Leon Payne Jr Foundation
The Leon Payne Jr Foundation is a private foundation based in Houston, Texas. Its 2025 filing reports grants to organizations including a hospital foundation, a church, mental-health and animal-welfare organizations, a food bank, a school, and a nature center.
Leon Payne Jr Foundation at a glance
In short: Leon Payne Jr Foundation gave $58K across 13 grants in 2025 (avg $4K), mostly in Texas. 46% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $57,500
- -23.8% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 13
- +0.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $4,423
- -23.8% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $2,500
- Total assets
- $1,013,059
- +8.4% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 46% first-time grantees (6 of 13, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Texas (94% 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 Leon Payne Jr Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- Yes
- How to Apply
-
The foundation accepts unsolicited requests. The filing says to contact Julie Stone Payne with a letter request describing the charitable purpose. It lists no restrictions on awards.
- Contact
Application contact: Julie Stone Payne
Mailing address: 45 W Broad Oaks Dr, Houston, TX 77056
Phone: (713) 540-0282
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Leon Payne Jr Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Houston Methodist Hospital Foundation ($19K). Together the top 10 received $55K.
Grant Size Distribution
62 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 62 grants of 62 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The 2025 filing shows that 94% of grant dollars went to recipients in Texas, 4% to Minnesota, and 2% to Illinois. Named Texas recipients include organizations in Houston and Kerrville.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 13 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Leon Payne Jr Foundation open to new grantees?
46%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 6 of 13 grantees (46%) were first-time recipients. With only 13 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 8 points. First grants averaged $3K; repeat grants $6K. How we count
Medians: $2K first-time, $4K repeat.
- 38% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−10%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 97% 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 (2021–2025). 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 2021 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $57K (2021) to $76K (2024). In 2025 it made 13 grants totaling $58K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Houston Methodist Hospital Foundation Houston, TX | General Operating Support | $18,500 |
| The Church of St John the Divine Houston, TX | General Operating Support | $10,000 |
| Amazing Place Houston, TX | General Operating Support | $5,000 |
| Houston Food Bank Houston, TX | General Operating Support | $5,000 |
| The Menninger Clinic Houston, TX | General Operating Support | $5,000 |
| Houston SPCA Houston, TX | General Operating Support | $3,500 |
| NMDP Foundation Minneapolis, MN | General Operating Support | $2,500 |
| Houston Arboretum & Nature Center Houston, TX | General Operating Support | $2,000 |
| Houston Humane Society Houston, TX | General Operating Support | $2,000 |
| St Johns School Houston, TX | General Operating Support | $1,000 |
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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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $1,013,059 | $145,180 | $66,941 | $57,500 | 13 | $59,744 | $116,831 | $61,492 |
| 2024 | $934,820 | $99,188 | $84,727 | $75,500 | 13 | $77,679 | $92,251 | $56,189 |
| 2023 | $920,373 | $783 | $90,307 | $58,152 | 14 | $60,152 | $13,750 | $50,149 |
| 2022 | $1,013,676 | $32,658 | $74,562 | $64,148 | 9 | $67,848 | $27,407 | $50,246 |
| 2021 | $1,051,880 | $1,113,287 | $61,407 | $57,000 | 13 | $59,118 | $102,867 | $53,089 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Leon Payne Jr Foundation reported a distributable amount of $61K 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 show support for varied charitable organizations. For example, The Menninger Clinic describes its work as psychiatric treatment, research, and education; Houston Humane Society says it seeks to prevent cruelty to living creatures and relieve animal suffering; and the Houston Arboretum & Nature Center describes a mission of environmental education and protecting native plants and animals. These are the grantees’ stated missions, not the foundation’s.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation reported 13 grants totaling $57,500. Grant amounts ranged from $1,000 to $18,500, with a median of $2,500. The largest awards included $18,500 to Houston Methodist Hospital Foundation, $10,000 to The Church of St John the Divine, and $5,000 each to Amazing Place, Houston Food Bank, and The Menninger Clinic. All of these grants were reported for general operating support.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Mary Katharine Payne Burke as president, William Leon Payne as treasurer, and Rebecca Linville Payne as secretary, each through December 31, 2025. It lists Hal Burke and Julie Stone Payne as directors.
Leon Payne Jr Foundation is led by Mary Katharine Payne Burke, President since 2023 (on filings since 2022); none of the 5 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Mary Katharine Payne Burke
President
Secretary → President, 2023
On filings since 2022
No compensation reported
Julie Stone Payne
Director
President → President & Director, 2023
President & Director → Director, 2024
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Hal Burke
Director
On filings since 2023
No compensation reported
Rebecca Linville Payne
Secretary
Director → Secretary, 2023
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
William Leon Payne
Treasurer
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Former officers (2)
- Former: Leon M. Payne Jr. (2020–2021) — Director
- Former: Mary Katherine Payne (2020–2021) — Secretary
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 Leon Payne Jr Foundation
How much does Leon Payne Jr Foundation give each year?
Leon Payne Jr Foundation gave $58K across 13 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $76K across 13 grants.
What is Leon Payne Jr Foundation's typical grant size?
Leon Payne Jr Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $2,500, and its average grant was $4,423, across 13 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Leon Payne Jr Foundation that year got $3K on average.
Where does Leon Payne Jr Foundation give grants?
Leon Payne Jr Foundation gives mostly in Texas: 94% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Houston, TX (9 grants) and Kerrville, TX (2 grants).
Does Leon Payne Jr Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of Leon Payne Jr Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (13 of 13) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Leon Payne Jr Foundation's largest grantees?
Leon Payne Jr Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Houston Methodist Hospital Foundation ($18,500), The Church of St John the Divine ($10,000) and Amazing Place ($5,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 58% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Leon Payne Jr Foundation?
Leon Payne Jr Foundation reported $1.0M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $60K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $61K (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 Leon Payne Jr Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants show support for varied charitable organizations. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Leon Payne Jr Foundation?
The foundation accepts unsolicited requests. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Leon Payne Jr Foundation's EIN?
Leon Payne Jr Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 85-2619235. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Leon Payne Jr Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?
Yes, 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
(2)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 8, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Live grants for the work Leon Payne Jr Foundation funds
Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Leon Payne Jr Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Leon Payne Jr Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 25, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/leon-payne-jr-foundation-morg_558a7e183fcc42a4bb3807f439002be7
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_852619235_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Leon Payne Jr Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/leon-payne-jr-foundation-morg_558a7e183fcc42a4bb3807f439002be7},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-25. 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 Leon Payne Jr 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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