Palmer Foundation
PALMER FOUNDATION is a private foundation located in Houston, Texas. The family foundation says it has funded more than 400 initiatives since 1990 and supports work focused on water access, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH), workforce development, and special family interests.
Key facts about Palmer Foundation
In short: Palmer Foundation gave $350K across 17 grants in 2025 (avg $21K), mostly in Texas. 35% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- EIN
- 76-0565827
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025
- Annual giving (2025)
- $350,000
- Grants made (2025)
- 17
- Average grant
- $20,588
- Median grant
- $15,000
- New grantees (estimate)
- 35% first-time grantees (6 of 17, 2025)
- Total assets
- $4,813,656
- Primary geography
- Texas (96% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to apply
- The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations. Full details ↓
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated September 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology). Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Financial Overview
From 2025 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$4.8M
-3.4% YoY
Annual Giving
$350K
+12.2% YoY
Grant Count
17
-15.0% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$21K
+32.0% YoY
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Palmer Foundation reported a distributable amount of $374K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Is Palmer Foundation open to new grantees?
35%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 6 of 17 grantees (35%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $23K; repeat grants $20K. How we count
Medians: $15K first-time, $15K repeat.
- 47% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+16%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 93% 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 (2020–2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation’s stated mission is to inspire meaningful change with an impact on public health and livelihoods, helping build stronger communities. Its core priorities are WASH and workforce development, alongside family-interest projects in areas such as education, youth programming, medical services, and the arts.
WASH grants support efforts to improve water quality and availability, sanitation, and hygiene. Workforce development grants support specialized training for veterans, young people, nurses, tradespeople, and other workers. The foundation describes examples including water filtration, sanitation facilities, veteran transition programs, and nursing simulation equipment.
Its 2025 grants included support for organizations with varied missions. St. John’s School describes itself as a college-preparatory school focused on students’ intellectual, social, and other development. CASA de Esperanza says it provides care for children in crisis, while DePelchin Children’s Center describes its work as strengthening children’s lives through mental-health and physical well-being services. The DNA Doe Project says it works to identify Jane and John Does and return them to their families.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation made 17 grants totaling $350,000. Grants ranged from $2,500 to $70,000, with a median of $15,000. Notable awards included $70,000 to New Braunfels Food Bank, $45,000 to St. John’s School, $35,000 each to DePelchin Children’s Center and CASA de Esperanza, and $30,000 to The University of Texas Foundation for cancer research. The listed purposes for the first four awards were organizational support.
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation describes supporting initiatives in the United States and around the world. In its 2025 grantmaking, 96% of grant dollars went to recipients in Texas; Maryland received 2%, and Colorado and California received 1% each.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of all 17 itemized 2025 grant dollars.
Cities
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 2025
Grant Size Distribution
99 grants across all recorded years
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| NEW BRAUFELS FOOD BANK New Braunfels, TX | ORGANIZATIONAL SUPPORT | $70,000 |
| ST JOHN'S SCHOOL Houston, TX | ORGANIZATIONAL SUPPORT | $45,000 |
| DEPELCHIN CHILDREN'S CENTER Houston, TX | ORGANIZATIONAL SUPPORT | $35,000 |
| CASA DE ESPERANZA Houston, TX | ORGANIZATIONAL SUPPORT | $35,000 |
| THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS FOUNDATION Houston, TX | SUPPORT FOR CANCER RESEARCH | $30,000 |
| KID'S MEALS Houston, TX | ORGANIZATIONAL SUPPORT | $25,000 |
| INTERFAITH MINISTRIES HOUSTON Houston, TX | SUPPORT FOR MEALS OF WHEELS | $20,000 |
| MAGELLAN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL Austin, TX | OPERATIONAL SUPPORT TO SCHOOL | $15,000 |
| GIRLS SCOUTS OF SOUTHERN TEXAS San Antonio, TX | ORGANIZATIONAL SUPPORT | $15,000 |
| ALAMO AREA BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA San Antonio, TX | SUPPORT FOR BOY SCOUTS | $15,000 |
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Grant total | Number of grants |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $350,000 | 17 |
| 2024 | $312,000 | 20 |
| 2023 | $320,000 | 19 |
| Metric | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $4,813,656 | $4,983,537 | $5,156,673 |
| Revenue | $178,934 | $144,550 | $170,255 |
| Expenses | $350,000 | $312,000 | $320,000 |
| Qualifying Distributions | $350,000 | $312,000 | $320,000 |
| Net Investment Income | $178,934 | $144,550 | $170,255 |
| Distributable Amount | $374,423 | $346,997 | $298,695 |
Data update history
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 17, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS March 22, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS April 26, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS March 2, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS April 28, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 13, 2026)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS May 17, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS March 22, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS April 26, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS March 2, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS April 28, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 13, 2026)
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists William Palmer Hayes as president, John Raymond Palmer as vice president, Shelley Palmer Hayes as director, and Patrick John Hayes as secretary/treasurer.
The foundation’s website lists Mary P. Enroth as chair, Karen E. Lischick as president, Susan Le Mieux Enroth as vice president, Jay L. Owen as secretary, Peter Lischick as treasurer, and Grant Lischick, Megan Butler, Brandon Enroth, and Brendt Enroth as directors.
Palmer Foundation is led by William Palmer Hayes, President on every filing since 2020; none of the 4 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
William Palmer Hayes
President
On filings since 2020
0.8 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Shelley Palmer Hayes
Director
Secretary & Treasurer → Secretary Treasurer, 2022
Secretary Treasurer → Director, 2025
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
John Raymond Palmer
Vice President
On filings since 2020
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Patrick John Hayes
Secretary
Director → Secretary, 2025
On filings since 2020
0.5 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Contact
Mailing address: 4102 Grennoch, Houston, TX 77025
Phone: (713) 906-8358
Website: https://thepalmerfoundation.org
Frequently asked questions about Palmer Foundation
How much does Palmer Foundation give each year?
Palmer Foundation gave $350K across 17 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $312K across 20 grants.
What is Palmer Foundation's typical grant size?
Palmer Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $15,000, and its average grant was $20,588, across 17 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Palmer Foundation that year got $23K on average.
Where does Palmer Foundation give grants?
Palmer Foundation gives mostly in Texas: 96% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Houston, TX (8 grants), New Braunfels, TX (2 grants) and San Antonio, TX (2 grants).
Does Palmer Foundation give general operating support?
Occasionally: 6% of Palmer Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (1 of 17) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Recurring purposes include "Organizational Support" (12 grants).
Who are Palmer Foundation's largest grantees?
Palmer Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include New Braufels Food Bank ($70,000), St John's School ($45,000) and Depelchin Children's Center ($35,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 43% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Palmer Foundation?
Palmer Foundation reported $4.8M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $350K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $374K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Palmer Foundation fund?
The foundation’s stated mission is to inspire meaningful change with an impact on public health and livelihoods, helping build stronger communities. Its core priorities are WASH and workforce development, alongside family-interest projects in areas such as education, youth programming, medical services, and the arts. WASH grants support efforts to improve water quality and availability, sanitation, and hygiene. Workforce development grants support specialized training for veterans, young people…
How do I apply for a grant from Palmer 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 Palmer Foundation's EIN?
Palmer Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 76-0565827. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Palmer Foundation accept unsolicited proposals?
No, according to Grantable's research on the foundation's published guidelines. See how to apply ↑
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
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