The Fondren Foundation
The Fondren Foundation is a private foundation, based in Houston, TX. IRS filing data is available from 2020 through 2025. As of 2025, the organization holds $217.4M in total assets. In 2025, it awarded 1 grant totaling $13.0M. Net investment income was $11.3M.
The Fondren Foundation at a glance
In short: The Fondren Foundation gave $13.0M across 1 grant in 2025 (avg $13.0M), mostly in Texas. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $13,002,029
- +10.2% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 1
- +0.0% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $13,002,029
- +10.2% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $13,002,029
- Total assets
- $217,424,301
- -1.1% vs 2024
- 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 September 2026.
Who The Fondren Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Grant Size Distribution
5 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was $5M or more: 5 grants of 5 (100%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
Grant Distribution by State
Share of the 2025 grant dollars on its one itemized grant.
States
Cities
How The Fondren Foundation gives
- Giving held roughly steady from 2022 to 2025 (+15%). Method
- In 2025 it paid out 98% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Foundations have until the end of the next year to meet it. Method
From the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings. Methodology.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $9.0M (2020) to $13.6M (2021). In 2025 it made 1 grant totaling $13.0M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| See Attached Statement 14 See Attached, TX | See Attached | $13,002,029 |
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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 | $217,424,301 | $13,184,798 | $15,218,633 | $13,002,029 | 1 | $13,239,871 | $11,313,923 | $13,552,547 |
| 2024 | $219,767,919 | $34,631,928 | $14,355,829 | $11,802,101 | 1 | $12,059,850 | $32,753,650 | $12,225,411 |
| 2023 | $199,167,011 | $10,028,544 | $12,538,774 | $10,800,000 | 1 | $11,056,227 | $8,647,745 | $11,334,652 |
| 2022 | $201,655,991 | $53,026,440 | $13,047,910 | $11,278,889 | 1 | $11,513,314 | $51,923,530 | $11,227,527 |
| 2021 | $161,677,461 | $20,163,252 | $15,170,075 | $13,620,193 | 1 | — | $19,108,247 | $12,471,130 |
| 2020 | $156,722,777 | $9,232,674 | $10,330,931 | $9,001,545 | 1 | — | $8,298,152 | $10,384,903 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Fondren Foundation reported a distributable amount of $13.6M for 2025 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.
Leadership & Key People
Officers and directors from IRS filings
The Fondren Foundation is led by Robert E. Fondren, Chairman & Administrator on every filing since 2020; none of the 54 officers listed in 2025 report compensation.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Robert E. Fondren
Chairman & Administrator
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Ann Gordon Trammell
Trustee
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Celia Whitfield Crank
Trustee
Board of Govs → Trustee, 2021
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Duncan K. Underwood
Trustee
Board of Govs → Trustee, 2023
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Lynda Knapp Underwood
Trustee
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
R. Edwin Allday
Trustee
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Ellanor Allday Beard
Trustee
On filings since 2023
No compensation reported
Anah Hanson Witter
Board of Govs
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Ashley Fondren Tuck
Board of Govs
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Bentley B. Fondren
Board of Govs
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Blake Allday
Board of Govs
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Bradley Beard
Board of Govs
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Brittany Fondren
Board of Govs
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Burton M. Hanson
Board of Govs
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Cara Hall
Board of Govs
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Carrie Trammell Scarborough
Board of Govs
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Catherine Fondren Murray
Board of Govs
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Catherine M. Fondren
Board of Govs
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Chase Fondren
Board of Govs
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
David M. Underwood III
Board of Govs
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
David M. Underwood Jr.
Secretary & Administrator C
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Ellanor J. Yates Cook
Board of Govs
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Emily Yates Incerto
Board of Govs
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Erin Hall
Board of Govs
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Frances Fondren
Board of Govs
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Harper B. Trammell
Administrator Committee T
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Laura Trammell Baird
Board of Govs
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Lauren Fondren
Board of Govs
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Leland T. Fondren
Board of Govs
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Lindsey Fondren Smith
Board of Govs
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Marie Fondren Hall
Board of Govs
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Mary Catherine Fondren Deskins
Board of Govs
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Michael E. Hanson Jr.
Board of Govs
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Michael W. Springer
Board of Govs
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Regan Hall George
Board of Govs
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Robert E. Fondren Jr.
Board of Govs
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
W. Trammell Whitfield
Board of Govs
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Walter W. Fondren IV
Board of Govs
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
William F. Whitfield Jr.
Board of Govs
On filings since 2020
No compensation reported
Amelia Crank Simmons
Board of Govs
On filings since 2021
No compensation reported
Charlotte Baird
Board of Govs
On filings since 2022
No compensation reported
Christina Fondren Thurmond
Board of Govs
On filings since 2022
No compensation reported
Gabrielle Crank Walzel
Board of Govs
On filings since 2022
No compensation reported
Madeline C. Crank
Board of Govs
On filings since 2022
No compensation reported
Stanley A. Whitfield
Board of Govs
On filings since 2022
No compensation reported
William B. Whitfield
Board of Govs
On filings since 2022
No compensation reported
Berkley Fondren
Board of Govs
On filings since 2023
No compensation reported
Jeff Thomas
Board of Govs
On filings since 2023
No compensation reported
William Beard
Board of Govs
On filings since 2023
No compensation reported
Berkeley Baird
Board of Govs
On filings since 2024
No compensation reported
William P. Underwood
Board of Govs
On filings since 2024
No compensation reported
Adelaide Beard Cheatham
Board of Govs
New on the 2025 filing
No compensation reported
Bryan Trammell
Board of Govs
New on the 2025 filing
No compensation reported
Ryan Fondren
Board of Govs
New on the 2025 filing
No compensation reported
Former officers (5)
- Former: Adelaide Beard (2020–2024) — Board of Govs
- Former: Ellanor Allday Camberg (2020–2022) — Board of Govs
- Former: Jeffrey Burke Thomas Jr. (2020–2022) — Board of Govs
- Former: Christina Fondren (2020–2021) — Board of Govs
- Former: Sue Trammell Whitfield (2020–2021) — Trustee
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.
Frequently asked questions about The Fondren Foundation
How much does The Fondren Foundation give each year?
The Fondren Foundation gave $13.0M across 1 grant in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $11.8M across 1 grant.
How large is The Fondren Foundation?
The Fondren Foundation reported $217.4M in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $13.2M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $13.6M (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.
Where does The Fondren Foundation operate?
The Fondren Foundation has awarded grants in Texas.
What is The Fondren Foundation's EIN?
The Fondren Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 74-6042565. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.
Data last updated September 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings.
Data update history
(7)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS February 4, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS February 15, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS July 21, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS September 6, 2024)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS July 23, 2025)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS February 26, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2025
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in The Fondren Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Fondren Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 14, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-fondren-foundation-morg_f6b1adcbcebf4176ad52bd926d2d4fc2
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_746042565_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Fondren Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-fondren-foundation-morg_f6b1adcbcebf4176ad52bd926d2d4fc2},
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 Fondren 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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