Once Upon a Time Foundation
The Once Upon a Time Foundation is a private foundation based in Fort Worth, Texas, established in 1998. With approximately $275 million in assets, the foundation supports a diverse range of nonprofit organizations across multiple sectors including arts and humanities, community affairs, health and medicine, human services, and education.
Financial Overview
From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$276.7M
+2.6% YoY
Annual Giving
$10.7M
-39.4% YoY
Grant Count
1,039
+210.1% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$10K
-80.5% YoY
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation supports organizations providing benefits in the following areas:
- Arts and Humanities
- Community Affairs
- Health and Medicine
- Human Services
- Education
The foundation maintains a particularly strong focus on health and medicine, with a long-term partnership with UT Southwestern Medical Center.
Grantmaking
The foundation has made contributions and commitments exceeding $120 million since its establishment in 1998. Recent annual giving totaled approximately $19.9 million in expenses (2023) and $10.7 million in total giving (2024).
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation supports organizations across the United States, with a particular emphasis on Texas. The foundation's geographic reach extends to numerous states including Alaska, California, Wisconsin, and many others, indicating national scope while maintaining significant local presence in Texas.
Grant Distribution by State
States
Cities
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Metric | Amount |
|---|---|
| Total Assets | $275 million (approximately) |
| Total Contributions & Commitments (since 1998) | $120 million |
| Annual Expenses (2023) | $19.9 million |
| Total Giving (2024) | $10.7 million |
| Revenue (2023) | $139,000 |
| Total Liabilities (2023) | $0 |
Tax Status: 501(c)(3) private grantmaking foundation; tax-exempt since September 1998; EIN: 75-2765224
| Metric | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $276,746,212 | $269,806,059 | $226,156,369 |
| Revenue | $2,359,642 | $138,880 | $-12,186,780 |
| Expenses | $14,717,708 | $19,919,989 | $9,016,134 |
| Qualifying Distributions | $13,841,328 | $19,369,989 | $8,447,135 |
| Net Investment Income | $30,617,542 | $26,335,810 | $12,870,788 |
| Distributable Amount | $12,938,152 | $11,660,000 | $10,198,291 |
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
Grant Size Distribution
250 grants across all recorded years
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
No grants recorded for .
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
- Patrick W. Dunne — President and Treasurer
- Geoffrey P. Raynor — Director
- Paul E. Christensen — Director and Secretary
- Montana Raynor — Vice President
All board members serve without compensation.
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
From 2024 filing
| Name | Title | Hours | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| PATRICK W DUNNE | DIRECTOR, PRESIDENT AND TREASURER | 1 | — |
| GEOFFREY P RAYNOR | DIRECTOR | 1 | — |
| PAUL E CHRISTENSEN | DIRECTOR AND SECRETARY | 1 | — |
| MONTANA RAYNOR | VICE PRESIDENT | 1 | — |
Recent News & Activity
Recent developments and announcements
In 2022, the foundation announced the launch of The Raynor Cerebellum Project at UT Southwestern Medical Center with a $25 million gift to establish research initiatives focused on cerebellar dysfunction and disorders.
$25 million gift from Once Upon a Time Foundation establishes Raynor CerebellumContact Information
Address: 301 Commerce Street, Suite 3200 Fort Worth, Texas 76102
Phone: 817-332-5572
Email: info@onceuponatime.org
Website: onceuponatime.org
Subject Areas
Focus areas based on grantmaking activity
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Data last updated April 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated April 2026.
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