing reports grants to preselected charitable organizations, with recipients including Tulsa-area organizations and organizations in North Carolina and Texas.

Key facts about Houston Family Foundation Inc

In short: Houston Family Foundation Inc gave $174K across 10 grants in 2025 (avg $17K), mostly in Oklahoma. 60% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

EIN
47-2677603
Latest 990 filing
Form 990-PF, 2025
Annual giving (2025)
$174,340
Grants made (2025)
10
Average grant
$17,434
Median grant
$7,600
New grantees (estimate)
60% first-time grantees (6 of 10, 2025; small sample)
Total assets
$1,216,006
Primary geography
Oklahoma (91% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
Accepts unsolicited proposals
No
How to apply
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Full details ↓

Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 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-PF · View filing

Total Assets

$1.2M

-10.9% YoY

Annual Giving

$174K

+377.6% YoY

Grant Count

10

+100.0% YoY

Avg Grant Size

$17K

+138.8% YoY

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Houston Family Foundation Inc reported a distributable amount of $60K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.

Is Houston Family Foundation Inc open to new grantees?

60%

first-time grantees, 2025

In 2025, 6 of 10 grantees (60%) 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 $29K. How we count

Medians: $10K first-time, $4K repeat.

  • 20% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
  • Giving grew 1025% from 2022 to 2025. Method
  • In 2025 it paid out 293% 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.

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 included support for a leadership-messaging organization, an organization supporting archives and research, and a library system. John Lynch Speaks Inc describes its mission as developing materials, website, and social media tools to share leadership, training, and encouraging messages. Friends of American Song Archives Inc says it supports American Song Archives’ collections in Tulsa, including items associated with Woody Guthrie and Bob Dylan, and promotes and facilitates research. Tulsa Library Trust says its mission is to benefit the Tulsa City County Library System.

Grantmaking

In 2025, the foundation reported 10 grants totaling $174,340. Grant amounts ranged from $2,400 to $105,000, with a median grant of $7,600. The largest grants were $105,000 to John Lynch Speaks (general operations), $20,140 to Friends of American Song Archives (general operations), and $10,000 each to Reformed University Fellowship, Sanctuary Church, and Tulsa Library Trust (all general operations). Other reported grants included $5,200 to River Oaks Presbyterian Church (general operations), $5,000 to John 15 Academy (general operations), $3,600 to Your One Degree (leadership training), $3,000 to Day of Hope Inc (general operations), and $2,400 to Young Life (general operations).

How to Apply

The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.

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Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

In 2025, 91% of grant dollars went to recipients in Oklahoma, 6% to North Carolina, and 3% to Texas.

Grant Distribution by State

9states

Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 10 itemized grants.

Cities

TulsaBroken ArrowCharlotteClevelandDowners GroveBixbyMarionMatthewsPhoenixSpokaneThe WoodlandsPittsburgh

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

$0$100K$200K$300K17 grants2019 7 grants2020 5 grants2021 3 grants2022 8 grants2023 5 grants2024 10 grants2025

From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $16K (2022) to $213K (2019). In 2025 it made 10 grants totaling $174K.

Grant Insights

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2025

John Lynch Speaks: $105KJohn Lynch Speaks$105KFriends of American Song Archives: $20KFriends of American SongArchives$20KReformed University Fellowship: $10KReformed University Fellowship$10KSanctuary Church: $10KSanctuary Church$10KTulsa Library Trust: $10KTulsa Library Trust$10KRiver Oaks Presbyterian Church: $5KRiver Oaks Presbyterian Church$5KJohn 15 Academy: $5KJohn 15 Academy$5KYour One Degree: $4KYour One Degree$4KDay of Hope Inc: $3KDay of Hope Inc$3KYoung Life: $2KYoung Life$2K

The largest 2025 recipient was John Lynch Speaks ($105K). Together the top 10 received $174K.

