San Antonio Foundation for Excellence in Education Inc logo

San Antonio Foundation for Excellence in Education Inc

Public charity · Grantmaker San Antonio, TX EIN: 74-2861587 Website

San Antonio Foundation for Excellence in Education Inc, also known as the SAISD Foundation, is a San Antonio, Texas-based public charity. It supports educational opportunities for students and educators in San Antonio Independent School District (SAISD), including educator grants, school initiatives, and student scholarships.

Key facts about San Antonio Foundation for Excellence in Education Inc

In short: San Antonio Foundation for Excellence in Education Inc gave $248K across 12 grants in 2025 (avg $21K), mostly in Texas. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990.

EIN
74-2861587
Latest 990 filing
Form 990, 2025
Annual giving (2025)
$248,369
Grants made (2025)
12
Average grant
$20,697
Median grant
$11,063
Total assets
$9,278,855
Primary geography
Texas (74% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
How to apply
The available educator grant information is for SAISD employees and educators. Full details ↓

Data from IRS Form 990, 2025; updated September 2026. 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 · View filing

Total Assets

$9.3M

+9.9% YoY

Annual Giving

$248K

-23.9% YoY

Grant Count

12

+9.1% YoY

Avg Grant Size

$21K

-30.2% YoY

How San Antonio Foundation for Excellence in Education Inc gives

  • 75% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
  • Giving fell 57% from 2022 to 2025. Method

Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2025). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.

Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.

Mission & Focus Areas

The organization’s stated mission is “to grow opportunities for SAISD students through expanded access to enriching educational experiences.” Its filing describes innovative grants to help SAISD schools implement strategic initiatives, student scholarships for higher education, and teacher grants serving SAISD students. The website identifies focus areas including equitable opportunities in PK–12, college and career success, teacher talent, and learning spaces.

The 2025 grants included scholarships to universities and colleges, grants to schools, and mini-grants. Among the grantees, DonorsChoose.org describes its mission as engaging the public in public schools and addressing educational inequity. The University of Texas at San Antonio’s stated mission includes advancing the university, supporting access to higher education, and supporting local community educational initiatives. St. Mary’s University describes its mission as educating leaders for the common good, and Trinity University describes its mission as excellence in teaching, research, and service.

Grantmaking

In filing year 2025, the foundation reported 12 grants totaling $248,369. Grants ranged from $5,188 to $65,000, with a median grant of $11,062. The largest grants were $65,000 to DonorsChoose.org for mini-grants; $49,665 to the University of Texas at San Antonio for scholarships; and $41,000 to San Antonio Independent School District for grants to schools. Other grants included $24,513 to the University of Texas at Austin for scholarships and awards of $5,188 to $11,525 to seven additional Texas colleges and universities for scholarships.

The foundation’s website describes educator grant opportunities for SAISD employees and educators. Bright Idea Grants offer up to $5,000 for innovative projects that are new to a campus, grade level, or department. Applications require an online form with a project budget and a video of up to two minutes explaining the project and its need. Applicants need a second lead and principal approval; preference is given to projects with primarily innovative and sustainable budgets. Mini-Grants offer up to $500 for classroom or school-wide initiatives; food, necessities, general supplies, clothing, and gift cards are ineligible. The website also lists New Teacher Grants and Teacher of the Year and Distinguished Teacher of the Year grants.

The website reports awarding nearly 800 educator grants in the 2025–26 school year. It also says the foundation awards more than 150 scholarships annually to graduating SAISD seniors and supports more than 200 students each year through scholarships and emergency gap funding.

How to Apply

The available educator grant information is for SAISD employees and educators. The website says Bright Idea applications open August 1 and are due by the 10th of each month from September through March; the final submission date is March 31.

Open Grants

3 open opportunities from San Antonio Foundation for Excellence in Education Inc

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Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

The foundation’s stated grant program scope is SAISD in Texas. In 2025, 74% of grant dollars went to recipients in Texas and 26% to recipients in New York.

Grant Distribution by State

3states

Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 12 itemized grants.

Cities

San AntonioNew YorkAustinCollege StationSan MarcosScottsdale

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

$0$250K$500K$750K$1M4 grants2019 4 grants2020 3 grants2021 3 grants2022 9 grants2023 11 grants2024 12 grants2025

From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $248K (2025) to $980K (2020). In 2025 it made 12 grants totaling $248K.

Grant Insights

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2025

DonorsChooseOrg: $65KDonorsChooseOrg$65KUniversity of Texas at San Antonio: $50KUniversity of Texas at SanAntonio$50KSan Antonio Independent School District: $41KSan Antonio Independent SchoolDistrict$41KUniversity of Texas at Austin: $25KUniversity of Texas at Austin$25KSan Antonio College: $12KSan Antonio College$12KTexas A&M University-San Antonio: $11KTexas A&M University-SanAntonio$11KTexas State University: $11KTexas State University$11KTexas A&M University: $10KTexas A&M University$10KUniversity of Incarnate Word: $8KUniversity of Incarnate Word$8KSt Mary's University: $7KSt Mary's University$7K

The largest 2025 recipient was DonorsChooseOrg ($65K). Together the top 10 received $238K.

