Louetta M Cowden Foundation
The Louetta M Cowden Foundation is a private foundation based in Dallas, Texas. Established in 1964, it supports educational, cultural, human services, and health care programming, with its grant program focused on organizations serving residents of Kansas City, Missouri.
Louetta M Cowden Foundation at a glance
In short: Louetta M Cowden Foundation gave $647K across 21 grants in 2025 (avg $31K), mostly in Missouri. 24% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $647,000
- +7.8% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 21
- +23.5% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $30,810
- -12.7% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $25,000
- Total assets
- $12,611,775
- +5.4% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 24% first-time grantees (5 of 21, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Missouri (100% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Louetta M Cowden Foundation
- How to Apply
-
The foundation does not restrict giving to preselected organizations. The filing states that applicants should submit a letter of no more than three pages with appropriate attachments. Awards are restricted to religious, charitable, and educational purposes within Missouri.
- Review Cycle
- No specific deadline.
- Deadline
- No specific deadline.
- Contact
Application contact: Anthony Twyman Co Bank Of America
Mailing address: PO Box 219119, Kansas City, MO 64121-9119
Phone: (816) 292-4342
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Open Grants
1 open opportunity from Louetta M Cowden Foundation
Who Louetta M Cowden Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Metropolitan Arts Council of Greater ($55K). Together the top 10 received $450K.
Grant Size Distribution
78 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 52 grants of 78 (67%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation’s 2024 filing restricts awards to purposes within Missouri. Its grant program describes support for organizations serving Kansas City, Missouri residents. All reported 2025 grant dollars went to recipients in Missouri.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 21 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Louetta M Cowden Foundation open to new grantees?
24%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 5 of 21 grantees (24%) were first-time recipients. With only 21 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 5 points. First grants averaged $25K; repeat grants $33K. How we count
Medians: $25K first-time, $30K repeat.
- 62% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (−3%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 93% 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 (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 $550K (2019) to $705K (2021). In 2025 it made 21 grants totaling $647K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Metropolitan Arts Council of Greater Kansas City, MO | Support Audience | $55,000 |
| Nelson Gallery Foundation Kansas City, MO | Museum School & Community | $55,000 |
| Boys Club of Greater Kansas City Kansas City, MO | Project Learn: Academic | $50,000 |
| Alphapointe Kansas City, MO | Comprehensive | $50,000 |
| Harry S Truman Children's Independence, MO | Healthy Support for | $50,000 |
| Charlotte Street Foundation Kansas City, MO | Unrestricted General | $45,000 |
| Kansas City Community Gardens Inc Kansas City, MO | Support for Home & | $40,000 |
| Bridging the Gap Inc Kansas City, MO | Support for Water & Energy | $40,000 |
| Midwest Innocence Project Inc Kansas City, MO | Support for Social Work | $35,000 |
| Englewood Arts Independence, MO | Support for Expanding | $30,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Louetta M Cowden 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 | $12,611,775 | $1,386,349 | $742,137 | $647,000 | 21 | $671,304 | $1,329,749 | $720,515 |
| 2024 | $11,964,148 | $1,223,981 | $687,371 | $600,000 | 17 | $622,758 | $1,159,250 | $673,297 |
| 2023 | $11,439,701 | $272,134 | $685,557 | $615,000 | 10 | $635,498 | $254,878 | $616,980 |
| 2022 | $11,857,406 | $-353,364 | $746,737 | $668,500 | 17 | $689,894 | $193,538 | $636,344 |
| 2021 | $12,957,927 | $2,679,842 | $811,326 | $705,000 | 13 | $728,428 | $2,614,272 | $819,594 |
| 2020 | $10,951,162 | $820,200 | $628,002 | $553,000 | 18 | — | $777,780 | $595,820 |
| 2019 | $10,694,649 | $656,134 | $609,959 | $549,725 | 15 | — | $647,527 | $571,831 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Louetta M Cowden Foundation reported a distributable amount of $721K 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
The foundation’s stated mission is to support and promote quality educational, cultural, human services, and health care programming. Its grants include support for organizations working in areas such as youth development, vision loss, arts and culture, community gardening, sustainability, and wrongful-conviction advocacy.
For example, Boys Club of Greater Kansas City says it promotes the personal development of boys and girls ages 5–18, with special concern for disadvantaged youth. Alphapointe describes its mission as empowering people with vision loss. Kansas City Community Gardens says it helps low-income households and other community members grow nutritious produce, while Bridging the Gap says it encourages regional action for a sustainable future.
Grantmaking
The foundation’s reported grantmaking was $647,000 across 21 grants in 2025, $600,000 across 17 grants in 2024, and $615,000 across 10 grants in 2023. In 2025, grants ranged from $7,000 to $55,000, with a median of $25,000. Its grant program offers one-year grants for general operating and program support; capital requests are not considered.
Among the largest reported grants in 2025 were $55,000 to Metropolitan Arts Council of Greater and $55,000 to Nelson Gallery Foundation; $50,000 each to Boys Club of Greater Kansas City, Alphapointe, and Harry S Truman Children’s; and $45,000 to Charlotte Street Foundation.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
Bank of America N.A. is listed as co-trustee on the 2025 filing.
Louetta M Cowden Foundation's only listed officer is Bank Of America N A, Co-Trustee on every filing since 2019 (compensated).
Officers on the 2025 filing
Bank Of America N A
Co-Trustee
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
$46K (2019) → $60K (2025)
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.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $60K, to Bank of America N a (Co-Trustee).
Frequently asked questions about Louetta M Cowden Foundation
How much does Louetta M Cowden Foundation give each year?
Louetta M Cowden Foundation gave $647K across 21 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $600K across 17 grants.
What is Louetta M Cowden Foundation's typical grant size?
Louetta M Cowden Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $25,000, and its average grant was $30,810, across 21 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Louetta M Cowden Foundation that year got $25K on average.
Where does Louetta M Cowden Foundation give grants?
Louetta M Cowden Foundation gives mostly in Missouri: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Kansas City, MO (16 grants) and Independence, MO (3 grants).
Does Louetta M Cowden Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 14% of Louetta M Cowden Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (3 of 21) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Louetta M Cowden Foundation's largest grantees?
Louetta M Cowden Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Metropolitan Arts Council of Greater ($55,000), Nelson Gallery Foundation ($55,000) and Boys Club of Greater Kansas City ($50,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 25% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Louetta M Cowden Foundation?
Louetta M Cowden Foundation reported $12.6M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $671K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $721K (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 Louetta M Cowden Foundation fund?
The foundation’s stated mission is to support and promote quality educational, cultural, human services, and health care programming. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Louetta M Cowden Foundation?
The foundation does not restrict giving to preselected organizations. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Louetta M Cowden Foundation's EIN?
Louetta M Cowden Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 43-6052617. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(8)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS April 16, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS April 15, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS April 6, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS April 11, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS April 16, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS March 27, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS April 21, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2025
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Louetta M Cowden Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Louetta M Cowden Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 15, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/louetta-m-cowden-foundation-morg_096a3f6a091f45fbb58c6f0a5002bd93
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_436052617_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Louetta M Cowden Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/louetta-m-cowden-foundation-morg_096a3f6a091f45fbb58c6f0a5002bd93},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-15. 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 Louetta M Cowden 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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