Rita and Richard C Ashley Foundation
The Rita and Richard C Ashley Foundation is a private foundation based in Galveston, Texas. In its 2025 filing, it reported making 13 grants totaling $276,200 to charitable organizations, including educational, religious, healthcare, and cultural organizations.
Rita and Richard C Ashley Foundation at a glance
In short: Rita and Richard C Ashley Foundation gave $276K across 13 grants in 2025 (avg $21K), mostly in Texas. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $276,200
- +117.1% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 13
- +8.3% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $21,246
- +100.4% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $6,700
- Total assets
- $3,901,184
- +7.5% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- Texas (52% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026.
How to apply to Rita and Richard C Ashley 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: 500 Seawall Blvd 1210, Galveston, TX 77550
Phone: (409) 656-2632
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Rita and Richard C Ashley Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was University of Texas at Austin ($100K). Together the top 10 received $273K.
Grant Size Distribution
38 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 34 grants of 38 (89%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 52% of grant dollars went to recipients in Texas, 35% to Washington, DC, 7% to Pennsylvania, 4% to Florida, and 2% to Ohio.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 13 itemized grants.
Cities
How Rita and Richard C Ashley Foundation gives
- 75% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 331% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 151% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (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 $50K (2020) to $276K (2025). In 2025 it made 13 grants totaling $276K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX | Support for Texas Science and Natural History Museum Excellence Fund | $100,000 |
| Smithsonian Institution Washington, DC | Support for the National Gem and Mineral Collection held at the National Museum of Natural History | $97,000 |
| St Joseph's Church Galveston, TX | Religious - General fund | $20,000 |
| Childrens Hospital of Pittsburgh Fd Pittsburgh, PA | Trost/Snyder Ophthamology Fund | $20,000 |
| Shriners Hospital for Children Tampa, FL | Pediatric care | $10,000 |
| Ronald McDonald House Galveston, TX | General fund | $10,000 |
| Monsignor Kelly Catholic High Schoo Beaumont, TX | Funds for Monsignor Culotta Scholarship Fund and sponsorship of the High Tea Scholarship event | $6,700 |
| Healthnetwork Foundation Pepper Pike, OH | Healthcare network and research | $5,000 |
| Holy Family Parish Galveston, TX | Religious - General fund | $3,000 |
| Exotic Wildlife Association Kerrville, TX | Funds for Don Tarpey Scholarship | $1,500 |
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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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $3,901,184 | $311,282 | $320,304 | $276,200 | 13 | $276,200 | $273,515 | $182,497 |
| 2024 | $3,630,122 | $1,231,674 | $129,858 | $127,200 | 12 | $127,200 | $1,227,516 | $156,136 |
| 2023 | $3,319,369 | $228,933 | $166,806 | $144,500 | 9 | $144,500 | $159,777 | $152,697 |
| 2022 | $2,881,320 | $1,421,177 | $70,204 | $64,100 | 2 | $64,100 | $1,403,746 | $138,699 |
| 2021 | $3,421,780 | $1,344,946 | $110,589 | $110,500 | 2 | $110,500 | $184,770 | $97,965 |
| 2020 | $1,980,759 | $1,157,477 | $50,127 | $50,000 | 1 | — | $11,445 | $63,092 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Rita and Richard C Ashley Foundation reported a distributable amount of $182K for 2025 — 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 2025 grants included support for the Texas Science and Natural History Museum Excellence Fund and the Smithsonian’s National Gem and Mineral Collection, as well as grants to religious organizations, healthcare-related organizations, and scholarship funds.
The Smithsonian describes its mission as “increase and diffusion of knowledge,” pursued by preserving heritage, discovering new knowledge, and sharing resources. Healthnetwork Foundation says it connects members with leading healthcare providers and supports education and research through partner hospitals. Exotic Wildlife Association describes its mission as protecting game ranchers and hunters and developing non-native wildlife breeding, with member ethics as a conservation-management tool.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation awarded 13 grants totaling $276,200. Grant amounts ranged from $1,000 to $100,000, with a median of $6,700. The largest awards included $100,000 to the University of Texas at Austin for the Texas Science and Natural History Museum Excellence Fund and $97,000 to the Smithsonian Institution for its National Gem and Mineral Collection. Other listed grants included $20,000 to St Joseph’s Church for its general fund, $20,000 to Childrens Hospital of Pittsburgh Fd for the Trost/Snyder Ophthamology Fund, and $10,000 to Shriners Hospital for Children for pediatric care.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Richard C Ashley, Rita Ashley, Gina Buntin, and Angelena Culotta as trustees.
Rita and Richard C Ashley Foundation's 2025 filing lists 4 officers; none of the 4 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Richard C Ashley
Trustee
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Rita Ashley
Trustee
On filings since 2024
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Angelena Culotta
Trustee
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Gina Buntin
Trustee
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/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 Rita and Richard C Ashley Foundation
How much does Rita and Richard C Ashley Foundation give each year?
Rita and Richard C Ashley Foundation gave $276K across 13 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $127K across 12 grants.
What is Rita and Richard C Ashley Foundation's typical grant size?
Rita and Richard C Ashley Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $6,700, and its average grant was $21,246, across 13 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does Rita and Richard C Ashley Foundation give grants?
Rita and Richard C Ashley Foundation gives mostly in Texas: 52% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were District of Columbia (35%) and Pennsylvania (7%). The most frequent recipient cities were Galveston, TX (5 grants).
Does Rita and Richard C Ashley Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 38% of Rita and Richard C Ashley Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (5 of 13) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Rita and Richard C Ashley Foundation's largest grantees?
Rita and Richard C Ashley Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include University of Texas at Austin ($100,000), Smithsonian Institution ($97,000) and St Joseph's Church ($20,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 79% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Rita and Richard C Ashley Foundation?
Rita and Richard C Ashley Foundation reported $3.9M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $276K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $182K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Rita and Richard C Ashley Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Rita and Richard C Ashley 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 Rita and Richard C Ashley Foundation's EIN?
Rita and Richard C Ashley Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 76-0698305. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Rita and Richard C Ashley 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
(6)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS April 2, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS April 7, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 15, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS October 5, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS September 2, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 13, 2026)
Live grants for the work Rita and Richard C Ashley Foundation funds
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Rita and Richard C Ashley Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 17, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/rita-and-richard-c-ashley-foundation-morg_3919c14672e54870b703b8209d3fa12c
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_760698305_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Rita and Richard C Ashley Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/rita-and-richard-c-ashley-foundation-morg_3919c14672e54870b703b8209d3fa12c},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-17. 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 Rita and Richard C Ashley 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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