Thomas R Brown Family Foundation
The Thomas R Brown Family Foundation is a Form 990-EZ (a small public charity) based in Tyler, Texas. Its stated purpose is to promote, encourage, and aid the East Texas Communities Foundation in charitable, scientific, qualified religious, and educational activities.
Thomas R Brown Family Foundation at a glance
- Total assets
- $416,716
- -5.0% vs 2023
- Revenue (2024)
- $74,874
- Expenses (2024)
- $100,246
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-EZ, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-EZ, 2024; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Thomas R Brown Family Foundation
- Contact
Mailing address: 315 N Broadway Ave 210, Tyler, TX 75702
Phone: (903) 533-0208
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Thomas R Brown Family Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Grant Size Distribution
50 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 24 grants of 50 (48%).
Geographic Focus
Where this funder awards grants
The foundation is based in Tyler, Texas, and its stated mission refers to supporting the East Texas Communities Foundation. Its reported 2023 grants also included several Tucson-area organizations, including the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, University of Arizona Foundation, Community Foundation for Southern Arizona, TMC Health Foundation, and Startup Tucson.
Grant Distribution by State
States
Cities
Is Thomas R Brown Family Foundation open to new grantees?
27%
first-time grantees, 2023
In 2023, 3 of 11 grantees (27%) were first-time recipients. With only 11 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 9 points. First grants averaged $673K; repeat grants $675K. How we count
Medians: $250K first-time, $253K repeat.
- 64% of 2023 grantees were also funded in 2022. Method
Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990 filings (2019–2023). 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 2019 to 2023, annual grant giving ranged from $1.2M (2020) to $7.4M (2023, 18 months). In 2023 it made 11 grants totaling $7.4M.
*2023: Covers 18 months (fiscal year-end changed).
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
*2023: Covers 18 months (fiscal year-end changed).
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Thomas R Brown Foundation Tucson, AZ | Support | $3,000,000 |
| Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum Tucson, AZ | Support | $1,750,000 |
| University of Arizona Fdn Tucson, AZ | Support | $1,245,000 |
| Community Foundation for S AZ Tucson, AZ | Support | $555,500 |
| Flinn Foundation Phoenix, AZ | Support | $300,000 |
| TMC Foundation Tucson, AZ | Support | $250,000 |
| Startup Tucson Tucson, AZ | Support | $205,000 |
| Greater Tucson Leadership Tucson, AZ | Support | $57,500 |
| Educational Enrichment Fdn Tucson, AZ | Support | $20,000 |
| Tucson Values Teachers Tucson, AZ | Support | $20,000 |
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Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Net Investment Income |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $416,716 | $74,874 | $100,246 | — | — | — |
| 2023* | $438,538 | $466,249 | $7,733,230 | $7,423,000 | 11 | $294,166 |
| 2022 | $8,856,697 | $2,936,503 | $4,173,802 | $3,949,471 | 12 | $402,523 |
| 2021 | $11,105,560 | $2,673,001 | $3,898,562 | $3,759,785 | 13 | $501,828 |
| 2020 | $10,703,084 | $2,191,286 | $1,214,898 | $1,159,701 | 14 | $359,156 |
| 2019 | $9,961,442 | $2,685,273 | $1,848,885 | $1,684,814 | 9 | $461,230 |
*2023: Covers 18 months (fiscal year-end changed).
Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated October 2026.
Mission & Focus Areas
The foundation states that it promotes, encourages, and aids the East Texas Communities Foundation in its charitable, scientific, qualified religious, and educational activities. Its filing also describes support for local charitable community improvement, education, and scholarships.
Its 2023 grantees included organizations with varied missions. The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum says it works to foster understanding and appreciation of the Sonoran Desert. The University of Arizona Foundation says it supports the university through developing and managing private support. The Community Foundation for Southern Arizona says it builds a thriving Southern Arizona through philanthropy. Other grantees described missions related to health, entrepreneurship, leadership, and student learning.
Grantmaking
The foundation reported 11 grants totaling $7,423,000 in 2023. Named recipients included the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum ($1,750,000), the University of Arizona Foundation ($1,245,000), the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona ($555,500), TMC Health Foundation ($250,000), and Startup Tucson ($205,000). The filing reported 12 grants totaling $3,949,471 in 2022. For 2024, it reported no grants.
Separately, the 2024 filing lists $94,183 in cash given to the East Texas Communities Foundation, identifying it as a related-party donee. The filing’s grant count for that year is zero.
Leadership & Key People
Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings
The 2024 filing lists Kyle L. Penney as President, Gordon Northcutt as Secretary, and Craig Adams as Vice President.
Thomas R Brown Family Foundation is led by Kyle L Penney, President on every filing since 2023; none of the 3 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.
Officers on the 2024 filing
Kyle L Penney
President
On filings since 2023
No compensation reported
Craig Adams
Vice President
On filings since 2023
No compensation reported
Gordon Northcutt
Secretary
On filings since 2023
No compensation reported
Former officers (9)
- Former: Dan Janes (2019–2023) — Prior Trustee
- Former: Mary Bernal (2019–2023) — Prior Secretary & Treasurer
- Former: Sarah Smallhouse (2019–2023) — Prior President
- Former: Shaun Kirkpatrick (2019–2023) — Prior Trustee
- Former: Barbara Gray (2020–2023) — Prior Trustee
- Former: John Carter (2019–2021) — Vice President
- Former: Jack Jewett (2019–2020) — Trustee
- Former: Michael Hard (2019–2020) — Trustee
- Former: Gerald Swanson (2019) — Trustee
Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2019–2024. "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 Thomas R Brown Family Foundation
How large is Thomas R Brown Family Foundation?
Thomas R Brown Family Foundation reported $417K in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-EZ. Its revenue that year was $75K.
What does Thomas R Brown Family Foundation fund?
The foundation states that it promotes, encourages, and aids the East Texas Communities Foundation in its charitable, scientific, qualified religious, and educational activities. Its filing also describes support for local charitable community improvement, education, and scholarships. See mission & focus areas ↑
How do I apply for a grant from Thomas R Brown Family Foundation?
Thomas R Brown Family Foundation has no public application process in the sources Grantable reviewed. Contact the foundation directly before submitting a request.
Where does Thomas R Brown Family Foundation make grants?
The foundation is based in Tyler, Texas, and its stated mission refers to supporting the East Texas Communities Foundation. Its reported 2023 grants also included several Tucson-area organizations, including the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, University of Arizona Foundation, Community Foundation for Southern Arizona, TMC Health Foundation, and Startup Tucson.
What is Thomas R Brown Family Foundation's EIN?
Thomas R Brown Family Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 86-0933380. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2019–2024.
Data last updated October 2026. Sourced from IRS Form 990 filings. Research dossier generated October 2026.
Data update history
(6)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Added Form 990 for fiscal year 2019 (received by the IRS March 31, 2020)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS April 22, 2021)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS April 29, 2022)
- Updated Form 990 for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS November 10, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-EZ for fiscal year 2023 (received by the IRS November 14, 2024)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
Live grants for the work Thomas R Brown Family Foundation funds
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