The Powell Foundation is a private family foundation headquartered in Houston, Texas. Established in 1967 by founders Ben H. Powell, Jr. and Kitty King Powell, the organization operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to catalyzing progress through strategic grantmaking and philanthropic initiatives.
Financial Overview
From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$451.5M
+7.2% YoY
Annual Giving
$18.5M
+5.4% YoY
Grant Count
276
+2.6% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$67K
+2.7% YoY
Mission & Focus Areas
The Powell Foundation is dedicated to catalyzing progress in public education through bold and collaborative grantmaking and initiatives. The foundation recognizes the importance of promoting conditions necessary for children and youth to thrive and invests across four primary areas:
- Education (64% of 2025 grantmaking)
- Supportive Communities (36% of 2025 grantmaking)
- Arts
- Conservation
- Human Services
The foundation has distributed more than $135 million in grants to date in support of public education across Houston, Austin, Huntsville, and the state of Texas.
Grantmaking
Notable grants include:
Grant Range
s & Distribution:**
Average Grant
$270,000
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The Powell Foundation supports nonprofit organizations whose work directly benefits residents of three primary Texas counties:
- Harris County: 59% of 2025 grant dollars ($11.3 million)
- Travis County: 25% of 2025 grant dollars ($4.7 million)
- Walker County: 9% of 2025 grant dollars ($1.7 million)
- Texas/Statewide: 7% of 2025 grant dollars ($1.4 million)
The foundation makes select statewide grants that directly benefit the three counties of interest and prioritized issue areas.
Grant Distribution by State
States
Cities
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
Assets & Revenue (2024):
- Total assets: $451,534,153
- Total revenues: $36,080,455
- Total expenses: $21,700,630
- Total giving: $18,465,732
Historical Financial Data (2023):
- Total assets: $421 million
- Revenue: $22.8 million
- Expenses: $20.2 million
- Total liabilities: $1.38 million
Staffing: The foundation employs 7 staff members.
| Metric | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $451,534,153 | $421,222,742 | $372,755,906 |
| Revenue | $36,080,455 | $22,834,407 | $35,540,234 |
| Expenses | $21,700,630 | $20,167,254 | $22,644,566 |
| Qualifying Distributions | $20,026,366 | $18,972,206 | $20,905,364 |
| Net Investment Income | $35,114,839 | $21,977,009 | $34,188,511 |
| Distributable Amount | $21,751,351 | $19,249,485 | $18,973,519 |
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
Grant Insights
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
Grant Size Distribution
201 grants across all recorded years
Open Grants
1 open opportunity from The Powell Foundation
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
No grants recorded for .
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
- Eleisha Nelson-Reed: Executive Director
The Board of Directors is comprised of Powell family members and independent advisors.
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
From 2024 filing
| Name | Title | Hours | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Katherine Osborne Valdez | Board President/Director | 16 | $86,222 |
| Ben H Powell V | VP/Asst Treasurer/Director | 2 | — |
| Charles F Caldwell | Secretary/Director | 2 | — |
| Harvin C Moore IV | Treasurer | 1 | — |
| Terry Bruner | Director | 2 | — |
| Christopher D Casey II | Director | 1 | — |
| Marian M Casey | Director | 4 | — |
| Thao Costis | Director | 3 | — |
| E Inez Hill | Director | 1 | — |
| Katherine P Hill | Director | 1 | — |
| Elizabeth K Moore | Director | 1 | — |
| Ben H Powell VI | Director | 2 | — |
Subject Areas
Focus areas based on grantmaking activity
Data last updated April 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated April 2026.
What could you do with The Powell Foundation on Grantable?
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