Grant Size Distribution

38 grants across all recorded years

27<$50K6$50–100K3$100–250K2$250–500K$500K–1M$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 27 grants of 38 (71%).

Giving History

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
DonorsChooseOrg New York, NYMini-grants$65,000
University of Texas at San Antonio San Antonio, TXScholarships$49,665
San Antonio Independent School District San Antonio, TXGrants to schools$41,000
University of Texas at Austin Austin, TXScholarships$24,513
San Antonio College San Antonio, TXScholarships$11,525
Texas A&M University-San Antonio San Antonio, TXScholarships$11,125
Texas State University San Marcos, TXScholarships$11,000
Texas A&M University College Station, TXScholarships$9,750
University of Incarnate Word San Antonio, TXScholarships$7,500
St Mary's University San Antonio, TXScholarships$6,750

Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Filing year Assets Revenue Expenses Grants reported
2025 $9,278,855 $3,002,647 $2,629,095 $248,369
2024 $8,439,978 $3,616,653 $3,297,663 $326,257
2023 $7,581,030 $2,862,009 $3,004,034 $385,191
Revenue
Expenses
Net Investment Income
$0$2M$4M$6M$8M2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
Metric202520242023
Total Assets$9,278,855$8,439,978$7,581,030
Revenue$3,002,647$3,616,653$2,862,009
Expenses$2,629,095$3,297,663$3,004,034
Net Investment Income$251,116$90,308$161,652

Data update history

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

  1. Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS September 10, 2021)
  2. Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS June 15, 2022)
  3. Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS August 9, 2023)
  4. Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS October 2, 2024)
  5. Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS November 17, 2025)
  6. Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS August 28, 2020)
  7. Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS June 26, 2026)
  8. IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

The 2025 filing lists Carlos Maestas as Board Chair; Dr. Shari Albright as Immediate Past Chair; Mike Grundon as Treasurer; and Connie Gonzalez as Secretary. It also lists Mario Barrera, Erika Robinson, Deborah Amini, Elaine De Los Santos, Katie Ferrier, and Laura Saldivar Luna on the Executive Committee.

San Antonio Foundation for Excellence in Education Inc is led by Judy Geelhoed, Executive Director on every filing since 2019; 1 of 33 officers listed in 2025 is compensated.

Officers on the 2025 filing

  • Judy Geelhoed

    Executive Director

    On filings since 2019

    40 hrs/week

    $95K (2019) → $122K (2025)

