Steen Family Foundation
Steen Family Foundation is a private foundation based in Houston, Texas. In 2025, it reported 26 grants totaling $318,700, with most grant dollars going to organizations in Texas.
Steen Family Foundation at a glance
In short: Steen Family Foundation gave $319K across 26 grants in 2025 (avg $12K), mostly in Texas. 24% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $318,700
- +18.7% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 26
- -10.3% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $12,258
- +32.3% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $4,500
- Total assets
- $6,337,966
- +7.4% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 24% first-time grantees (6 of 25, 2025)
- Primary geography
- Texas (91% 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 Steen Family 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: 3 Oaklawn Dr, Houston, TX 77024-5210
Phone: (713) 724-9629
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Steen Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was The Chisholm Trail Heritage Museum Inc ($111K). Together the top 10 received $282K.
Grant Size Distribution
120 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 115 grants of 120 (96%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 91% of grant dollars went to recipients in Texas, 8% to recipients in Idaho, and 1% to recipients in Georgia.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 26 itemized grants.
Cities
Is Steen Family Foundation open to new grantees?
24%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 6 of 25 grantees (24%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $3K; repeat grants $16K. How we count
Medians: $1K first-time, $5K repeat.
- 76% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 21% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 91% 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 (2020–2025). 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 $204K (2020) to $319K (2025). In 2025 it made 26 grants totaling $319K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| The Chisholm Trail Heritage Museum Inc Cuero, TX | General Support | $111,250 |
| Small Steps Nurturing Center Houston, TX | General Support | $30,000 |
| Sun Valley Film Festival Inc Sun Valley, ID | General Support | $25,000 |
| The Association of Former Students of Texas A&M University College Station, TX | Sharon D. Steen Scholarship Fund | $25,000 |
| Hope Stone Inc Houston, TX | General Support | $20,000 |
| Chinquapin Preparatory School Highlands, TX | General Support | $15,000 |
| Heartgift Austin, TX | General Support | $15,000 |
| Houston Museum of Natural Science Houston, TX | Education Operating | $15,000 |
| Yellowstone Academy Houston, TX | General Support | $15,000 |
| Purple Songs Can Fly Houston, TX | General Support | $10,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Steen Family Foundation?
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 | $6,337,966 | $816,879 | $379,236 | $318,700 | 26 | $318,700 | $431,463 | $348,710 |
| 2024 | $5,900,323 | $733,412 | $325,196 | $268,600 | 29 | $268,600 | $412,516 | $317,919 |
| 2023 | $5,492,107 | $757,153 | $295,468 | $260,200 | 24 | $260,200 | $116,885 | $268,289 |
| 2022 | $5,030,422 | $620,089 | $300,329 | $263,450 | 18 | $263,450 | $55,778 | $260,627 |
| 2021 | $4,710,662 | $762,718 | $259,717 | $218,000 | 23 | $218,000 | $221,001 | $263,717 |
| 2020 | $4,207,661 | $101,809 | $252,958 | $203,700 | 20 | — | $51,339 | $217,916 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Steen Family Foundation reported a distributable amount of $349K 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 foundation mission statement is provided in the available information. Its 2025 grants include support for organizations working in education, early childhood, arts and culture, and natural science. These are examples of the grantees’ work, not stated foundation priorities.
Small Steps Nurturing Center describes its mission as fostering the development of economically at-risk children and their families through an early childhood program. Chinquapin Preparatory School says it provides college-preparatory education to youth from under-resourced communities and schools in the greater Houston area. Hope Stone says it uses outreach programs to unlock creativity, with a vision of “art for all.” The Houston Museum of Natural Science says it works to preserve and advance knowledge of natural science and maintain a first-class museum.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation made 26 grants totaling $318,700. Grant amounts ranged from $100 to $111,250, with a median of $4,500. The largest grant was $111,250 to The Chisholm Trail Heritage Museum Inc. in Cuero, Texas, for general support.
Other notable 2025 grants included $30,000 to Small Steps Nurturing Center, $25,000 to Sun Valley Film Festival Inc., and $25,000 to The Association of Former Students of Texas A&M University for the Sharon D. Steen Scholarship Fund. The foundation also gave $20,000 to Hope Stone Inc.; $15,000 each to Chinquapin Preparatory School, HeartGift, Houston Museum of Natural Science, and Yellowstone Academy; and $10,000 to Purple Songs Can Fly.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Lias J. Steen as president, Shannon S. Mann as vice president, and D. Jennings Steen as secretary and treasurer.
Steen Family Foundation is led by Lias J. Steen, President on every filing since 2020; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Lias J. Steen
President
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
D. Jennings Steen
Secretary & Treasurer
On filings since 2020
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Shannon S. Mann
Vice President
On filings since 2022
0.1 hrs/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (1)
- Former: Shannon S. Manning (2020–2021) — Vice President
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 Steen Family Foundation
How much does Steen Family Foundation give each year?
Steen Family Foundation gave $319K across 26 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $269K across 29 grants.
What is Steen Family Foundation's typical grant size?
Steen Family Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $4,500, and its average grant was $12,258, across 26 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Steen Family Foundation that year got $3K on average.
Where does Steen Family Foundation give grants?
Steen Family Foundation gives mostly in Texas: 91% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was Idaho (8%). The most frequent recipient cities were Houston, TX (8 grants), Cuero, TX (5 grants), Austin, TX (3 grants) and College Station, TX (2 grants).
Does Steen Family Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 85% of Steen Family Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (22 of 26) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are Steen Family Foundation's largest grantees?
Steen Family Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include The Chisholm Trail Heritage Museum Inc ($111,250), Small Steps Nurturing Center ($30,000) and The Association of Former Students of Texas A&M University ($25,500 across 2 grants), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 52% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is Steen Family Foundation?
Steen Family Foundation reported $6.3M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $319K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $349K (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 Steen Family Foundation fund?
No foundation mission statement is provided in the available information. Its 2025 grants include support for organizations working in education, early childhood, arts and culture, and natural science. These are examples of the grantees’ work, not stated foundation priorities. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Steen Family 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 Steen Family Foundation's EIN?
Steen Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 46-1637465. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Does Steen Family 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 October 2026.
Data update history
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS July 22, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 12, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 10, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 12, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 13, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 12, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Live grants for the work Steen Family Foundation funds
Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
- Nixa Affiliate Grantmaking Program Up to US $10,000 · Due October 19, 2026
- Community and School Grants $28,000 total pool; 10-15 grants expected · Due October 19, 2026
- Mary Pinola/Crescenta Valley Chamber Education Fund $500 - $5,000 for ongoing programs; up to $15,000 for Strategic Initiative Grants · Due October 19, 2026
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in Steen Family Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Steen Family Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 19, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/steen-family-foundation-morg_80b707a1dee64ddebda5c6bd165f3b82
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_461637465_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Steen Family Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/steen-family-foundation-morg_80b707a1dee64ddebda5c6bd165f3b82},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-19. 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 Steen Family 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.
Steen Family Foundation down — hundreds of funders to go?