Mays Foundation logo

Mays Foundation

Private foundation · Grantmaker Amarillo, TX EIN: 75-1213346 Website

Mays Foundation is a private foundation based in Amarillo, Texas. Its 2024 filing says it does not restrict giving to preselected organizations and limits awards to qualified public charities, religious organizations, and educational organizations.

Mays Foundation at a glance

In short: Mays Foundation gave $300K across 51 grants in 2025 (avg $6K), mostly in Texas. 22% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

Annual giving (2025)
$299,500
-14.7% vs 2024
Grants made (2025)
51
-12.1% vs 2024
Average grant
$5,873
-3.0% vs 2024
Median grant
$2,500
Total assets
$5,658,320
+0.9% vs 2024
New grantees (estimate)
22% first-time grantees (11 of 51, 2025)
Primary geography
Texas (90% 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 Mays Foundation

How to Apply

The 2024 filing states that requests should be made in writing, addressed to the director identified in item 2(a). Awards are restricted to qualified public charities, religious organizations, and educational organizations.

Review Cycle
None stated.
Deadline
None stated.
Contact

Application contact: Stacy Sharp
Mailing address: 914 S Tyler, Amarillo, TX 79101
Phone: (806) 376-5417

Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.

Who Mays Foundation funds

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2025

Baylor University: $50KBaylor University$50KFirst Baptist Church: $27KFirst Baptist Church$27KOpportunity Plan: $16KOpportunity Plan$16KAmarillo Symphony: $15KAmarillo Symphony$15KWayland Baptist University: $15KWayland Baptist University$15KThe Bridge: $13KThe Bridge$13KPanhandle Plains Historical Museum: $13KPanhandle Plains HistoricalMuseum$13KDallas Baptist University: $10KDallas Baptist University$10KTrue Hope Colister: $10KTrue Hope Colister$10KSaint Paul Methodist Church: $8KSaint Paul Methodist Church$8K

The largest 2025 recipient was Baylor University ($50K). Together the top 10 received $177K.

Grant Size Distribution

251 grants across all recorded years

242<$50K6$50–100K3$100–250K$250–500K$500K–1M$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 242 grants of 251 (96%).

Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

In 2025, 90% of grant dollars went to recipients in Texas. The remaining grant dollars went to recipients in Idaho (3%), Hawaii (2%), Oklahoma (2%), and New Mexico (2%).

Grant Distribution by State

8states

Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 51 itemized grants.

Cities

AmarilloCanyonWacoDallasRed RiverOklahoma CityWaysideCanadianCollege StationHonoluluPlainviewAustinBoiseBroomfieldBushlandChicagoFt WorthHappyIrvingLubbock

Is Mays Foundation open to new grantees?

22%

first-time grantees, 2025

In 2025, 11 of 51 grantees (22%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $2K; repeat grants $7K. How we count

Medians: $2K first-time, $5K repeat.

  • 78% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
  • Giving fell 24% from 2022 to 2025. Method
  • In 2025 it paid out 80% 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

$0$200K$400K$600K37 grants2021 44 grants2022 61 grants2023 58 grants2024 51 grants2025

From 2021 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $300K (2025) to $404K (2023). In 2025 it made 51 grants totaling $300K.

Grants by year

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
Baylor University Waco, TXBuilding, Scholarships$50,250
First Baptist Church Amarillo, TXBuildings, Programs$27,000
Opportunity Plan Canyon, TXScholarships$16,000
Amarillo Symphony Amarillo, TXPrograms$15,000
Wayland Baptist University Plainview, TXBuildings$15,000
The Bridge Amarillo, TXPrograms$13,000
Panhandle Plains Historical Museum Canyon, TXPrograms$12,500
Dallas Baptist University Dallas, TXPrograms$10,000
True Hope Colister Boise, IDBuildings$10,000
Saint Paul Methodist Church Amarillo, TXPrograms$8,000
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Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Figures from IRS filings, by filing year
Filing yearTotal AssetsRevenueExpensesGrants paidGrantsQualifying DistributionsNet Investment IncomeDistributable Amount
2025$5,658,320$583,935$540,132$299,50051$301,550$231,022$375,092
2024$5,607,381$494,254$565,628$351,22558$353,275$200,215$378,788
2023$5,695,798$575,705$652,413$404,47561$406,350$197,161$366,145
2022$5,756,293$483,023$588,834$396,29244$397,942$221,708$385,903
2021$5,862,124$497,791$592,594$390,56537—$181,736$376,117

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Mays Foundation reported a distributable amount of $375K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.

Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.

Mission & Focus Areas

The available information does not state a mission for the foundation. Its 2025 grant purposes included buildings, programs, and scholarships. The grants went to educational institutions, religious organizations, and other public charities.

Grantees’ stated missions illustrate the range of organizations supported. Baylor University says it integrates academic excellence and Christian commitment in educating students for leadership and service. The Amarillo Symphony says it inspires, educates, and unites the region through music. The Bridge says it works to empower Texas Panhandle children and support their healing and justice. Harrington Cancer and Health Foundation says it aims to reduce the burden of cancer and serve healthcare needs in Amarillo and surrounding communities.

Grantmaking

In 2025, the foundation made 51 grants totaling $299,500. Grant amounts ranged from $200 to $50,250, with a median of $2,500. The largest awards included $50,250 to Baylor University for building and scholarships, $27,000 to First Baptist Church in Amarillo for buildings and programs, and $16,000 to The Opportunity Plan in Canyon for scholarships. Other grants included $15,000 each to the Amarillo Symphony for programs and Wayland Baptist University for buildings, and $13,000 to The Bridge for programs.

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

The 2025 filing lists Karra Hill as vice president, Stacy Sharp as president, and Randy Sharp as secretary/treasurer.

Mays Foundation is led by Stacy Sharp, President on every filing since 2021; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.

Officers on the 2025 filing

  • Stacy Sharp

    President

    On filings since 2021

    No compensation reported

  • Karra Hill

    Vice President

    On filings since 2021

    No compensation reported

  • Randy Sharp

    Secretary & Treasurer

    On filings since 2021

    No compensation reported

Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2021–2025. "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 Mays Foundation

How much does Mays Foundation give each year?

Mays Foundation gave $300K across 51 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $351K across 58 grants.

What is Mays Foundation's typical grant size?

Mays Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $2,500, and its average grant was $5,873, across 51 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Mays Foundation that year got $2K on average.

Where does Mays Foundation give grants?

Mays Foundation gives mostly in Texas: 90% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Amarillo, TX (34 grants), Canyon, TX (4 grants) and Waco, TX (2 grants).

Does Mays Foundation give general operating support?

Not in 2025: none of the 51 grants with a stated purpose on Mays Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Programs" (39 grants) and "Buildings" (6 grants).

Who are Mays Foundation's largest grantees?

Mays Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Baylor University ($50,250), First Baptist Church ($27,000) and Opportunity Plan ($16,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 31% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.

How large is Mays Foundation?

Mays Foundation reported $5.7M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $302K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $375K (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 Mays Foundation fund?

The available information does not state a mission for the foundation. Its 2025 grant purposes included buildings, programs, and scholarships. The grants went to educational institutions, religious organizations, and other public charities. See mission & focus areas ↑

How do I apply for a grant from Mays Foundation?

The 2024 filing states that requests should be made in writing, addressed to the director identified in item 2(a). Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑

What is Mays Foundation's EIN?

Mays Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 75-1213346. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2021–2025.

Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated October 2026.

Data update history

(1)

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

  1. IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2021–2025

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Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking

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Human Services

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$171.6M

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$23.3M

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Cite this profile

Grantable. (2026). Mays Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/mays-foundation-morg_0d0a5f0b76084571ae284686cd111862

BibTeX
@misc{grantable_751213346_2026,
  author       = {{Grantable}},
  title        = {{Mays Foundation funder profile}},
  howpublished = {GrantGraph},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://grantable.co/funders/mays-foundation-morg_0d0a5f0b76084571ae284686cd111862},
  note         = {Accessed 2026-10-12. 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 Mays 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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