Grant Size Distribution

31 grants across all recorded years

28<$50K1$50–100K2$100–250K$250–500K$500K–1M$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 28 grants of 31 (90%).

Giving History

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
John Lynch Speaks Tulsa, OKGeneral Operations$105,000
Friends of American Song Archives Tulsa, OKGeneral Operations$20,140
Reformed University Fellowship Charlotte, NCGeneral Operations$10,000
Sanctuary Church Tulsa, OKGeneral Operations$10,000
Tulsa Library Trust Tulsa, OKGeneral Operations$10,000
River Oaks Presbyterian Church Tulsa, OKGeneral Operations$5,200
John 15 Academy The Woodlands, TXGeneral Operations$5,000
Your One Degree Broken Arrow, OKLeadership Training$3,600
Day of Hope Inc Tulsa, OKGeneral Operations$3,000
Young Life Tulsa, OKGeneral Operations$2,400

Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Filing year Assets Revenue Expenses Grants
2025 $1,216,006 $26,494 $175,352 $174,340
2024 $1,364,864 $33,030 $37,442 $36,500
2023 $1,369,276 $26,583 $171,772 $171,083
Revenue
Expenses
Qualifying Distributions
Net Investment Income
$0$100K$200K$300K2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
Metric202520242023
Total Assets$1,216,006$1,364,864$1,369,276
Revenue$26,494$33,030$26,583
Expenses$175,352$37,442$171,772
Qualifying Distributions$174,340$36,500$171,083
Net Investment Income$25,482$32,088$25,915
Distributable Amount$59,534$66,718$70,917

Data update history

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

  1. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS April 16, 2020)
  2. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 21, 2021)
  3. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS March 22, 2022)
  4. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS February 20, 2023)
  5. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS February 3, 2024)
  6. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS February 1, 2025)
  7. Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 14, 2026)
  8. IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2024

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

The 2025 filing lists Carlton D Houston as President/Executive Officer, Mark L Springer as Treasurer, and Nadine Houston as Director.

Houston Family Foundation Inc is led by Carlton D Houston, President & Executive Officer on every filing since 2019; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.

Officers on the 2025 filing

  • Carlton D Houston

    President & Executive Officer

    On filings since 2019

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Nadine Houston

    Director

    On filings since 2019

    No compensation reported

  • Mark L Springer

    Treasurer

    On filings since 2019

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

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: 2655 S Columbia Pl, Tulsa, OK 74114
Phone: (918) 496-4400

Frequently asked questions about Houston Family Foundation Inc

How much does Houston Family Foundation Inc give each year?

Houston Family Foundation Inc gave $174K across 10 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $37K across 5 grants.

What is Houston Family Foundation Inc's typical grant size?

Houston Family Foundation Inc's median grant in 2025 was $7,600, and its average grant was $17,434, across 10 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Houston Family Foundation Inc that year got $10K on average.

Where does Houston Family Foundation Inc give grants?

Houston Family Foundation Inc gives mostly in Oklahoma: 91% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was North Carolina (6%). The most frequent recipient cities were Tulsa, OK (7 grants).

Does Houston Family Foundation Inc give general operating support?

Yes: 90% of Houston Family Foundation Inc's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (9 of 10) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

Who are Houston Family Foundation Inc's largest grantees?

Houston Family Foundation Inc's largest 2025 grantees include John Lynch Speaks ($105,000), Friends of American Song Archives ($20,140) and Reformed University Fellowship ($10,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 78% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.

How large is Houston Family Foundation Inc?

Houston Family Foundation Inc reported $1.2M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $174K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $60K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).

What does Houston Family Foundation Inc fund?

No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants included support for a leadership-messaging organization, an organization supporting archives and research, and a library system. See mission & focus areas ↑

How do I apply for a grant from Houston Family Foundation Inc?

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 Houston Family Foundation Inc's EIN?

Houston Family Foundation Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 47-2677603. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.

Does Houston Family Foundation Inc 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.

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