The Sarofim Foundation
The Sarofim Foundation is a private foundation based in Houston, Texas. Its 2025 filing reports 90 grants totaling $105,249,647, primarily to organizations in Texas, including educational, health, arts, and community organizations.
The Sarofim Foundation at a glance
In short: The Sarofim Foundation gave $105.2M across 90 grants in 2025 (avg $1.2M), mostly in Texas. Source: 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
- Annual giving (2025)
- $105,249,647
- +988.5% vs 2024
- Grants made (2025)
- 90
- +45.2% vs 2024
- Average grant
- $1,169,441
- +649.8% vs 2024
- Median grant
- $250,000
- Total assets
- $3,178,194,963
- +23.8% vs 2024
- Primary geography
- Texas (92% of itemized 2025 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2025 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2025; updated October 2026.
How to apply to The Sarofim Foundation
- How to Apply
-
The foundation says it does not restrict giving to preselected organizations. Upon receiving a request, it requires information specified in its due diligence checklist, including information about the applicant’s nonprofit formation, tax-exempt and public charity status, governance, charitable activities, finances, and key personnel. If trustees approve a request, the applicant must enter into a grant letter agreement confirming its public charity status and proposed use of funds. The foundation does not make grants to organizations that are not recognized as tax-exempt public charities under the specified sections of the tax code, including private foundations and private operating foundations. It also does not make grants to individuals, including grants supporting scholarship programs for individual recipients.
- Review Cycle
- The filing states that required checklists and documentation must be submitted within 60 days of “the ini…”; the deadline wording is incomplete in the available text.
- Deadline
- The filing states that required checklists and documentation must be submitted within 60 days of “the ini…”; the…
- Contact
Application contact: Ryan Dolibois
Mailing address: PO Box 52830, Houston, TX 77052-2830
Phone: (713) 654-4484
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who The Sarofim Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2025
The largest 2025 recipient was University of St Thomas ($8.0M). Together the top 10 received $56.2M.
Grant Size Distribution
152 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was in the $100–250K range: 53 grants of 152 (35%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
In 2025, 92% of grant dollars went to recipients in Texas, 4% to New Jersey, 3% to New York, 1% to Rhode Island, and less than 1% to Virginia.
Grant Distribution by State
Share of 2025 grant dollars across all 90 itemized grants.
Cities
How The Sarofim Foundation gives
- 49% of 2025 grantees were also funded in 2024. 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 (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
From 2024 to 2025, annual grant giving ranged from $9.7M (2024) to $105.2M (2025). In 2025 it made 90 grants totaling $105.2M.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| University of St Thomas Houston, TX | General Charitable Purposes | $8,000,000 |
| Harris Health Strategic Fund Bellaire, TX | General Charitable Purposes | $6,000,000 |
| Kinkaid School Inc Houston, TX | General Charitable Purposes | $6,000,000 |
| St John's School Houston, TX | General Charitable Purposes | $6,000,000 |
| Alley Theatre Houston, TX | General Charitable Purposes | $5,150,000 |
| Foundation for Jones Hall Spring, TX | General Charitable Purposes | $5,017,647 |
| Jesuit Cristo Rey High School of Houston Houston, TX | General Charitable Purposes | $5,000,000 |
| Camp For All Foundation Houston, TX | General Charitable Purposes | $5,000,000 |
| Houston Charter Seed Fund Houston, TX | General Charitable Purposes | $5,000,000 |
| McCombs School of Business Austin, TX | General Charitable Purposes | $5,000,000 |
Ready to take the next step with The Sarofim Foundation?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
The foundation’s EIN is 37-2090276. Its filing type is Form 990-PF.
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $3,178,194,963 | $476,480,689 | $144,323,415 | $105,249,647 | 90 | $108,300,642 | $107,219,461 | $146,837,109 |
| 2024 | $2,567,962,045 | $246,503,858 | $32,651,721 | $9,669,500 | 62 | $10,603,899 | $41,832,884 | $104,384,375 |
Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, The Sarofim Foundation reported a distributable amount of $146.8M 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
The foundation’s mission is not stated in the available information. Its 2025 grants include support for organizations whose own descriptions span education, health care, the arts, and community services. For example, the University of St. Thomas describes itself as a Catholic university committed to teaching, scholarship, and service; Harris Health Strategic Fund says it mobilizes philanthropy to expand access to care for Harris County residents; and Alley Theatre describes its work as providing theatrical experiences with artistic excellence.
