The Cathy and Dwight Thompson Foundation

Private foundation · Grantmaker Austin, TX EIN: 75-6563188

The Cathy and Dwight Thompson Foundation is a private foundation based in Austin, Texas. In filing year 2025, it reported 13 grants totaling $222,500 to charitable organizations, all of which were in Texas.

The Cathy and Dwight Thompson Foundation at a glance

In short: The Cathy and Dwight Thompson Foundation gave $223K across 13 grants in 2025 (avg $17K), mostly in Texas. 8% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

Annual giving (2025)
$222,500
-2.2% vs 2024
Grants made (2025)
13
-13.3% vs 2024
Average grant
$17,115
+12.8% vs 2024
Median grant
$15,000
Total assets
$1,874,031
-6.2% vs 2024
New grantees (estimate)
8% first-time grantees (1 of 13, 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 Cathy and Dwight Thompson Foundation

Accepts unsolicited proposals
No
How to Apply

The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations. No further application process or materials are specified.

Contact

Mailing address: 900 Redbud Trail, Austin, TX 78746
Phone: (512) 329-8462

Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.

Who The Cathy and Dwight Thompson Foundation funds

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2025

Salvation Army: $50KSalvation Army$50KFoundation Communities: $30KFoundation Communities$30KScouting America: $25KScouting America$25KAmerican Red Cross: $20KAmerican Red Cross$20KGirl Scouts: $15KGirl Scouts$15KPeople's Community Clinic: $15KPeople's Community Clinic$15KSafe Alliance: $15KSafe Alliance$15KEl Buen Samaritano: $15KEl Buen Samaritano$15KCASA of Tarrant County: $8KCASA of Tarrant County$8KKinderfrogs School at TCU: $8KKinderfrogs School at TCU$8K

The largest 2025 recipient was Salvation Army ($50K). Together the top 10 received $200K.

Grant Size Distribution

65 grants across all recorded years

60<$50K5$50–100K$100–250K$250–500K$500K–1M$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 60 grants of 65 (92%).

Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

All grant dollars reported for filing year 2025 went to recipients in Texas. The listed recipients include organizations in Austin, Fort Worth, Irving, and Lubbock.

Grant Distribution by State

1state

Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 13 itemized grants.

States

Cities

AustinForth WorthLubbockHoustonIrving

Is The Cathy and Dwight Thompson Foundation open to new grantees?

8%

first-time grantees, 2025

In 2025, 1 of 13 grantees (8%) were first-time recipients. With only 13 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 8 points. First grants averaged $25K; repeat grants $16K. How we count

Medians: $25K first-time, $15K repeat.

  • 92% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
  • Giving grew 123% from 2022 to 2025. Method
  • In 2025 it paid out 74% 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 (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

$0$100K$200K$300K16 grants2019 15 grants2020 15 grants2021 10 grants2022 12 grants2023 15 grants2024 13 grants2025

From 2019 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $68K (2019) to $228K (2024). In 2025 it made 13 grants totaling $223K.

Grants by year

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
Salvation Army Austin, TXProvide Humanitarian Support to Those in Need$50,000
Foundation Communities Austin, TXAffordable Housing and Support Services for Working Families$30,000
Scouting America Irving, TXPrepare young people for life by building character, fostering citizenship, and developing personal fitness$25,000
American Red Cross Austin, TXHumanitarian Relief for Emergency and Disaster Victims$20,000
Girl Scouts Austin, TXBuild Girls of Courage, Confidence, and Character$15,000
People's Community Clinic Austin, TXImprove Health and Medically Underserved Central Texans$15,000
Safe Alliance Austin, TXStop Sexual and Domestic Abuse$15,000
El Buen Samaritano Austin, TXHealth care, education, and financial services to families in need$15,000
CASA of Tarrant County Forth Worth, TXAdvocate for Abused and Neglected Children$7,500
Kinderfrogs School at TCU Forth Worth, TXProvides a developmentally appropriate educational environment for children with down syndrome and other developmental delays$7,500
Your AI grants department

Ready to take the next step with The Cathy and Dwight Thompson Foundation?

