Palmer Foundation
Palmer Foundation is a private foundation based in Houston, Texas. Its 2025 filing reports 17 grants totaling $350,000, primarily to organizations in Texas.
Palmer Foundation at a glance
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.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $350,000
- +12.2% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 17
- -15.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $20,588
- +32.0% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $15,000
- Total assets
- $4,813,656
- -3.4% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 35% first-time grantees (6 of 17, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Texas (96% 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 Palmer Foundation
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to Apply
-
The foundation makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.
- Contact
Mailing address: 4102 Grennoch, Houston, TX 77025
Phone: (713) 906-8358
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Palmer Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was New Braufels Food Bank ($70K). Together the top 10 received $305K.
Grant Size Distribution
99 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 95 grants of 99 (96%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 96% of grant dollars went to recipients in Texas. Maryland received 2%, while Colorado and California each received 1%.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 17 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Palmer Foundation open to new grantees?
35%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 6 of 17 grantees (35%) were first-time recipients. With only 17 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 6 points. 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.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $300K (2021) to $350K (2025). In 2025 it made 17 grants totaling $350K.
Grants by year
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 |
Ready to take the next step with Palmer 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 | $4,813,656 | $178,934 | $350,000 | $350,000 | 17 | $350,000 | $178,934 | $374,423 |
| 2024 | $4,983,537 | $144,550 | $312,000 | $312,000 | 20 | $312,000 | $144,550 | $346,997 |
| 2023 | $5,156,673 | $170,255 | $320,000 | $320,000 | 19 | $320,000 | $170,255 | $298,695 |
| 2022 | $5,303,918 | $89,448 | $301,000 | $301,000 | 21 | $301,000 | $89,448 | $307,483 |
| 2021 | $5,519,008 | $74,347 | $310,774 | $300,000 | 22 | $305,460 | $74,337 | $328,146 |
| 2020 | $5,707,856 | $317,673 | $326,649 | $317,500 | 22 | — | $298,160 | $286,023 |
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.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants went to organizations including schools, children’s services organizations, food and meal programs, scouting groups, a museum, and a university foundation.
Grantee descriptions illustrate the range of organizations supported. St. John’s School describes itself as an independent, co-educational college-preparatory school focused on students’ development. Depelchin Children’s Center says it strengthens children’s lives by enhancing their mental health and physical well-being. The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston describes its work as connecting Houston communities with art through collections, exhibitions, learning programs, and research. DNA Doe Project says it helps identify Jane and John Does and return them to their families.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation reported 17 grants totaling $350,000. Grants ranged from $2,500 to $70,000, with a median grant of $15,000.
Among the largest reported grants were $70,000 to New Braufels Food Bank for organizational support; $45,000 to St. John’s School for organizational support; $35,000 each to Depelchin Children’s Center and Casa de Esperanza for organizational support; and $30,000 to The University of Texas Foundation for cancer research. Other grants included $25,000 to Kid’s Meals for organizational support and $20,000 to Interfaith Ministries Houston for Meals on Wheels.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists William Palmer Hayes as president, John Raymond Palmer as vice preside, Shelley Palmer Hayes as director, and Patrick John Hayes as secretary/tr.
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.
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). Falling short in one year is not a violation: foundations have until the end of the next year to meet the minimum.
What does Palmer Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants went to organizations including schools, children’s services organizations, food and meal programs, scouting groups, a museum, and a university foundation. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Palmer Foundation?
The foundation 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 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 October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated October 2026.
Data update history
(6)
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)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 13, 2026)
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Palmer Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 20, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/palmer-foundation-morg_669b717f87a2400db566492fc633d4ba
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_760565827_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Palmer Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/palmer-foundation-morg_669b717f87a2400db566492fc633d4ba},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-20. 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 Palmer 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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