Serafy Foundation
Serafy Foundation is a private foundation based in Brownsville, Texas. Its 2024 filing reports grants to organizations including schools, universities, a children’s museum, hospitals, and other nonprofits.
Serafy Foundation at a glance
In short: Serafy Foundation gave $511K across 42 grants in 2024 (avg $12K), mostly in Texas. 29% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $511,267
- +0.5% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 42
- +20.0% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $12,173
- -16.3% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $5,000
- Total assets
- $11,443,491
- +5.0% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 29% first-time grantees (12 of 42, 2024)
- Primary geography
- Texas (85% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Serafy Foundation
- How to Apply
-
The foundation states that all written requests from tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organizations will be considered. Contact Nicholas T. Serafy Jr. The filing states there are no restrictions on awards.
- Contact
Application contact: Nicholas T Serafy Jr
Mailing address: 205 West Levee St, Brownsville, TX 78520
Phone: (956) 546-5313
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Serafy Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was St Mary's Catholic School ($70K). Together the top 10 received $355K.
Grant Size Distribution
182 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 168 grants of 182 (92%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2024, 85% of grant dollars went to recipients in Texas, 8% to Illinois, and 6% to Indiana. The filing also lists recipients in New Jersey and the District of Columbia, each at 0% of grant dollars.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 42 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is Serafy Foundation open to new grantees?
29%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 12 of 42 grantees (29%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $3K; repeat grants $16K. How we count
Medians: $1K first-time, $10K repeat.
- 57% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving grew 27% from 2021 to 2024. Method
- In 2024 it paid out 87% 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 (2020–2024). 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 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $401K (2021) to $573K (2022). In 2024 it made 42 grants totaling $511K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| St Mary's Catholic School Brownsville, TX | General Fund | $70,000 |
| Utrgv Brownsville, TX | General Fund | $56,000 |
| College of American Pathologists Northfield, IL | General Fund | $40,350 |
| The Love Builds Hope Foundation San Juan, TX | General Fund | $35,000 |
| University of Notre Dame Notre Dame, IN | General Fund | $31,000 |
| Children's Museum of Brownsville Brownsville, TX | General Fund | $26,815 |
| MD Anderson Cancer Center Houston, TX | General Fund | $26,000 |
| University of Dallas Irving, TX | General Fund | $25,000 |
| Driscoll Children's Hospital Corpus Christi, TX | General Fund | $25,000 |
| Mary Mother of the Church Brownsville, TX | General Fund | $20,100 |
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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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $11,443,491 | $992,407 | $826,420 | $511,267 | 42 | $511,267 | $683,826 | $590,612 |
| 2023 | $10,896,865 | $338,314 | $807,559 | $508,890 | 35 | $508,890 | $84,764 | $511,944 |
| 2022 | $10,141,715 | $610,883 | $711,607 | $573,450 | 36 | $573,450 | $533,413 | $522,541 |
| 2021 | $12,219,131 | $376,217 | $567,067 | $401,100 | 34 | $401,100 | $271,179 | $575,511 |
| 2020 | $11,198,303 | $403,205 | $852,094 | $562,253 | 35 | — | $174,774 | $487,335 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Serafy Foundation reported a distributable amount of $591K for 2024 — 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 2024 grants show support for organizations with varied missions. For example, the Children’s Museum of Brownsville says it develops exhibits that provide creative learning opportunities for children; Driscoll Children’s Hospital describes its work as expert care, education, outreach, and advocacy; and the College of American Pathologists says it works to advance excellence in pathology and laboratory medicine.
Grantmaking
In 2024, the foundation reported 42 grants totaling $511,267. Grants ranged from $500 to $70,000, with a median grant of $5,000. Listed purposes for the largest grants were “general fund.”
Among the largest 2024 grants were $70,000 to St. Mary’s Catholic School and $56,000 to UTRGV, both in Brownsville; $40,350 to the College of American Pathologists in Northfield, Illinois; $35,000 to the Love Builds Hope Foundation in San Juan, Texas; and $31,000 to the University of Notre Dame in Notre Dame, Indiana. Other listed grants included $26,815 to the Children’s Museum of Brownsville, $26,000 to MD Anderson Cancer Center, and $25,000 each to the University of Dallas and Driscoll Children’s Hospital.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
Nicholas T. Serafy Jr. is listed as trustee on the 2024 filing.
Serafy Foundation is led by Nicholas T. Serafy Jr., Trustee on every filing since 2020 — the only officer listed, and uncompensated.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Nicholas T. Serafy Jr.
Trustee
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2024. "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 Serafy Foundation
How much does Serafy Foundation give each year?
Serafy Foundation gave $511K across 42 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $509K across 35 grants.
What is Serafy Foundation's typical grant size?
Serafy Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $5,000, and its average grant was $12,173, across 42 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Serafy Foundation that year got $3K on average.
Where does Serafy Foundation give grants?
Serafy Foundation gives mostly in Texas: 85% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were Illinois (8%) and Indiana (6%). The most frequent recipient cities were Brownsville, TX (16 grants), Dallas, TX (4 grants), Austin, TX (3 grants) and Houston, TX (2 grants).
Does Serafy Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of Serafy Foundation's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (42 of 42) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Serafy Foundation's largest grantees?
Serafy Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include St Mary's Catholic School ($70,000), Utrgv ($56,000) and College of American Pathologists ($40,350), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 33% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is Serafy Foundation?
Serafy Foundation reported $11.4M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $511K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $591K (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 Serafy Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2024 grants show support for organizations with varied missions. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Serafy Foundation?
The foundation states that all written requests from tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organizations will be considered. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is Serafy Foundation's EIN?
Serafy Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 74-2861035. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(1)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Serafy Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 10, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/serafy-foundation-morg_c6cf4eccf3a64b0488f53e667747fdaa
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_742861035_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Serafy Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/serafy-foundation-morg_c6cf4eccf3a64b0488f53e667747fdaa},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-10. 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 Serafy 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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