The Priddy Foundation
The Priddy Foundation is a general purpose private, independent foundation headquartered in Wichita Falls, Texas. Established in 1963 by Walter M. and Swannanoa Priddy, the foundation has evolved from a small family foundation into a highly respected regional grantmaker. The foundation operates with 4 employees and maintains its office in the City National Building in Wichita Falls.
Financial Overview
From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing
Total Assets
$197.1M
+3.4% YoY
Annual Giving
$13.2M
-3.2% YoY
Grant Count
137
-3.5% YoY
Avg Grant Size
$97K
+0.3% YoY
Mission & Focus Areas
The Priddy Foundation is dedicated to supporting programs with significant potential for individual development and community improvement. The foundation focuses on four primary areas:
- Arts and Culture: Supporting programs that nurture education and creative development, inspire participation, advance excellence, and strengthen arts opportunities
- Education: Supporting early childhood initiatives focused on school readiness, along with public, private, and higher education programs that provide opportunities for personal success and enable lifelong learning
- Human Services: Supporting programs that elevate individuals and families toward greater independence and self-sufficiency, with focus on prevention, intervention, treatment, and management of both chronic and crisis support
- Health: Supporting programs that enhance access to healthcare, affordability, and encourage healthy lifestyles, with particular emphasis on prevention, wellness, medical access, and rural healthcare
Grantmaking
The foundation is an active grantmaker with recent grant activity demonstrating substantial commitment to its focus areas. Recent grants include:
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Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The Priddy Foundation primarily serves North Texas and Southern Oklahoma. The foundation also makes grants in Kentucky and maintains historical connections to Virginia and North Carolina, the birthplaces of the founders. While the foundation concentrates its efforts in the North Texas area, it also supports statewide projects in Texas.
Grant Distribution by State
Cities
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
As of December 31, 2023:
- Total Assets: $190,573,915
- Total Revenues: $12,157,456
- Total Expenses: $16,178,282
- Total Giving: $13,118,024
- Number of Employees: 4
Revenue Composition (2023):
- Investment Income and Dividends: $4,975,478
- Net Gain from Sale of Non-Inventory Assets: $7,141,405
The foundation's financial assets have grown dramatically since its establishment, reflecting the substantial gifts made by Robert Priddy and his wife Ruby following the sale of Dual Drilling in 1980.
| Metric | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Assets | $197,074,447 | $190,573,915 | $194,532,964 |
| Revenue | $22,399,961 | $12,157,456 | $7,579,791 |
| Expenses | $15,985,207 | $16,178,282 | $16,421,953 |
| Qualifying Distributions | $14,282,538 | $14,775,253 | $14,990,412 |
| Net Investment Income | $20,783,731 | $10,680,583 | $5,975,727 |
| Distributable Amount | $13,015,669 | $12,080,812 | $12,682,504 |
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
250 grants across all recorded years
Open Grants
1 open opportunity from The Priddy Foundation
Giving History
Grant recipients and amounts by year
No grants recorded for .
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
Founders: Walter M. Priddy (Virginia native, founder and president of Sabine Corporation) and Swannanoa Priddy (North Carolina native)
Historical Leadership: The foundation was originally led by the founders and their three sons—Robert T. Priddy, Charles H. Priddy, and Ashley H. Priddy—along with close friends and business associates.
Robert T. Priddy: Named president of the foundation in the late 1970s. An accomplished businessman who co-founded Dual Drilling in 1951 and served as its chairman and CEO. He sold Dual Drilling to the Bechtel Group in 1980 and assumed sole control of the foundation, significantly expanding its impact and transforming it into a highly respected private foundation.
Compensation Overview
From 2024 IRS filing
From 2024 filing
| Name | Title | Hours | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dr Shelley S Sweatt | President/CEO | 40 | $315,971 |
| David Wolverton | Trustee Emeritus | — | — |
| Berneice R Leath | Trustee Emerita | — | — |
| Debbie Barrow | Trustee | 2 | $7,000 |
| Dr David Flack | Trustee | 2 | $7,000 |
| Margaret Henry | Trustee | 2 | $7,000 |
| James Johnson | Trustee | 2 | $7,000 |
| Robert Britt Milstead | Trustee | 2 | $6,500 |
| Michael Stanford | Trustee | 2 | $7,000 |
| Bert Huff | Trustee | 2 | $7,000 |
| Max Vordenbaum | Trustee | 2 | $7,000 |
| Walter Priddy DOD 7779 | Foundation Manager | — | — |
| Ashley Priddy DOD 3584 | Foundation Manager | — | — |
| Swannanoa Priddy DOD 8780 | Foundation Manager | — | — |
| Robert T Priddy DOD 1615 | Foundation Manager | — | — |
Data last updated April 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990-PF filings. Research dossier generated April 2026.
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