The Arena Energy Foundation
The Arena Energy Foundation is a private foundation based in The Woodlands, Texas. Its 2025 grants supported charitable organizations and activities including senior meals, child advocacy, services for young people who have aged out of foster care, and programs for children who are deaf or hard of hearing.
Key facts about The Arena Energy Foundation
In short: The Arena Energy Foundation gave $344K across 34 grants in 2025 (avg $10K), mostly in Texas. 44% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- EIN
- 26-1636123
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025
- Annual giving (2025)
- $343,631
- Grants made (2025)
- 34
- Average grant
- $10,107
- Median grant
- $5,000
- New grantees (estimate)
- 44% first-time grantees (15 of 34, 2025)
- Total assets
- $102,933
- Primary geography
- Texas (74% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Accepts unsolicited proposals
- No
- How to apply
- The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds. 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
$103K
-33.9% YoY
Annual Giving
$344K
+15.5% YoY
Grant Count
34
+17.2% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$10K
-1.5% YoY
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Arena Energy Foundation reported a distributable amount of $1K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Is The Arena Energy Foundation open to new grantees?
44%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 15 of 34 grantees (44%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $5K; repeat grants $14K. How we count
Medians: $543 first-time, $10K repeat.
- 50% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+8%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out well above its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2018–2025). 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
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants show support for a range of charitable purposes. For example, Meals on Wheels Montgomery County describes its mission as fostering the independence and dignity of homebound seniors through meals, transportation, and caring connections. Angel Reach says it serves young people who have aged out of foster care, while All Ears Listening and Language Center describes a family-focused listening and spoken-language program for children who are deaf or hard of hearing.
Other 2025 grantees describe work in support of veterans and military families (Combined Arms), people with physical, mental, and emotional challenges (Inspiration Ranch), and children with life-threatening illnesses (Dreams Come True of Louisiana). These are the grantees’ descriptions of their own missions.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation reported 34 grants totaling $343,631. Grant amounts ranged from $52 to $50,000, with a median of $5,000.
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 74% of grant dollars went to recipients in Texas, 15% to California, 8% to Louisiana, and 3% to New York. Oklahoma accounted for 0% of grant dollars.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of all 34 itemized 2025 grant dollars.
States
Cities
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2018 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $140K (2020) to $344K (2025). In 2025 it made 34 grants totaling $344K.
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was University of Southern California ($50K). Together the top 10 received $265K.
Grant Size Distribution
176 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 171 grants of 176 (97%).
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA | Endowment | $50,000 |
| Meals on Wheels Montgomery County Conroe, TX | MEALS | $36,000 |
| Gage Austin Guidry Fulshear, TX | General | $35,000 |
| Big Brother Big Sisters of Houston Houston, TX | Child Advocacy | $31,000 |
| Angel Reach Conroe, TX | Health & Human Services | $30,000 |
| All Ears Listening and Language Center The Woodlands, TX | Helping hearing impaired children learn to speak and be ready to mainstream into school | $25,000 |
| Combined Arms Houston, TX | To grow the usefulness and reach of the siv program | $22,619 |
| Inspiration Ranch Magnolia, TX | General Operations | $15,000 |
| Ems Fdny Help Fund NY, NY | General | $10,194 |
| Dreams Come True of Louisiana Youngsville, LA | Child Advocacy - Sponsoring a Dream | $10,000 |
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $102,933 | $298,273 | $351,032 | $343,631 |
| 2024 | $155,689 | $388,211 | $302,787 | $297,591 |
| 2023 | $70,265 | $169,726 | $244,542 | $241,458 |
| Metric | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $102,933 | $155,689 | $70,265 |
| Revenue | $298,273 | $388,211 | $169,726 |
| Expenses | $351,032 | $302,787 | $244,542 |
| Qualifying Distributions | $343,653 | $297,854 | $241,458 |
| Net Investment Income | $181,713 | $260,795 | $148,238 |
| Distributable Amount | $1,311 | $3,270 | $2,319 |
Data update history
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2018 (received by the IRS January 28, 2020)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 15, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Don Metz, Amanda Haas, John Long, Wade Broussard, Bailey Cox, and Joey DeGazio as directors, and Michele Scahill as chairman of the board.
The Arena Energy Foundation is led by Michele Scahill, Chairman of the Board since 2024 (on filings since 2020); none of the 7 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Michele Scahill
Chairman of the Board
Director → Chairman of the Board, 2024
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Don Metz
Director
President → Director, 2020
On filings since 2018
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Wade Broussard
Director
On filings since 2024
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Amanda Haas
Director
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Bailey Cox
Director
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Joey Deagazio
Director
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
John Long
Director
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Former officers (7)
- Former: Ben Pigati (2018–2024) — Director
- Former: Jane C. Minarovic (2018–2024) — Director
- Former: Lauren Peschier (2020–2024) — Director
- Former: Shannon Coffel (2020–2024) — Director
- Former: Constance J. Goers (2018) — Director
- Former: Jennifer Stone (2018) — Director
- Former: Renee Kelly (2018) — Director
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2018–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Contact
Mailing address: 2103 Research Forest Drive 400, The Woodlands, TX 77380
Phone: (281) 681-9500
Frequently asked questions about The Arena Energy Foundation
How much does The Arena Energy Foundation give each year?
The Arena Energy Foundation gave $344K across 34 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $298K across 29 grants.
What is The Arena Energy Foundation's typical grant size?
The Arena Energy Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $5,000, and its average grant was $10,107, across 34 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Arena Energy Foundation that year got $5K on average.
Where does The Arena Energy Foundation give grants?
The Arena Energy Foundation gives mostly in Texas: 74% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were California (15%) and Louisiana (8%). The most frequent recipient cities were Conroe, TX (5 grants), Houston, TX (5 grants), The Woodlands, TX (2 grants) and Youngsville, LA (2 grants).
Does The Arena Energy Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 26% of The Arena Energy Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (9 of 34) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Recurring purposes include "Education" (3 grants).
Who are The Arena Energy Foundation's largest grantees?
The Arena Energy Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include University of Southern California ($50,000), Meals on Wheels Montgomery County ($36,000) and Gage Austin Guidry ($35,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 35% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Arena Energy Foundation?
The Arena Energy Foundation reported $103K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $344K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $1K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Arena Energy Foundation fund?
No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants show support for a range of charitable purposes. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Arena Energy Foundation?
The foundation states that it 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 The Arena Energy Foundation's EIN?
The Arena Energy Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 26-1636123. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2018–2025.
Does The Arena Energy 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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