The Armstrong Foundation
The Armstrong Foundation is a private foundation based in Denver, Colorado. Its 2025 grants supported organizations in education, health, arts and culture, and other fields, including Southern Methodist University, Children's Hospital Colorado Foundation, and Colorado Ballet.
The Armstrong Foundation at a glance
In short: The Armstrong Foundation gave $6.4M across 23 grants in 2025 (avg $278K), mostly in Texas. 30% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $6,393,726
- +905.2% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 23
- +15.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $277,988
- +774.1% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $10,000
- Total assets
- $27,951,650
- +39.6% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 30% first-time grantees (7 of 23, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Texas (75% 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 The Armstrong Foundation
- 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.
- Contact
Mailing address: 1421 Blake Street, Denver, CO 80202
Phone: (303) 740-9400
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Armstrong Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was Southern Methodist University ($4.6M). Together the top 10 received $6.3M.
Grant Size Distribution
93 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 73 grants of 93 (78%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, recipients in Texas received 75% of grant dollars, followed by Colorado at 13%, New York at 9%, Georgia at 2%, and Connecticut at 1%. Listed recipients included organizations in other states as well.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 23 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is The Armstrong Foundation open to new grantees?
30%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 7 of 23 grantees (30%) were first-time recipients. With only 23 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 4 points. First grants averaged $13K; repeat grants $394K. How we count
Medians: $10K first-time, $25K repeat.
- 61% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 1252% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 414% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2019–2025). 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 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $382K (2023) to $6.4M (2025). In 2025 it made 23 grants totaling $6.4M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Southern Methodist University Dallas, TX | General Fund | $4,569,426 |
| Children's Hospital Colorado Foundation Aurora, CO | General Fund | $750,000 |
| The School of American Ballet New York, NY | General Fund | $525,000 |
| George W Bush Presidential Center Dallas, TX | General Fund | $150,000 |
| St Martin's Episcopal School Atlanta, GA | General Fund | $125,000 |
| Westminster School Simsbury, CT | General Fund | $50,750 |
| Southwestern Medical Foundation Dallas, TX | General Fund | $50,000 |
| Colorado Ballet Denver, CO | General Fund | $40,000 |
| St Michael's Episcopal School Richmond, VA | General Fund | $25,250 |
| Highland Park UMC Dallas, TX | General Fund | $25,000 |
Ready to take the next step with The Armstrong 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 | $27,951,650 | $14,810,808 | $6,429,753 | $6,393,726 | 23 | $6,393,726 | $6,807,879 | $1,544,487 |
| 2024 | $20,015,890 | $1,331,672 | $656,728 | $636,078 | 20 | $636,078 | $1,311,022 | $1,333,536 |
| 2023 | $19,223,702 | $1,949,003 | $456,567 | $382,347 | 18 | $382,347 | $1,874,783 | $1,289,838 |
| 2022 | $17,879,701 | $3,200,790 | $495,343 | $472,967 | 12 | $472,967 | $3,178,414 | $1,266,721 |
| 2021 | $15,272,297 | $4,890,306 | $2,601,574 | $2,597,513 | 20 | $2,597,513 | $1,352,748 | $723,926 |
| 2020 | $14,475,801 | $180,679 | $3,629,847 | $3,625,225 | 17 | — | $176,057 | $523,032 |
| 2019 | $17,923,163 | $299,983 | $2,516,460 | $2,444,850 | 19 | — | $228,373 | $666,457 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Armstrong Foundation reported a distributable amount of $1.5M 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 formal mission statement is provided. The 2025 grants show support for a range of organizations. Southern Methodist University describes its mission as education through research and teaching, while Children's Hospital Colorado Foundation says it raises and stewards funds to support the hospital’s care, education, research, and advocacy for children and families. Colorado Ballet says its work includes performances, training, education, and community engagement.
Other 2025 recipients include schools, a presidential center, a medical foundation, and a conservancy. Southwestern Medical Foundation describes its work as advancing medical education, research, and patient care.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation made 23 grants totaling $6,393,726. Grant amounts ranged from $1,000 to $4,569,426, with a median of $10,000. The largest grants included $4,569,426 to Southern Methodist University, $750,000 to Children's Hospital Colorado Foundation, and $525,000 to The School of American Ballet. Other notable grants were $150,000 to George W. Bush Presidential Center and $125,000 to St Martin's Episcopal School.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists William Armstrong and Elisabeth Armstrong as directors.
The Armstrong Foundation's 2025 filing lists 2 officers; none of the 2 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Elisabeth Armstrong
Director
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
William Armstrong
Director
On filings since 2019
2 hrs/week
No compensation reported
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.
Frequently asked questions about The Armstrong Foundation
How much does The Armstrong Foundation give each year?
The Armstrong Foundation gave $6.4M across 23 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $636K across 20 grants.
What is The Armstrong Foundation's typical grant size?
The Armstrong Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $10,000, and its average grant was $277,988, across 23 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Armstrong Foundation that year got $13K on average.
Where does The Armstrong Foundation give grants?
The Armstrong Foundation gives mostly in Texas: 75% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest states were Colorado (13%) and New York (9%). The most frequent recipient cities were Dallas, TX (7 grants), Denver, CO (6 grants) and New York, NY (3 grants).
Does The Armstrong Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of The Armstrong Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (23 of 23) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are The Armstrong Foundation's largest grantees?
The Armstrong Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Southern Methodist University ($4,569,426), Children's Hospital Colorado Foundation ($750,000) and The School of American Ballet ($525,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 91% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Armstrong Foundation?
The Armstrong Foundation reported $28.0M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $6.4M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $1.5M (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Armstrong Foundation fund?
No formal mission statement is provided. The 2025 grants show support for a range of organizations. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Armstrong 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 Armstrong Foundation's EIN?
The Armstrong Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 84-1612524. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.
Does The Armstrong 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
(3)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS May 15, 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
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in The Armstrong Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Armstrong Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 14, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-armstrong-foundation-morg_a59e986a5e1449559fdfd16584e07d51
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_841612524_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Armstrong Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-armstrong-foundation-morg_a59e986a5e1449559fdfd16584e07d51},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-14. 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 The Armstrong 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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