Fully replaces Grant database subscriptions Instrumentl · Foundation Directory · GrantStation & similar

Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Figures from IRS filings, by filing year
Filing yearTotal AssetsRevenueExpensesGrants paidGrantsQualifying DistributionsNet Investment IncomeDistributable Amount
2025$1,874,031$325,552$228,062$222,50013$222,500$73,147$298,913
2024$1,997,009$245,519$233,703$227,50015$227,500$93,486$242,579
2023$2,140,184$472,569$134,703$131,00012$131,000$73,511$197,253
2022$2,065,439$259,862$103,585$100,00010$100,000$54,365$189,424
2021$2,156,153$400,291$196,286$192,00015$192,000$45,819$164,846
2020$2,190,374$397,937$177,605$174,00015—$44,818$137,031
2019$1,864,137$201,545$80,499$68,00016—$48,306$118,053

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Cathy and Dwight Thompson Foundation reported a distributable amount of $299K 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

No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants included organizations addressing humanitarian needs, affordable housing, youth development, health care, domestic and sexual abuse, and support for children and families.

The grantees describe their own work in varied terms. Foundation Communities says it creates affordable housing with supportive services to help working families and communities. People’s Community Clinic describes its mission as improving the health of medically underserved and uninsured Central Texans through affordable health care. CASA of Tarrant County says it provides court-appointed advocates for children who have allegedly been abused or neglected. Alzheimer’s Texas describes its work as enhancing care and support for people with Alzheimer’s and their families while advancing research.

Grantmaking

In filing year 2025, the foundation reported 13 grants totaling $222,500. Grant amounts ranged from $7,500 to $50,000, with a median of $15,000.

Notable grants included $50,000 to the Salvation Army in Austin for humanitarian support; $30,000 to Foundation Communities in Austin for affordable housing and support services for working families; $25,000 to Scouting America; $20,000 to the American Red Cross in Austin for emergency and disaster relief; and $15,000 each to Girl Scouts, People’s Community Clinic, SAFE Alliance, and El Buen Samaritano. Other reported grants included $7,500 to CASA of Tarrant County, KinderFrogs School at TCU, the Salvation Army in Lubbock, the YWCA of Lubbock, and Alzheimer’s Texas.

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

The foundation’s 2025 filing lists Dwight D. Thompson as president, Catherine P. Thompson as secretary/treasurer, and Debra Paxton as vice president.

The Cathy and Dwight Thompson Foundation is led by Dwight D. Thompson, President on every filing since 2019; none of the 3 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.

Officers on the 2025 filing

  • Dwight D. Thompson

    President

    On filings since 2019

    No compensation reported

  • Catherine P. Thompson

    Secretary & Treasurer

    On filings since 2019

    0.5 hrs/week

    No compensation reported

  • Debra Paxton

    Vice President

    On filings since 2019

    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 Cathy and Dwight Thompson Foundation

How much does The Cathy and Dwight Thompson Foundation give each year?

The Cathy and Dwight Thompson Foundation gave $223K across 13 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $228K across 15 grants.

What is The Cathy and Dwight Thompson Foundation's typical grant size?

The Cathy and Dwight Thompson Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $15,000, and its average grant was $17,115, across 13 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Cathy and Dwight Thompson Foundation that year got $25K on average.

Where does The Cathy and Dwight Thompson Foundation give grants?

The Cathy and Dwight Thompson 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 Austin, TX (8 grants), Forth Worth, TX (2 grants) and Lubbock, TX (2 grants).

Does The Cathy and Dwight Thompson Foundation give general operating support?

Not in 2025: none of the 13 grants with a stated purpose on The Cathy and Dwight Thompson Foundation's 2025 IRS Form 990-PF were described as general or operating support.

Who are The Cathy and Dwight Thompson Foundation's largest grantees?

The Cathy and Dwight Thompson Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include Salvation Army ($50,000), Foundation Communities ($30,000) and Scouting America ($25,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 47% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.

How large is The Cathy and Dwight Thompson Foundation?

The Cathy and Dwight Thompson Foundation reported $1.9M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $223K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $299K (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 The Cathy and Dwight Thompson Foundation fund?

No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants included organizations addressing humanitarian needs, affordable housing, youth development, health care, domestic and sexual abuse, and support for children and families. See mission & focus areas ↑

How do I apply for a grant from The Cathy and Dwight Thompson Foundation?

