Prometheus Charitable Trust

Private foundation · Grantmaker Houston, TX EIN: 20-1074874

Prometheus Charitable Trust is a private foundation based in Houston, Texas. In its 2025 filing, it reported 26 grants totaling $401,775 to organizations working in areas including dance, health care access, domestic and sexual violence services, education, and criminal justice.

Prometheus Charitable Trust at a glance

In short: Prometheus Charitable Trust gave $402K across 26 grants in 2025 (avg $15K), mostly in Texas. 12% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

Annual giving (2025)
$401,775
+0.6% vs 2024
Grants made (2025)
26
-31.6% vs 2024
Average grant
$15,453
+47.0% vs 2024
Median grant
$10,000
Total assets
$3,360,161
-3.8% vs 2024
New grantees (estimate)
12% first-time grantees (3 of 26, 2025)
Primary geography
Texas (60% 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 Prometheus Charitable Trust

How to Apply

Submit a written request to Blaine Adams, including a 501(c)(3) exemption letter and current-year IRS exemption status. The filing lists no restrictions on awards.

Contact

Application contact: Blaine Adams
Mailing address: 5535 Memorial Dr Ste F 560, Houston, TX 77007
Phone: (713) 705-6445

Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.

Who Prometheus Charitable Trust funds

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2025

The Mendcenter Foundation: $88KThe Mendcenter Foundation$88KIshida Dance Company: $50KIshida Dance Company$50KUniversity of Houston: $30KUniversity of Houston$30KMusic Health Alliance: $25KMusic Health Alliance$25KHouston Area Women's Center: $20KHouston Area Women's Center$20KShanti Bhavan Children's Project: $20KShanti Bhavan Children'sProject$20KRothko Chapel: $15KRothko Chapel$15KMoonlight Community Foundation: $15KMoonlight Community Foundation$15KInnocence Project: $14KInnocence Project$14KW O Smith Music School: $14KW O Smith Music School$14K

The largest 2025 recipient was The Mendcenter Foundation ($88K). Together the top 10 received $291K.

Grant Size Distribution

149 grants across all recorded years

143<$50K3$50–100K3$100–250K$250–500K$500K–1M$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 143 grants of 149 (96%).

Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

In 2025, 60% of grant dollars went to recipients in Texas, 20% to Tennessee, 6% to New York, 5% to Washington, and 4% to Montana.

Grant Distribution by State

16states

Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 26 itemized grants.

Cities

HoustonNashvilleNew YorkBig SkyWashingtonJoeltonMissoulaCrawfordSpringAustinDallasNew OrleansBellevueBoontonBozemanPasadenaCincinnatiNahsvilleShelburneAthens

Is Prometheus Charitable Trust open to new grantees?

12%

first-time grantees, 2025

In 2025, 3 of 26 grantees (12%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $5K; repeat grants $17K. How we count

Medians: $5K first-time, $11K repeat.

  • 85% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
  • Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+6%). Method
  • In 2025 it paid out 150% 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

$0$200K$400K$600K42 grants2019 26 grants2020 29 grants2021 26 grants2022 30 grants2023 38 grants2024 26 grants2025

From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $300K (2019) to $428K (2023). In 2025 it made 26 grants totaling $402K.

Grants by year

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
The Mendcenter Foundation Houston, TXGeneral Purpose$87,500
Ishida Dance Company Austin, TXGeneral Purpose$50,000
University of Houston Houston, TXGeneral Support$30,000
Music Health Alliance Nashville, TNGeneral Purpose$25,000
Houston Area Women's Center Houston, TXGeneral Purpose$20,000
Shanti Bhavan Children's Project Bellevue, WAGeneral Purpose$20,000
Rothko Chapel Houston, TXGeneral Purpose$15,275
Moonlight Community Foundation Big Sky, MTGeneral Purpose$15,000
Innocence Project New York, NYGeneral Purpose$14,000
W O Smith Music School Nashville, TNGeneral Purpose$14,000
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Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Figures from IRS filings, by filing year
Filing yearTotal AssetsRevenueExpensesGrants paidGrantsQualifying DistributionsNet Investment IncomeDistributable Amount
2025$3,360,161$391,977$526,043$401,77526$451,654$63,315$301,222
2024$3,494,606$495,474$521,713$399,50038$448,583$46,055$271,838
2023$3,527,276$525,937$544,161$428,47530$478,521$31,040$268,883
2022$3,559,492$132,934$496,491$378,00026$425,565$21,910$285,427
2021$3,915,001$357,130$521,398$400,00029$445,639$38,390$335,699
2020$4,084,183$252,656$425,543$327,87526—$76,207$273,038
2019$4,259,933$236,111$393,679$300,00042—$75,141$279,008

