The Gailo Trust

Private foundation · Grantmaker Houston, TX EIN: 74-6054992

The Gailo Trust is a private foundation based in Houston, Texas. Its 2025 filing reports $152,700 in grants to 37 organizations, with 89% of grant dollars going to recipients in Texas.

The Gailo Trust at a glance

In short: The Gailo Trust gave $153K across 37 grants in 2025 (avg $4K), mostly in Texas. 29% of 2025 grantees were new. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

Annual giving (2025)
$152,700
+3.9% vs 2024
Grants made (2025)
37
+12.1% vs 2024
Average grant
$4,127
-7.3% vs 2024
Median grant
$1,000
Total assets
$647,576
-14.6% vs 2024
New grantees (estimate)
29% first-time grantees (8 of 28, 2025)
Primary geography
Texas (89% 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 Gailo Trust

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: 2505 Del Monte Dr, Houston, TX 77019
Phone: (713) 253-8140

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

Who The Gailo Trust funds

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2025

Alley Theatre: $63K across 3 grantsAlley Theatre$63K · 3 grantsThe University of Texas at Austin: $21K across 3 grantsThe University of Texas atAustin$21K · 3 grantsThe Menil Collection: $13KThe Menil Collection$13KSarah Lawrence College: $10KSarah Lawrence College$10KHouston Methodist Hospital Foundation: $10K across 2 grantsHouston Methodist HospitalFoundation$10K · 2 grantsThe Philosophical Society of Texas: $5KThe Philosophical Society ofTexas$5KRocco: $4K across 2 grantsRocco$4K · 2 grantsPlanned Parenthood Gulf Coast: $3KPlanned Parenthood Gulf Coast$3KSt John's School: $3KSt John's School$3KThe Jung Center: $3K across 2 grantsThe Jung Center$3K · 2 grants

The largest 2025 recipient was Alley Theatre ($63K across 3 grants). Together the top 10 received $135K.

Grant Size Distribution

165 grants across all recorded years

163<$50K2$50–100K$100–250K$250–500K$500K–1M$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 163 grants of 165 (99%).

Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

In 2025, 89% of grant dollars went to Texas recipients, 7% to New York, 2% to California, and 1% to Massachusetts.

Grant Distribution by State

8states

Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 37 itemized grants.

Cities

HoustonAustinPetalumaBronxvilleSan FranciscoCambridgeLoomisNorth AndoverNew YorkWater MillBeaumontPhoenixSanta FeTeaneckWashington

Is The Gailo Trust open to new grantees?

29%

first-time grantees, 2025

In 2025, 8 of 28 grantees (29%) were first-time recipients. First grants averaged $2K; repeat grants $7K. How we count

Medians: $500 first-time, $2K repeat.

  • 50% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. Method
  • Giving grew 75% from 2022 to 2025. Method
  • In 2025 it paid out 141% 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

$0$50K$100K$150K$200K35 grants2020 33 grants2021 31 grants2022 31 grants2023 33 grants2024 37 grants2025

From 2020 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $87K (2022) to $153K (2025). In 2025 it made 37 grants totaling $153K.

Grants by year

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
Alley Theatre Houston, TXAnnual Commitment$50,000
The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TXHarry Ransom Center$15,000
The Menil Collection Houston, TXGeneral Operations$12,500
Alley Theatre Houston, TXGeneral Operations$10,000
Sarah Lawrence College Bronxville, NYAnnual Support$10,000
The Philosophical Society of Texas Austin, TXExploring the Mysteries of the Brain$5,000
The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TXDirector's Initiatives$5,000
Houston Methodist Hospital Foundation Houston, TXMethodist Center for Performing Arts Medicine$5,000
Houston Methodist Hospital Foundation Houston, TXMethodist Center for Performing Arts Medicine$5,000
Alley Theatre Houston, TXAnnual Fundraiser$3,000
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Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Figures from IRS filings, by filing year
Filing yearTotal AssetsRevenueExpensesGrants paidGrantsQualifying DistributionsNet Investment IncomeDistributable Amount
2025$647,576$42,025$152,700$152,70037$152,700$41,970$108,455
2024$758,251$43,055$148,642$146,97233$144,472$42,640$99,650
2023$863,838$136,931$132,190$129,70031$129,700$136,931$91,467
2022$859,097$102,486$92,519$87,02531$87,025$102,486$92,941
2021$849,130$153,784$96,271$93,87533$93,875$148,925$96,979
2020$791,617$-2,819$100,439$99,71635—$27,983$84,379

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Gailo Trust reported a distributable amount of $108K 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 mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants show support for organizations working in the arts, education, health care, and other areas. For example, Alley Theatre describes its mission as inspiring and enchanting lives through theatrical experiences centered on its Resident Acting Company. Sarah Lawrence College says its mission is to graduate diverse citizens of the world who take intellectual and creative risks. Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast describes its work as providing health services, education, and advocacy related to sexual and reproductive health.

Grantmaking

In filing year 2025, the foundation reported 37 grants totaling $152,700. Grants ranged from $500 to $50,000, with a median of $1,000. Among the largest were $50,000 to Alley Theatre for an annual commitment, $15,000 to the University of Texas at Austin for the Harry Ransom Center, $12,500 to the Menil Collection for general operations, and $10,000 each to Alley Theatre for general operations and Sarah Lawrence College for annual support.

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

The 2025 filing lists Lois F Stark as trustee.

The Gailo Trust is led by Lois F. Stark, Trustee on every filing since 2020 — the only officer listed, and uncompensated.

Officers on the 2025 filing

  • Lois F. Stark

    Trustee

    On filings since 2020

    0.5 hrs/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.

Frequently asked questions about The Gailo Trust

How much does The Gailo Trust give each year?

The Gailo Trust gave $153K across 37 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $147K across 33 grants.

What is The Gailo Trust's typical grant size?

The Gailo Trust's median grant in 2025 was $1,000, and its average grant was $4,127, across 37 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from The Gailo Trust that year got $2K on average.

Where does The Gailo Trust give grants?

The Gailo Trust gives mostly in Texas: 89% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was New York (7%). The most frequent recipient cities were Houston, TX (25 grants) and Austin, TX (5 grants).

Does The Gailo Trust give general operating support?

Yes: 35% of The Gailo Trust's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (13 of 37) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.

Who are The Gailo Trust's largest grantees?

The Gailo Trust's largest 2025 grantees include Alley Theatre ($63,000 across 3 grants), The University of Texas at Austin ($21,000 across 3 grants) and The Menil Collection ($12,500), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 63% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.

How large is The Gailo Trust?

The Gailo Trust reported $648K in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $153K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $108K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).

What does The Gailo Trust fund?

No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2025 grants show support for organizations working in the arts, education, health care, and other areas. See mission & focus areas ↑

How do I apply for a grant from The Gailo Trust?

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 Gailo Trust's EIN?

The Gailo Trust's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 74-6054992. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2025.

Does The Gailo Trust 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

(2)

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

  1. Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS August 19, 2026)
  2. IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024

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Cite this profile

Grantable. (2026). The Gailo Trust funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 16, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-gailo-trust-morg_34245b9619e64b7e8dc23edbccad0694

BibTeX
@misc{grantable_746054992_2026,
  author       = {{Grantable}},
  title        = {{The Gailo Trust funder profile}},
  howpublished = {GrantGraph},
  year         = {2026},
  url          = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-gailo-trust-morg_34245b9619e64b7e8dc23edbccad0694},
  note         = {Accessed 2026-10-16. 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 Gailo Trust'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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