The foundation does not accept unsolicited requests for funds and states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑

What is The Cathy and Dwight Thompson Foundation's EIN?

The Cathy and Dwight Thompson Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 75-6563188. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2025.

Does The Cathy and Dwight Thompson 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 September 2026.

Data update history

(7)

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

  1. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS May 14, 2025)
  2. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 6, 2026)
  3. Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS June 30, 2020)
  4. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS June 9, 2021)
  5. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS May 10, 2022)
  6. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS May 5, 2023)
  7. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS May 14, 2024)

Live grants for the work The Cathy and Dwight Thompson Foundation funds

Philanthropy, Voluntarism & Grantmaking Open opportunities, soonest deadline first.

Explore Open Grants

Browse active grant opportunities in The Cathy and Dwight Thompson Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database

Similar Funders

Funders that support many of the same organizations

Donald D Hammill Foundation

Austin, TX

The foundation funds basic-needs programs that improve quality of life for people with disabilities, older adults, and people facing financial hardship or chronic illness in the Austin metropolitan area. Its listed 2021 awards were typically $15,000–$25,000, though recent filings report much larger single grants; it accepts proposals by invitation only.

Assets

$15.9M

Grants

1

Total Given

$932K

Enterprise Holdings Foundation

Saint Louis, MO

The Enterprise Holdings Foundation supports charitable and educational nonprofits in communities where Enterprise Mobility operates, focusing on health, education, arts, and disaster relief; applicants must be actively supported by an Enterprise Mobility team member, spouse, or domestic partner. Giving varies widely: it reported 9,499 grants in 2024, but its 2025 filing showed one grant of $101.4 million, so that amount is not a typical award. Applications are accepted at any time through eligible Enterprise-affiliated applicants; the Foundation does not limit giving to preselected organizations.

Assets

$594.3M

Grants

1

Total Given

$101.4M

Duke Energy Foundation

Charlotte, NC

The Duke Energy Foundation funds workforce and local economic development, disaster resilience, conservation, clean water, and economic opportunity in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana. Its 2024 grants had a median of $25,000; applications for grants of $20,000 or less are accepted year-round, after applicants discuss proposals with a state representative.

Assets

$1.9M

Grants

41

Total Given

$25.6M

Arnold Foundation

Austin, TX

The Arnold Foundation supports charitable organizations working in areas such as hunger relief, housing, education, health care, domestic-violence services, and disaster relief, with most funding going to Texas organizations. In 2025, grants ranged from $250 to $35,000, with a median of $2,500. It funds only preselected organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests.

Assets

$2.6M

Grants

71

Total Given

$397K

The Yonge Foundation

Austin, TX

The Yonge Foundation supports charitable organizations working in areas including youth services, child protection, housing, social services, and care for older adults and people with disabilities. Its 2025 grants ranged from $100 to $110,000, with a median of $5,000; most funding went to Texas, with additional grants in New York and several other states. It states there is no required application format or deadline and no award limits.

Recreation & Sports

Assets

$11.5M

Grants

52

Total Given

$561K

Gannett Foundation Inc

New York, NY

Gannett Foundation’s 2025 grants supported a range of organizations, with listed awards generally between $1,500 and $2,500, though the available figures do not establish a typical grant size or geographic focus. The foundation has wound down: its 2026 filing reports no grants or assets, and no current application process or acceptance of unsolicited requests is stated.

Assets

—

Grants

32

Total Given

$65K

More similar funders

More Funders in Texas

Cite this profile

Grantable. (2026). The Cathy and Dwight Thompson Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 21, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-cathy-and-dwight-thompson-foundation-morg_0f0414af08374213b3e6d3f3eab66f36

BibTeX
@misc{grantable_756563188_2026,
  author       = {{Grantable}},
  title        = {{The Cathy and Dwight Thompson Foundation funder profile}},
  howpublished = {GrantGraph},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-cathy-and-dwight-thompson-foundation-morg_0f0414af08374213b3e6d3f3eab66f36},
  note         = {Accessed 2026-10-21. 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 Cathy and Dwight Thompson 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.

The Cathy and Dwight Thompson Foundation down — hundreds of funders to go?

Want AI to do this for you?