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Prometheus Charitable Trust reported a distributable amount of $301K 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 trust is provided. Its 2025 grantees’ own descriptions show a range of activities: Ishida Dance Company says it uses contemporary dance and works with local organizations to bring dance to underserved communities; Houston Area Women’s Center says it works to end domestic and sexual violence and provides advocacy, counseling, education, shelter, and support services. Music Health Alliance describes its work as connecting music professionals with health care and financial solutions, while the Innocence Project describes its mission as freeing wrongfully convicted people and reforming the criminal justice system.

Grantmaking

In 2025, the trust made 26 grants totaling $401,775. Awards ranged from $1,000 to $87,500, with a median of $10,000. The largest listed grants included $87,500 to The MendCenter Foundation, $50,000 to Ishida Dance Company, $30,000 to the University of Houston, $25,000 to Music Health Alliance, and $20,000 each to Houston Area Women’s Center and Shanti Bhavan Children’s Project. The filing lists the purposes of these grants as general purpose or general support.

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

The 2025 filing lists Ellen Blaine Adams, Lise M. Liddell, Frank A. Liddell III, and Robert B. Liddell as trustees.

Prometheus Charitable Trust's 2025 filing lists 4 officers; 1 of 4 officers listed in 2025 is compensated.

Officers on the 2025 filing

  • Ellen Blaine Adams

    Trustee

    On filings since 2019

    20 hrs/week

    $25K (2019) → $44K (2025)

  • Frank A. Liddell III

    Trustee

    On filings since 2019

    No compensation reported

  • Lise M. Liddell

    Trustee

    On filings since 2019

    No compensation reported

  • Robert B. Liddell

    Trustee

    On filings since 2019

    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.

Compensation Overview

From 2025 IRS filing

Ellen Blaine Adams — Trustee: $44KEllen Blaine AdamsTrustee$44K

The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $44K, to Ellen Blaine Adams (Trustee).

Frequently asked questions about Prometheus Charitable Trust

How much does Prometheus Charitable Trust give each year?

Prometheus Charitable Trust gave $402K across 26 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $400K across 38 grants.

What is Prometheus Charitable Trust's typical grant size?

Prometheus Charitable Trust's median grant in 2025 was $10,000, and its average grant was $15,453, across 26 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Prometheus Charitable Trust that year got $5K on average.

Where does Prometheus Charitable Trust give grants?

Prometheus Charitable Trust gives mostly in Texas: 60% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were Tennessee (20%) and New York (6%). The most frequent recipient cities were Houston, TX (8 grants), Nashville, TN (6 grants) and New York, NY (2 grants).

Does Prometheus Charitable Trust give general operating support?

Yes: 96% of Prometheus Charitable Trust's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (25 of 26) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

Who are Prometheus Charitable Trust's largest grantees?

Prometheus Charitable Trust's largest 2025 grantees include The Mendcenter Foundation ($87,500), Ishida Dance Company ($50,000) and University of Houston ($30,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 42% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.

How large is Prometheus Charitable Trust?

Prometheus Charitable Trust reported $3.4M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $452K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $301K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).

What does Prometheus Charitable Trust fund?

No mission statement for the trust is provided. See mission & focus areas ↑

How do I apply for a grant from Prometheus Charitable Trust?

Submit a written request to Blaine Adams, including a 501(c)(3) exemption letter and current-year IRS exemption status. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑

What is Prometheus Charitable Trust's EIN?

Prometheus Charitable Trust's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 20-1074874. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.

Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated October 2026.

Data update history

(3)

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

  1. Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS April 14, 2020)
  2. Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS July 16, 2026)
  3. IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024

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Cite this profile

Grantable. (2026). Prometheus Charitable Trust funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/prometheus-charitable-trust-morg_81284a3db5cb49a6aef3ffa2dd90d3dc

BibTeX
@misc{grantable_201074874_2026,
  author       = {{Grantable}},
  title        = {{Prometheus Charitable Trust funder profile}},
  howpublished = {GrantGraph},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://grantable.co/funders/prometheus-charitable-trust-morg_81284a3db5cb49a6aef3ffa2dd90d3dc},
  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 Prometheus Charitable Trust'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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