Grantmaking
In 2025, the foundation reported 90 grants totaling $105,249,647. Awards ranged from $25,000 to $8,000,000, with a median grant of $250,000. Its largest reported grants included $8,000,000 to the University of St. Thomas; $6,000,000 each to Harris Health Strategic Fund, Kinkaid School, and St. John’s School; and $5,150,000 to Alley Theatre. Other grants of $5,000,000 went to organizations including Camp For All Foundation, Houston Charter Seed Fund, McCombs School of Business, Buffalo Bayou Partnership, and The Hobby Center Foundation.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2025 filing lists Christopher B. Sarofim as director and chair, Raye G. White as director and secretary, and William Gentry Lee Jr. as director and treasurer. Ryan Dolibois is listed as executive director.
The Sarofim Foundation is led by Ryan Dolibois, Executive Director on every filing since 2024; 1 of 4 officers listed in 2025 is compensated.
Officers on the 2025 filing
Ryan Dolibois
Executive Director
On filings since 2024
$299K (2024) → $450K (2025)
Christopher B. Sarofim
Director & Chair
Director → Director & Chair, 2025
On filings since 2023
No compensation reported
Raye G. White
Director & Secretary
Director → Director & Secretary, 2025
On filings since 2023
No compensation reported
William Gentry Lee Jr.
Director & Treasurer
Director → Director & Treasurer, 2025
On filings since 2023
No compensation reported
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2023–2025. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.
Compensation Overview
From 2025 IRS filing
The highest reported compensation on the 2025 filing was $450K, to Ryan Dolibois (Executive Director).
Frequently asked questions about The Sarofim Foundation
How much does The Sarofim Foundation give each year?
The Sarofim Foundation gave $105.2M across 90 grants in 2025, according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. In 2024 it gave $9.7M across 62 grants.
What is The Sarofim Foundation's typical grant size?
The Sarofim Foundation's median grant in 2025 was $250,000, and its average grant was $1,169,441, across 90 grants on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Where does The Sarofim Foundation give grants?
The Sarofim Foundation gives mostly in Texas: 92% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The most frequent recipient cities were Houston, TX (76 grants), Bellaire, TX (3 grants) and New York, NY (2 grants).
Does The Sarofim Foundation give general operating support?
Yes: 100% of The Sarofim Foundation's 2025 grants with a stated purpose (90 of 90) were for general or operating support, per its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF.
Who are The Sarofim Foundation's largest grantees?
The Sarofim Foundation's largest 2025 grantees include University of St Thomas ($8,000,000), Harris Health Strategic Fund ($6,000,000) and Kinkaid School Inc ($6,000,000), according to its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 19% of its itemized 2025 grant dollars.
How large is The Sarofim Foundation?
The Sarofim Foundation reported $3.2B in total assets on its 2025 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $108.3M in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $146.8M (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 Sarofim Foundation fund?
The foundation’s mission is not stated in the available information. Its 2025 grants include support for organizations whose own descriptions span education, health care, the arts, and community services. For example, the University of St. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from The Sarofim Foundation?
The foundation says it does not restrict giving to preselected organizations. Eligibility and process details are in the grantmaking section of this profile. See how to apply ↑
What is The Sarofim Foundation's EIN?
The Sarofim Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 37-2090276. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2023–2025.
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
- Added Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2025 (received by the IRS May 12, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2023–2024
Explore Open Grants
Browse active grant opportunities in The Sarofim Foundation's focus areas in our free grants database
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). The Sarofim Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 10, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/the-sarofim-foundation-morg_ed048af309df454bac13a914c20009bc
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_372090276_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{The Sarofim Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/the-sarofim-foundation-morg_ed048af309df454bac13a914c20009bc},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-10. 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 Sarofim 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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