Saramco Foundation
Saramco Foundation is a private foundation based in Houston, Texas. Its 2025 filing lists 12 grants totaling $500,000, primarily to charitable organizations in Texas.
Key facts about Saramco Foundation
In short: Saramco Foundation gave $500K across 12 grants in 2025 (avg $42K), mostly in Texas. 17% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- EIN
- 20-8358255
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025
- Annual giving (2025)
- $500,000
- Grants made (2025)
- 12
- Average grant
- $41,667
- Median grant
- $25,000
- New grantees (estimate)
- 17% first-time grantees (2 of 12, 2025)
- Total assets
- $5,363,128
- Primary geography
- Texas (89% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to apply
- The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and states that it 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
$5.4M
+9.3% YoY
Annual Giving
$500K
+8.7% YoY
Grant Count
12
+0.0% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$42K
+8.7% YoY
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Saramco Foundation reported a distributable amount of $450K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Is Saramco Foundation open to new grantees?
17%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 2 of 12 grantees (17%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $15K; repeat grants $47K. How we count
Medians: $15K first-time, $28K repeat.
- 75% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+19%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 111% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). 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 available grant records show support for organizations involved in early childhood education and care, school education, and postsecondary access. These are grantee activities, not a stated mission of the foundation.
Small Steps Nurturing Center describes its mission as fostering the growth of economically at-risk children and their families through an early childhood program. Harbor Christian Academy says it provides a classical and Christian education to students from varied backgrounds across Houston. Yellowstone Academy describes its work as inspiring and investing in students to achieve their potential. OneGoal says it supports underserved students seeking a postsecondary degree, while Project One Day describes its work as providing tuition-free, Christ-centered childcare for families in need.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation awarded 12 grants totaling $500,000. Grant amounts ranged from $5,000 to $105,000, with a median of $25,000.
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 89% of grant dollars went to recipients in Texas, 6% to recipients in Utah, and 5% to recipients in Illinois. The listed grants show support for organizations in Houston and elsewhere in Texas, as well as recipients in Park City, Utah, and Chicago, Illinois.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 12 itemized grants.
Cities
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $380K (2020) to $500K (2025). In 2025 it made 12 grants totaling $500K.
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Small Steps Nurturing Center ($105K). Together the top 10 received $485K.
Grant Size Distribution
57 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 40 grants of 57 (70%).
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Small Steps Nurturing Center Houston, TX | General Charitable | $105,000 |
| Harbor Christian Academy Houston, TX | General Charitable | $100,000 |
| Yellowstone Academy Houston, TX | General Chaaritable | $90,000 |
| Cristo Rey Jesuit Houston, TX | General Charitable | $50,000 |
| PC Tots Park City, UT | General Charitable | $30,000 |
| Small Steps Nurturing Center Foundation Houston, TX | Charitable Foundation | $25,000 |
| Chinquapin Preparatory Highlands, TX | General Charitable | $25,000 |
| OneGoal Chicago, IL | General Charitable | $25,000 |
| Friends of Children Houston Houston, TX | General Charitable | $25,000 |
| The Nehemiah Center Houston, TX | General Charitable | $10,000 |
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $5,363,128 | $810,271 | $511,836 | $500,000 |
| 2024 | $4,908,868 | $780,139 | $471,935 | $460,000 |
| 2023 | $4,452,977 | $335,033 | $437,033 | $430,000 |
The filing type is Form 990-PF.
| Metric | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $5,363,128 | $4,908,868 | $4,452,977 |
| Revenue | $810,271 | $780,139 | $335,033 |
| Expenses | $511,836 | $471,935 | $437,033 |
| Qualifying Distributions | $500,000 | $460,000 | $430,000 |
| Net Investment Income | $818,836 | $770,193 | $203,028 |
| Distributable Amount | $449,706 | $418,649 | $364,110 |
Data update history
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 10, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists James A Gilligan as president, Julie Gilligan as secretary, and Sarah Sikorski and Amy Macon as officers.
Saramco Foundation is led by James A. Gilligan, President on every filing since 2020; none of the 4 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
James A. Gilligan
President
On filings since 2020
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Amy Macon
Officer
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Julie Gilligan
Secretary
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Sarah Sikorski
Officer
On filings since 2020
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.
Contact
Mailing address: PO Box 542327, Houston, TX 77254
Phone: (713) 824-3652
Frequently asked questions about Saramco Foundation
How much does Saramco Foundation give each year?
Saramco Foundation gave $500K across 12 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $460K across 12 grants.
What is Saramco Foundation's typical grant size?
Saramco Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $25,000, and its average grant was $41,667, across 12 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Saramco Foundation that year got $15K on average.
Where does Saramco Foundation give grants?
Saramco Foundation gives mostly in Texas: 89% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were Utah (6%) and Illinois (5%). The most frequent recipient cities were Houston, TX (9 grants).
Does Saramco Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 92% of Saramco Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (11 of 12) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Saramco Foundation's largest grantees?
Saramco Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Small Steps Nurturing Center ($105,000), Harbor Christian Academy ($100,000) and Yellowstone Academy ($90,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 59% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Saramco Foundation?
Saramco Foundation reported $5.4M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $500K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $450K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does Saramco Foundation fund?
The available grant records show support for organizations involved in early childhood education and care, school education, and postsecondary access. These are grantee activities, not a stated mission of the foundation. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Saramco Foundation?
The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and states that it 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 Saramco Foundation's EIN?
Saramco Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 20-8358255. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Saramco 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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