The Bamberger Foundation
The Bamberger Foundation is a private foundation based in Johnson City, Texas. It reported 21 grants totaling $106,341 in filing year 2025, with awards supporting education, historic preservation, and disaster assistance in Texas.
The Bamberger Foundation at a glance
In short: The Bamberger Foundation gave $106K across 21 grants in 2025 (avg $5K), mostly in Texas. 32% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $106,341
- +33.9% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 21
- +10.5% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $5,064
- +21.2% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $2,000
- Total assets
- $3,776,310
- +463.1% vs 2024
- New grantees (estimate)
- 32% first-time grantees (6 of 19, 2025; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Texas (100% 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 Bamberger Foundation
- How to Apply
The foundation’s 2024 filing instructs applicants to submit a letter or email outlining the project or program objectives, budget, timeline, costs, and who will direct and carry it out, along with contact information…
The foundation’s 2024 filing instructs applicants to submit a letter or email outlining the project or program objectives, budget, timeline, costs, and who will direct and carry it out, along with contact information including mailing and physical addresses and telephone numbers. The filing says grants are limited; for most organizations the limit is $10,000, and for schools it is $30,000.
- Review Cycle
- November 30, 2026.
- Deadline
- November 30, 2026.
- Contact
Application contact: The Bamberger Foundation
Mailing address: P O Box 1917, Johnson City, TX 78636
Phone: (830) 330-1018
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Bamberger Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was The Gathering Place ($19K). Together the top 10 received $94K.
Organizations only. It also paid 2 grants to individuals ($2,000), which are not listed by name.
Grant Size Distribution
87 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 87 grants of 87 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
All grant dollars reported for filing year 2025 went to recipients in Texas. The listed recipients were in San Antonio, Blanco, Fredericksburg, and Johnson City.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 21 itemized grants.
States
Cities
Is The Bamberger Foundation open to new grantees?
32%
first-time grantees, 2025
In 2025, 6 of 19 grantees (32%) were first-time recipients. With only 19 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 5 points. First grants averaged $10K; repeat grants $4K. How we count
Medians: $9K first-time, $2K repeat.
- 63% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
- Giving grew 520% from 2022 to 2025. Method
- In 2025 it paid out 109% 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.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $17K (2022) to $106K (2025). In 2025 it made 21 grants totaling $106K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| The Gathering Place San Antonio, TX | Education and Field Trips | $19,060 |
| Heritage Elementary School San Antonio, TX | Children Education and Field Trips | $15,810 |
| TriPoint Academy San Antonio, TX | Education and Field Trips | $12,656 |
| Julian C Gallardo Elementary School San Antonio, TX | Education Assistance | $8,015 |
| Pearce Elementary School San Antonio, TX | Education and Field Trips | $8,015 |
| Freedom Elementary School San Antonio, TX | Education and Science Field Trips | $8,015 |
| Candlewood Elementary School San Antonio, TX | Education Assistance | $7,510 |
| The Twin Sisters Dance Hall Blanco, TX | Historic Preservation | $5,000 |
| Lochte Feed General Store Fredericksburg, TX | Disaster Assistance Recovery of Crabapple Fire | $5,000 |
| Charles August Elementary San Antonio, TX | Education and Field Trips | $4,760 |
Ready to take the next step with The Bamberger 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 | $3,776,310 | $4,362,711 | $151,897 | $106,341 | 21 | $106,341 | $1,507,814 | $97,915 |
| 2024 | $670,631 | $75,169 | $111,891 | $79,397 | 19 | $79,397 | $51,330 | $33,220 |
| 2023 | $707,353 | $-8,380 | $99,046 | $74,425 | 17 | $74,425 | $5,926 | $35,038 |
| 2022 | $856,755 | $42,138 | $39,698 | $17,165 | 14 | $17,165 | $27,112 | $38,069 |
| 2021 | $983,883 | $55,651 | $50,720 | $36,650 | 16 | — | $55,507 | $41,579 |
| 2020 | $956,955 | $41,893 | $39,081 | $29,500 | 15 | — | $41,893 | $37,400 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Bamberger Foundation reported a distributable amount of $98K for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation’s filing says grants are awarded primarily for educational projects in conservation and environmental protection. It also awards grants to emergency service providers and for disaster relief and assistance. Its 2025 grants included school education and field trips, historic preservation, and recovery from the Crabapple Fire.
