Mr & Mrs Gus Blass Foundation
Mr & Mrs Gus Blass Foundation is a private foundation based in Little Rock, Arkansas. Its 2025 filing lists grants to organizations in Texas, Arkansas, New Jersey, and Louisiana, including educational, health, youth, religious, and cultural organizations.
Mr & Mrs Gus Blass Foundation at a glance
In short: Mr & Mrs Gus Blass Foundation gave $115K across 34 grants in 2025 (avg $3K), mostly in Texas. 9% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $114,780
- +10.1% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 34
- -10.5% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $3,376
- +23.1% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $1,000
- Total assets
- $1,220,757
- +29.9% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 9% first-time grantees (3 of 34, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Texas (81% 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 Mr & Mrs Gus Blass Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations.
- Contact
Mailing address: 16 West Palisades Dr, Little Rock, AR 72207
Phone: (214) 476-8300
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Mr & Mrs Gus Blass Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Southern Methodist University ($36K). Together the top 10 received $98K.
Grant Size Distribution
173 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 173 grants of 173 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 81% of grant dollars went to recipients in Texas, 11% to Arkansas, 7% to New Jersey, and 1% to Louisiana.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 34 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Mr & Mrs Gus Blass Foundation open to new grantees?
9%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 3 of 34 grantees (9%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $3K; repeat grants $3K. How we count
Medians: $3K first-time, $1K repeat.
- 71% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 76% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 103% 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 $65K (2022) to $115K (2025). In 2025 it made 34 grants totaling $115K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Southern Methodist University Dallas, TX | Undesignated | $36,200 |
| Children's Medical Center Foundation Dallas, TX | Undesignated | $25,000 |
| Highland Park Educational Foundation Highland Park, NJ | Undesignated | $8,250 |
| Methodist Health System Foundation Little Rock, AR | Undesignated | $5,250 |
| Crystal Charity Ball Dallas, TX | Undesignated | $5,000 |
| Girl Scouts of North Texas Dallas, TX | Undesignated | $5,000 |
| University of Texas Southwestern Medical Foundation Dallas, TX | Undesignated | $5,000 |
| Congregation B'nai Israel Hot Springs, AR | Undesignated | $3,000 |
| Baylor Scott & White Temple, TX | Undesignated | $2,500 |
| Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute Dallas, TX | Undesignated | $2,500 |
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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 | $1,220,757 | $409,000 | $127,662 | $114,780 | 34 | $114,780 | $396,118 | $111,534 |
| 2024 | $939,419 | $-15,685 | $116,767 | $104,209 | 38 | $104,209 | $12,307 | $102,955 |
| 2023 | $1,071,871 | $85,519 | $84,722 | $75,865 | 37 | $75,865 | $77,187 | $73,799 |
| 2022 | $1,071,074 | $55,945 | $74,269 | $65,346 | 34 | $65,346 | $47,522 | $67,575 |
| 2021 | $1,089,398 | $59,465 | $94,530 | $84,825 | 30 | $84,825 | $49,760 | $87,314 |
| 2020 | $1,124,463 | $49,838 | $80,180 | $70,080 | 33 | — | $41,338 | $74,297 |
| 2019 | $1,154,805 | $183,234 | $84,627 | $74,944 | 34 | — | $175,051 | $71,455 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Mr & Mrs Gus Blass Foundation reported a distributable amount of $112K 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 grantees include organizations with varied missions. Southern Methodist University describes its mission as education through research and teaching. Children’s Medical Center Foundation says it secures philanthropic contributions to support the mission of Children’s Health System of Texas and related entities to make life better for children. Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute describes its work as creating equitable systemic changes so people can obtain needed health care. Congregation B’nai Israel Cemetery Foundation says its mission is maintaining the integrity of the cemetery.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation awarded 34 grants totaling $114,780. Grants ranged from $50 to $36,200, with a median of $1,000. The largest grants included $36,200 to Southern Methodist University and $25,000 to Children’s Medical Center Foundation, both in Dallas, Texas. Other notable grants were $8,250 to Highland Park Educational Foundation in Highland Park, New Jersey; $5,250 to Methodist Health System Foundation in Little Rock, Arkansas; and $5,000 each to Crystal Charity Ball, Girl Scouts of North Texas, and University of Texas Southwestern Medical Foundation, all in Dallas.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Patricia B Blass and Constance B O’Neill as trustees.
Mr & Mrs Gus Blass Foundation's 2025 filing lists 2 officers; none of the 2 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Constance B. O'Neill
Trustee
On filings since 2019
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Patricia B. Blass
Trustee
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.
Frequently asked questions about Mr & Mrs Gus Blass Foundation
How much does Mr & Mrs Gus Blass Foundation give each year?
Mr & Mrs Gus Blass Foundation gave $115K across 34 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $104K across 38 grants.
What is Mr & Mrs Gus Blass Foundation's typical grant size?
Mr & Mrs Gus Blass Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $1,000, and its average grant was $3,376, across 34 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Mr & Mrs Gus Blass Foundation that year got $3K on average.
Where does Mr & Mrs Gus Blass Foundation give grants?
Mr & Mrs Gus Blass Foundation gives mostly in Texas: 81% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were Arkansas (11%) and New Jersey (7%). The most frequent recipient cities were Dallas, TX (18 grants) and Little Rock, AR (7 grants).
Does Mr & Mrs Gus Blass Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 34 grants with a stated purpose on Mr & Mrs Gus Blass Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Undesignated" (33 grants).
Who are Mr & Mrs Gus Blass Foundation's largest grantees?
Mr & Mrs Gus Blass Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Southern Methodist University ($36,200), Children's Medical Center Foundation ($25,000) and Highland Park Educational Foundation ($8,250), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 61% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Mr & Mrs Gus Blass Foundation?
Mr & Mrs Gus Blass Foundation reported $1.2M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $115K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $112K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Mr & Mrs Gus Blass Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grantees include organizations with varied missions. Southern Methodist University describes its mission as education through research and teaching. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Mr & Mrs Gus Blass Foundation?
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Mr & Mrs Gus Blass Foundation's EIN?
Mr & Mrs Gus Blass Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 81-6235993. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does Mr & Mrs Gus Blass Foundation 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.
Data update history
(3)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS May 1, 2020)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS April 30, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Mr & Mrs Gus Blass Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Mr & Mrs Gus Blass Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/mr-and-mrs-gus-blass-foundation-morg_a0c75ab3602141bb8126e7b61d7ef525
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_816235993_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Mr \& Mrs Gus Blass Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/mr-and-mrs-gus-blass-foundation-morg_a0c75ab3602141bb8126e7b61d7ef525},
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 Mr & Mrs Gus Blass 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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