MK2 Foundation
MK2 Foundation is a private foundation based in Houston, Texas. Its 2025 filing lists grants for education, religious purposes, community betterment, and empowering women through professional attire.
MK2 Foundation at a glance
In short: MK2 Foundation gave $99K across 11 grants in 2025 (avg $9K), mostly in Georgia. 45% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $99,200
- +11.8% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 11
- +83.3% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $9,018
- -39.0% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $5,000
- Total assets
- $1,059,664
- +2.5% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 45% first-time grantees (5 of 11, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Georgia (59% 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 MK2 Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- Yes
- How to Apply
-
The foundation accepts unsolicited requests. Its 2024 filing says to contact Max Watson with a letter no more than two pages and no enclosures. It lists no restrictions on awards.
- Review Cycle
- None listed.
- Deadline
- None listed.
- Contact
Application contact: Max Watson
Mailing address: 2929 Westheimer Rd 308, Houston, TX 77098
Phone: (713) 816-1841
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who MK2 Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Westminster School ($50K). Together the top 10 received $98K.
Grant Size Distribution
30 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 26 grants of 30 (87%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 59% of grant dollars went to recipients in Georgia, 35% to Texas, and 5% to Louisiana. Listed recipients were in Atlanta and Houston, as well as Shreveport and Bellaire.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 11 itemized grants.
Cities
Is MK2 Foundation open to new grantees?
45%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 5 of 11 grantees (45%) were first-time recipients. With only 11 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 9 points. First grants averaged $5K; repeat grants $13K. How we count
Medians: $5K first-time, $5K repeat.
- 45% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 53% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 140% 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.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $52K (2019) to $99K (2025). In 2025 it made 11 grants totaling $99K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Westminster School Atlanta, GA | Education | $50,000 |
| Scenic Houston Houston, TX | Education | $10,000 |
| Bryd High School Shreveport, LA | Education | $5,200 |
| Dress for Success Houston, TX | Empowering Women by Providing Professional Attire | $5,000 |
| River Oaks Baptist Church Houston, TX | Religious | $5,000 |
| Houston Botanical Gardens Houston, TX | Community Betterment | $5,000 |
| Cherokee Employee Scholarship Atlanta, GA | Education | $5,000 |
| Episcopal High School Bellaire, TX | Education | $5,000 |
| First Presbyterian Houston, TX | Religious | $5,000 |
| Peachtree Presbyterian Atlanta, GA | Religious | $3,000 |
Ready to take the next step with MK2 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 | $1,059,664 | $132,516 | $107,071 | $99,200 | 11 | $99,200 | $125,920 | $70,620 |
| 2024 | $1,034,219 | $58,306 | $97,591 | $88,726 | 6 | $88,726 | $50,720 | $68,866 |
| 2023 | $1,073,504 | $97,953 | $72,400 | $65,000 | 3 | $65,000 | $90,553 | $61,930 |
| 2022 | $1,047,951 | $26,960 | $73,777 | $65,000 | 3 | $65,000 | $22,388 | $63,264 |
| 2021 | $1,094,768 | $120,170 | $79,615 | $70,500 | 7 | $70,500 | $111,055 | $68,868 |
| 2020 | $1,054,213 | $117,008 | $70,118 | $62,000 | 6 | — | $107,640 | $59,323 |
| 2019 | $1,007,323 | $87,861 | $58,364 | $51,500 | 7 | — | $79,747 | $57,751 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, MK2 Foundation reported a distributable amount of $71K 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 education, religious purposes, community betterment, and empowering women by providing professional attire. Among its grantees, Scenic Houston describes its mission as preserving and enhancing Houston’s visual environment, particularly as viewed by the traveling public. Peachtree Presbyterian says its preschool provides early childhood education in a Christian-centered environment.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation gave 11 grants totaling $99,200. Grants ranged from $1,000 to $50,000, with a median of $5,000. The largest grants were $50,000 to Westminster School for education and $10,000 to Scenic Houston for education. Other listed grants included $5,200 to Bryd High School for education; $5,000 each to Dress for Success, River Oaks Baptist Church, Houston Botanical Gardens, Cherokee Employee Scholarship, Episcopal High School, and First Presbyterian; $3,000 to Peachtree Presbyterian; and $1,000 to Fernbank Museum of Natural History.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Max P Watson Jr, Kay Greene Watson, and Matthew C Blackmon as managers.
MK2 Foundation's 2025 filing lists 3 officers; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Kay Greene Watson
Manager
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Matthew C. Blackmon
Manager
On filings since 2019
No compensation reported
Max P. Watson Jr.
Manager
On filings since 2019
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.
Frequently asked questions about MK2 Foundation
How much does MK2 Foundation give each year?
MK2 Foundation gave $99K across 11 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $89K across 6 grants.
What is MK2 Foundation's typical grant size?
MK2 Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $5,000, and its average grant was $9,018, across 11 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from MK2 Foundation that year got $5K on average.
Where does MK2 Foundation give grants?
MK2 Foundation gives mostly in Georgia: 59% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were Texas (35%) and Louisiana (5%). The most frequent recipient cities were Houston, TX (5 grants) and Atlanta, GA (4 grants).
Does MK2 Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 11 grants with a stated purpose on MK2 Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Education" (6 grants) and "Religious" (3 grants).
Who are MK2 Foundation's largest grantees?
MK2 Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Westminster School ($50,000), Scenic Houston ($10,000) and Bryd High School ($5,200), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 66% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is MK2 Foundation?
MK2 Foundation reported $1.1M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $99K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $71K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does MK2 Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants show support for education, religious purposes, community betterment, and empowering women by providing professional attire. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from MK2 Foundation?
The foundation accepts unsolicited requests. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is MK2 Foundation's EIN?
MK2 Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 76-0537908. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does MK2 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
(8)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS February 16, 2020)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS March 23, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS March 10, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS February 27, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS October 17, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS March 8, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS February 18, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2019–2025
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in MK2 Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). MK2 Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 14, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/mk2-foundation-morg_1628beecd0dc420a8e8b85d20f5b1812
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_760537908_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{MK2 Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/mk2-foundation-morg_1628beecd0dc420a8e8b85d20f5b1812},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-14. 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 MK2 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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