Among the organizations it supported in 2025 was the Johnson City Volunteer Fire Department, which received $1,000. The department describes its mission as protecting lives and property from fire and disaster.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2025, the foundation made 21 grants totaling $106,341. Grant amounts ranged from $1,000 to $19,060, with a median of $2,000.
The largest reported awards included $19,060 to The Gathering Place for education and field trips; $15,810 to Heritage Elementary School for children’s education and field trips; and $12,656 to TriPoint Academy for education and field trips. Other grants included $8,015 each to Julian C. Gallardo Elementary School for education assistance, Pearce Elementary School for education and field trips, and Freedom Elementary School for education and science field trips. The Twin Sisters Dance Hall received $5,000 for historic preservation, and Lochte Feed General Store received $5,000 for disaster assistance related to recovery from the Crabapple Fire.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
Officers and directors listed on the 2025 filing are J David Bamberger, Director and Secretary; Ernest A Sessums III, Director; Dax Bamberger, Vice President; Lois J Sturm, President; David K Bamberger, Secretary; Douglas J Bamberger, Director; and Randy Lenz, Director.
The Bamberger Foundation is led by Lois J Sturm, President since 2024 (on filings since 2020); 1 of 7 officers listed in 2025 is compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Lois J Sturm
President
Secretary & Director → Secretary, 2021
Secretary → President, 2024
On filings since 2020
8 hrs/week
$3K (2020) → $14K (2025)
Douglas J Bamberger
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Ernest A Sessums III
Director
President & Director → President, 2021
President → Director, 2024
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
J David Bamberger
Director & Secretary
Director → Director & Secretary, 2024
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Randy Lenz
Director
New on the 2025 filing
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
David K Bamberger
Secretary
Treasurer & Director → Treasurer, 2021
Treasurer → Secretary, 2025
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Dax A Bamberger
Vice President
Vice President & Director → Vice President, 2021
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.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $14K, to Lois J Sturm (President).
Frequently asked questions about The Bamberger Foundation
How much does The Bamberger Foundation give each year?
The Bamberger Foundation gave $106K across 21 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $79K across 19 grants.
What is The Bamberger Foundation's typical grant size?
The Bamberger Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $2,000, and its average grant was $5,064, across 21 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Bamberger Foundation that year got $10K on average.
Where does The Bamberger Foundation give grants?
The Bamberger Foundation gives mostly in Texas: 100% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were San Antonio, TX (8 grants), Blanco, TX (4 grants) and Johnson City, TX (3 grants).
Does The Bamberger Foundation give general operating support?
Not in 2025: none of the 21 grants with a stated purpose on The Bamberger Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support. Recurring purposes include "Education and Training" (5 grants) and "Education and Field Trips" (4 grants).
Who are The Bamberger Foundation's largest grantees?
The Bamberger Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include The Gathering Place ($19,060), Heritage Elementary School ($15,810) and TriPoint Academy ($12,656), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It also paid 2 grants to individuals ($2,000), which are not listed by name. Together they received 45% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Bamberger Foundation?
The Bamberger Foundation reported $3.8M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $106K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $98K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Bamberger Foundation fund?
The foundation’s filing says grants are awarded primarily for educational projects in conservation and environmental protection. It also awards grants to emergency service providers and for disaster relief and assistance. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Bamberger Foundation?
The foundation’s 2024 filing instructs applicants to submit a letter or email outlining the project or program objectives, budget, timeline, costs, and who will direct and carry it out, along with contact information… Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is The Bamberger Foundation's EIN?
The Bamberger Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 74-2729929. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated September 2026.
Data update history
(6)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS March 9, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS October 4, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS June 13, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 22, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS August 4, 2025)
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS April 22, 2026)
Live grants for the work The Bamberger Foundation funds
Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Bamberger Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 20, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-bamberger-foundation-morg_f0d323b3d6cd432baf6425aec894fb4b
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_742729929_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Bamberger Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-bamberger-foundation-morg_f0d323b3d6cd432baf6425aec894fb4b},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-20. 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 Bamberger 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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