The Carlson Foundation
The Carlson Foundation is a private foundation based in Dallas, Texas. Its 2024 filing reports grants to charitable, educational, arts, and social-service organizations, including organizations in Texas and Colorado.
The Carlson Foundation at a glance
In short: The Carlson Foundation gave $907K across 19 grants in 2024 (avg $48K), mostly in Texas. 5% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $907,000
- -9.1% vs 2023
- Grants made (2024)
- 19
- -9.5% vs 2023
- Average grant
- $47,737
- +0.5% vs 2023
- Median grant
- $25,000
- Total assets
- $14,411,489
- -7.3% vs 2023
- New grantees (estimate)
- 5% first-time grantees (1 of 19, 2024; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Texas (76% 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 The Carlson 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: 2100 Mckinney Ave Ste 1900, Dallas, TX 75201
Phone: (214) 932-9600
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Carlson Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Colorado College ($200K). Together the top 10 received $815K.
Grant Size Distribution
128 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 75 grants of 128 (59%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2024, Texas recipients received 76% of grant dollars and Colorado recipients received 24%. The reported grants included organizations in Dallas, Austin, Houston, and other Texas communities, as well as Colorado Springs and Aspen.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 19 itemized grants.
Cities
Is The Carlson Foundation open to new grantees?
5%
first-time grantees, 2024
In 2024, 1 of 19 grantees (5%) 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 $5K; repeat grants $50K. How we count
Medians: $5K first-time, $25K repeat.
- 89% of 2024 grantees were also funded in 2023. Method
- Giving fell 62% from 2021 to 2024. Method
- In 2024 it paid out 125% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). 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 $907K (2024) to $2.7M (2020). In 2024 it made 19 grants totaling $907K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Colorado College Colorado Springs, CO | General Fund | $200,000 |
| The Crystal Charity Ball Dallas, TX | General Fund | $125,000 |
| UT Law School Foundation Austin, TX | General Fund | $115,000 |
| Services of Hope Entities Inc Dallas, TX | General Fund | $80,000 |
| Dallas Museum of Art Dallas, TX | General Fund | $75,000 |
| Orchestra of New Spain Dallas, TX | General Fund | $60,000 |
| Rice University Houston, TX | General Fund | $60,000 |
| North Texas Food Bank Dallas, TX | General Fund | $50,000 |
| Dallas Children's Advocacy Center Dallas, TX | General Fund | $25,000 |
| St Mark's School of Texas Dallas, TX | General Fund | $25,000 |
Ready to take the next step with The Carlson 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $14,411,489 | $1,636,667 | $1,102,601 | $907,000 | 19 | $911,016 | $1,439,953 | $726,729 |
| 2023 | $15,551,247 | $847,992 | $1,154,246 | $997,500 | 21 | $1,001,219 | $659,965 | $796,156 |
| 2022 | $16,845,871 | $907,277 | $1,432,207 | $1,284,500 | 22 | $1,288,865 | $642,618 | $856,161 |
| 2021 | $17,681,015 | $2,020,971 | $2,487,885 | $2,374,500 | 32 | $2,378,300 | $1,920,518 | $848,624 |
| 2020 | $18,281,334 | $618,267 | $2,839,887 | $2,707,000 | 34 | — | $492,980 | $925,274 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Carlson Foundation reported a distributable amount of $727K for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The available statements do not specify a mission for the foundation. Its 2024 grants show support for organizations working in areas including education, arts and culture, science, food access, and child welfare.
Grantees describe their work in their own terms. The North Texas Food Bank says it works through feeding partners to provide nutritious food and address the root causes of hunger. The Dallas Children’s Advocacy Center says it provides a coordinated, multidisciplinary response to child abuse cases and cases in which a child has witnessed a violent crime. The Dallas Museum of Art describes its work as presenting art across cultures and time and engaging diverse communities. The Perot Museum of Nature & Science says its purpose is to inspire minds through nature and science.
Grantmaking
In filing year 2024, the foundation reported 19 grants totaling $907,000. Grants ranged from $5,000 to $200,000, with a median of $25,000. The largest awards included $200,000 to Colorado College, $125,000 to The Crystal Charity Ball, and $115,000 to UT Law School Foundation. Other notable grants included $80,000 to Services of Hope Entities Inc, $75,000 to the Dallas Museum of Art, $60,000 each to Orchestra of New Spain and Rice University, and $50,000 to the North Texas Food Bank. The filing lists the purposes of these grants as “general fund.”
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Clint D Carlson, Nancy Packer Carlson, and Keith T Anderson as directors.
The Carlson Foundation's 2024 filing lists 3 officers; none of the 3 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Clint D. Carlson
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Keith T. Anderson
Director
On filings since 2020
1 hr/week
No compensation reported
Nancy Packer Carlson
Director
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 The Carlson Foundation
How much does The Carlson Foundation give each year?
The Carlson Foundation gave $907K across 19 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2023 it gave $998K across 21 grants.
What is The Carlson Foundation's typical grant size?
The Carlson Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $25,000, and its average grant was $47,737, across 19 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Carlson Foundation that year got $5K on average.
Where does The Carlson Foundation give grants?
The Carlson Foundation gives mostly in Texas: 76% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was Colorado (24%). The most frequent recipient cities were Dallas, TX (13 grants).
Does The Carlson Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of The Carlson Foundation's 2024 grants with a stated purpose (19 of 19) were for general or operating support, per its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are The Carlson Foundation's largest grantees?
The Carlson Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include Colorado College ($200,000), The Crystal Charity Ball ($125,000) and UT Law School Foundation ($115,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 49% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.
How large is The Carlson Foundation?
The Carlson Foundation reported $14.4M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $911K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $727K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).
What does The Carlson Foundation fund?
The available statements do not specify a mission for the foundation. Its 2024 grants show support for organizations working in areas including education, arts and culture, science, food access, and child welfare. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Carlson 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 The Carlson Foundation's EIN?
The Carlson Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 27-0005700. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.
Does The Carlson 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
(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). The Carlson Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 12, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-carlson-foundation-morg_acb4ac2ebe5f49658823c305a697f097
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_270005700_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Carlson Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-carlson-foundation-morg_acb4ac2ebe5f49658823c305a697f097},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-12. 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 Carlson 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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