  • Carlos Maestas

    Board Chair

    Secretary & Vc Development → Development, 2023

    Development → Board Chair, 2025

    On filings since 2019

    2 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

  • Ernest Bromley

    Director

    Board Chair → Immediate Past Chair, 2023

    Immediate Past Chair → Director, 2024

    On filings since 2019

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Jose Ramon Campos

    Director

    Trustee → Director, 2021

    On filings since 2019

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Julian Casillas

    Director

    Trustee → Director, 2021

    On filings since 2019

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Ron Thomas

    Director

    Trustee → Director, 2021

    On filings since 2019

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Tony Magaro

    Director

    Trustee → Director, 2021

    On filings since 2019

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Christine Wong

    Director

    Trustee → Director, 2021

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Stephanie Ward

    Director

    Trustee → Director, 2021

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Brian Dillard

    Director

    On filings since 2023

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Kristopher Wickerham

    Director

    On filings since 2023

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Richard Carranza

    Director

    On filings since 2023

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Tiffany O'Neill

    Director

    On filings since 2023

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Tyler Jones

    Director

    On filings since 2023

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Desiree Alonso-Curtis

    Director

    On filings since 2024

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Emmanuel Casasola

    Director

    On filings since 2024

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Kedrick Wright

    Director

    On filings since 2024

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Letty Gonzales

    Director

    On filings since 2024

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Bernadette Martinez

    Director

    New on the 2025 filing

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Eric Castillo

    Director

    New on the 2025 filing

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Rhia Pape

    Director

    New on the 2025 filing

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • RJ Sanchez

    Director

    New on the 2025 filing

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Victoria Pineda

    Director

    New on the 2025 filing

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Connie Gonzalez

    Secretary

    Director → Secretary & Communications, 2023

    Secretary & Communications → Secretary, 2025

    On filings since 2019

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Deborah Amini

    Executive Committee

    Trustee → Director, 2021

    Director → Executive Committee, 2025

    On filings since 2019

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Mario Barrera

    Executive Committee

    Vc Human Resources → Governance & Human Resources, 2023

    Governance & Human Resources → Executive Committee, 2025

    On filings since 2019

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Shari Albright

    Immediate Past Chair

    Chair Elect & Vc Development → Board Chair, 2023

    Board Chair → Immediate Past Chair, 2025

    On filings since 2019

    1.5 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

  • Mike Grundon

    Treasurer

    Trustee → Treasurer, 2021

    On filings since 2020

    1.5 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

  • Elaine De Los Santos

    Executive Committee

    Director → Executive Committee, 2025

    On filings since 2023

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Erika Robinson

    Executive Committee

    Director → Programs, 2024

    Programs → Executive Committee, 2025

    On filings since 2023

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Katie Ferrier

    Executive Committee

    Director → Executive Committee, 2025

    On filings since 2023

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Jaime Aquino

    Ex-Officio

    Director → Ex-Officio, 2025

    On filings since 2024

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Laura Saldivar Luna

    Executive Committee

    Director → Executive Committee, 2025

    On filings since 2024

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

Former officers (26)
  • Former: Amanda Lee Keammerer (2019–2024) — Director
  • Former: Ben Jordan (2021–2024) — Director
  • Former: Jacob Cavazos (2021–2024) — Director
  • Former: Tiffany Grant (2021–2024) — Director
  • Former: Veronica Oviedo (2021–2024) — Director
  • Former: Joyce Townsend (2024) — Director
  • Former: Rick Crider (2019–2023) — Programs
  • Former: Chris Quinn (2019–2022) — Director
  • Former: Debra Salge (2019–2022) — Director
  • Former: Pat DiGiovanni (2019–2022) — Vc Governance
  • Former: Rebecca Flores (2019–2022) — Director
  • Former: Robert Olivares (2019–2022) — Director
  • Former: Steve Young (2019–2022) — Director
  • Former: Andrea Narendorf (2021–2022) — Director
  • Former: Debra Guerrero (2021–2022) — Director
  • Former: Robert Jaklich (2021–2022) — Director
  • Former: Kelly Boswell (2019–2020) — Treasurer
  • Former: Lisa Rosenzweig (2019–2020) — Trustee
  • Former: Pedro Martinez (2019–2020) — Trustee
  • Former: Rudy Garza (2019–2020) — Trustee
  • Former: Sonia Quirino Canales (2019–2020) — Trustee
  • Former: Suzanne Peterson (2019–2020) — Immediate Past Chair
  • Former: Victoria Moreno-Herrera (2019–2020) — Vc School Grants
  • Former: Tuesdae Knight (2020) — Trustee
  • Former: Mark Leita (2019) — Trustee
  • Former: Ryan Snider (2019) — Trustee

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

Judy Geelhoed — Executive Director: $122KJudy GeelhoedExecutive Director$122K

The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $122K, to Judy Geelhoed (Executive Director).

Contact

Mailing address: 1270 West Summit, San Antonio, TX 78201
Phone: (210) 554-2235
Website: https://saisdfoundation.com

Frequently asked questions about San Antonio Foundation for Excellence in Education Inc

How much does San Antonio Foundation for Excellence in Education Inc give each year?

San Antonio Foundation for Excellence in Education Inc gave $248K across 12 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. In 2024 it gave $326K across 11 grants.

What is San Antonio Foundation for Excellence in Education Inc's typical grant size?

San Antonio Foundation for Excellence in Education Inc's median grant in 2025 was $11,063, and its average grant was $20,697, across 12 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990.

Where does San Antonio Foundation for Excellence in Education Inc give grants?

San Antonio Foundation for Excellence in Education Inc gives mostly in Texas: 74% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990 went to recipients there. The next largest state was New York (26%). The most frequent recipient cities were San Antonio, TX (8 grants).

Does San Antonio Foundation for Excellence in Education Inc give general operating support?

Not in 2025: none of the 12 grants with a stated purpose on San Antonio Foundation for Excellence in Education Inc's 2025 IRS Form 990 were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Scholarships" (10 grants).

Who are San Antonio Foundation for Excellence in Education Inc's largest grantees?

San Antonio Foundation for Excellence in Education Inc's largest 2025 grantees include DonorsChooseOrg ($65,000), University of Texas at San Antonio ($49,665) and San Antonio Independent School District ($41,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990. Together they received 63% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.

How large is San Antonio Foundation for Excellence in Education Inc?

San Antonio Foundation for Excellence in Education Inc reported $9.3M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990. Its revenue that year was $3.0M.

What does San Antonio Foundation for Excellence in Education Inc fund?

The organization’s stated mission is “to grow opportunities for SAISD students through expanded access to enriching educational experiences.” See mission & focus areas ↑

How do I apply for a grant from San Antonio Foundation for Excellence in Education Inc?

The available educator grant information is for SAISD employees and educators. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑

What is San Antonio Foundation for Excellence in Education Inc's EIN?

San Antonio Foundation for Excellence in Education Inc's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 74-2861587. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.

Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.

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