Nelson Family Foundation
Nelson Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Houston, Texas. In its 2024 filing, it reported 31 grants totaling $132,800, with listed purposes of charitable support.
Nelson Family Foundation at a glance
In short: Nelson Family Foundation gave $133K across 31 grants in 2024 (avg $4K), mostly in Texas. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $132,800
- -26.0% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 31
- -8.8% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $4,284
- -18.9% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $2,400
- Total assets
- $6,391
- -92.9% vs 2023
- Primary geography
- Texas (83% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated October 2026.
How to apply to Nelson Family Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: 3131 Eastside St 300, Houston, TX 77098-1919
Phone: (713) 568-1282
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Nelson Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Christus Foundation ($23K). Together the top 10 received $90K.
Grant Size Distribution
114 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 113 grants of 114 (99%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2024, 83% of grant dollars went to recipients in Texas. The reported shares for other recipient states were California, 11%; New York, 4%; Colorado, 2%; and Massachusetts, 1%.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 31 itemized grants.
Cities
How Nelson Family Foundation gives
- 84% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving grew 66% from 2021 to 2024. Method
- In 2024 it paid out well above its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2024). 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 2020 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $10K (2020) to $180K (2023). In 2024 it made 31 grants totaling $133K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Christus Foundation Beaumont, TX | Charitable Support | $23,000 |
| CASA Juan Diego Houston, TX | Charitable Support | $20,000 |
| Star of Hope Houston, TX | Charitable Support | $10,000 |
| Catholic Charities Houston, TX | Charitable Support | $6,000 |
| Houston Food Bank Houston, TX | Charitable Support | $5,500 |
| Candlelighters Stafford, TX | Charitable Support | $5,000 |
| CASA De Esperanza Houston, TX | Charitable Support | $5,000 |
| Dominican Sisters of Houston Houston, TX | Charitable Support | $5,000 |
| Inner City Catholic Schools Houston, TX | Charitable Support | $5,000 |
| Naval Postgraduate School Foundation Monterey, CA | Charitable Support | $5,000 |
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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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $6,391 | $50,913 | $134,590 | $132,800 | 31 | $132,800 | — | $3,552 |
| 2023 | $90,068 | $2,889 | $183,658 | $179,505 | 34 | $179,505 | — | $12,153 |
| 2022 | $270,837 | $101,291 | $156,197 | $155,200 | 28 | $155,200 | $294 | $15,220 |
| 2021 | $325,743 | $298,927 | $80,805 | $79,950 | 20 | $79,950 | — | $6,059 |
| 2020 | $107,621 | $151 | $10,480 | $10,000 | 1 | — | — | $5,452 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Nelson Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $4K for 2024 — 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 2024 giving included Casa Juan Diego, whose mission is to provide shelter and services to people in poverty, and Casa de Esperanza, which provides care for children in crisis. Yellowstone Academy describes its mission as helping students reach their potential, while Red Hook Initiative works with young people and community adults to support youth well-being and development.
Other 2024 recipients included the Naval Postgraduate School Foundation, which supports education, research, technology development, institutional initiatives, and community programs at the school, and the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund, which describes its work as non-political humanitarian relief focused on healthcare for children in Palestine.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the foundation made 31 grants totaling $132,800. Grants ranged from $200 to $23,000, with a median grant of $2,400. Among the largest awards were $23,000 to CHRISTUS FOUNDATION, $20,000 to CASA JUAN DIEGO, $10,000 to STAR OF HOPE, and $6,000 to CATHOLIC CHARITIES. The foundation also gave $5,500 to HOUSTON FOOD BANK and $5,000 each to CANDLELIGHTERS, CASA DE ESPERANZA, DOMINICAN SISTERS OF HOUSTON, INNER CITY CATHOLIC SCHOOLS, NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL FOUNDATION, YELLOWSTONE ACADEMY, and RED HOOK INITIATIVE.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists T Hunter Nelson as president and treasurer and director; Betsy W Nelson as vice president and secretary and director; and T Hunter Nelson Jr and Emily H Nelson as directors.
Nelson Family Foundation is led by T. Hunter Nelson, President, Treasurer & Director on every filing since 2020; none of the 4 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
T. Hunter Nelson
President, Treasurer & Director
On filings since 2020
3 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Betsy W. Nelson
Vice President, Secretary & Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Emily H. Nelson
Director
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
T. Hunter Nelson Jr.
Director
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2024. "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 Nelson Family Foundation
How much does Nelson Family Foundation give each year?
Nelson Family Foundation gave $133K across 31 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $180K across 34 grants.
What is Nelson Family Foundation's typical grant size?
Nelson Family Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $2,400, and its average grant was $4,284, across 31 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does Nelson Family Foundation give grants?
Nelson Family Foundation gives mostly in Texas: 83% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was California (11%). The most frequent recipient cities were Houston, TX (19 grants) and Beaumont, TX (3 grants).
Does Nelson Family Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2024: none of the 31 grants with a stated purpose on Nelson Family Foundation's 2024 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Charitable Support" (30 grants).
Who are Nelson Family Foundation's largest grantees?
Nelson Family Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include Christus Foundation ($23,000), CASA Juan Diego ($20,000) and Star of Hope ($10,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 40% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Nelson Family Foundation?
Nelson Family Foundation reported $6K in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $133K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $4K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Nelson Family Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2024 giving included Casa Juan Diego, whose mission is to provide shelter and services to people in poverty, and Casa de Esperanza, which provides care for children in crisis. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Nelson Family Foundation?
The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Nelson Family Foundation's EIN?
Nelson Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 20-8069898. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Does Nelson Family 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
(1)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Nelson Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 14, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/nelson-family-foundation-morg_d64d5dd07af2440186cbf529abdf1b37
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_208069898_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Nelson Family Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/nelson-family-foundation-morg_d64d5dd07af2440186cbf529abdf1b37},
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 Nelson Family 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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