Tree of Life Foundation

Private foundation · Grantmaker New Waverly, TX EIN: 20-2368593

Tree of Life Foundation is a private foundation based in New Waverly, Texas. It supports charitable organizations, with 2024 grants going mainly to organizations in Texas and North Carolina.

Key facts about Tree of Life Foundation

In short: Tree of Life Foundation gave $374K across 12 grants in 2024 (avg $31K), mostly in Texas. 25% of 2024 grantees were new. Source: 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.

EIN
20-2368593
Latest 990 filing
Form 990-PF, 2024
Annual giving (2024)
$374,000
Grants made (2024)
12
Average grant
$31,167
Median grant
$25,000
New grantees (estimate)
25% first-time grantees (3 of 12, 2024; small sample)
Total assets
$3,556,502
Primary geography
Texas (71% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
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. Full details ↓

Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology). Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.

Financial Overview

From 2024 IRS Form 990-PF · View filing

Total Assets

$3.6M

Annual Giving

$374K

Grant Count

12

Avg Grant Size

$31K

Under IRS private-foundation payout rules, Tree of Life Foundation reported a distributable amount of $168K for 2024 — the minimum it must pay out in qualifying distributions.

Is Tree of Life Foundation open to new grantees?

25%

first-time grantees, 2024

In 2024, 3 of 12 grantees (25%) were first-time recipients. With only 12 grantees, that is a small sample: one grantee more or less moves the share by about 8 points. First grants averaged $36K; repeat grants $30K. How we count

Medians: $5K first-time, $25K repeat.

  • Giving grew 31% from 2021 to 2024. Method
  • In 2024 it paid out 223% of its IRS minimum distribution (the 5% rule). Method

Estimate from itemized grant lists in IRS Form 990-PF filings (2020–2024). Recipient names are matched across years, so a renamed or misspelled grantee can look new; grants to individuals are left out. Methodology.

Research compiled by Grantable AI from public sources. Last updated September 2026.

Mission & Focus Areas

No mission statement for the foundation is provided. Its 2024 grants supported organizations whose stated work includes international aid, temporary shelter and basic needs, job and life-skills support, youth development, services for survivors of family violence and sexual assault, and care for children awaiting foster placement. For example, Samaritan’s Purse describes its work as providing spiritual and physical aid to people affected by war, poverty, disasters, disease, and famine. Good Shepherd Mission says it provides temporary lodging, food, clothing, and Christian counseling; Restore Texas Ministries says it houses homeless men and trains them in life skills and skilled labor.

Grantmaking

In 2024, the foundation made 12 grants totaling $374,000. Grant amounts ranged from $2,000 to $100,000, with a median of $25,000.

Its largest 2024 grants included $100,000 to Samaritan’s Purse, $85,000 to Alpha Omega Academy, $45,000 to Fellowship of Huntsville Church, and $37,000 to Good Shepherd Mission. Boys & Girls Club of Walker County, Care Center Huntsville, and Restore Texas Ministries each received $25,000.

How to Apply

The foundation states that it makes contributions only to preselected charitable organizations and does not accept unsolicited requests for funds.

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Geographic Focus

Where this funder awards grants

The foundation’s 2024 grant dollars went to recipients in Texas (71%), North Carolina (27%), California (1%), and Tennessee (1%). These figures describe the locations of 2024 recipients.

Grant Distribution by State

5states

Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 12 itemized grants.

Cities

HuntsvillePolsonDallasHoustonBooneElizabethtonSan Diego

Giving Over Time

Total grant dollars and number of grants per year

$0$100K$200K$300K$400K11 grants2020 11 grants2021 9 grants2022 12 grants2024

From 2020 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $225K (2022) to $374K (2024). In 2024 it made 12 grants totaling $374K.

Grant Insights

How this funder distributes its grants

Top Recipients

Top 10 recipients in 2024

Samaritan's Purse: $100KSamaritan's Purse$100KAlpha Omega Academy: $85KAlpha Omega Academy$85KFellowship of Huntsville Church: $45KFellowship of HuntsvilleChurch$45KGood Shepherd Mission: $37KGood Shepherd Mission$37KBoys & Girls Club of Walker County: $25KBoys & Girls Club of WalkerCounty$25KCare Center Huntsville: $25KCare Center Huntsville$25KRestore Texas Ministries: $25KRestore Texas Ministries$25KCASA of Walker County: $10KCASA of Walker County$10KSaafe House: $10KSaafe House$10KCampus Outreach Houston: $5KCampus Outreach Houston$5K

The largest 2024 recipient was Samaritan's Purse ($100K). Together the top 10 received $367K.

Grant Size Distribution

43 grants across all recorded years

38<$50K3$50–100K2$100–250K$250–500K$500K–1M$1–5M$5M+

The most common grant size was under $50K: 38 grants of 43 (88%).

Giving History

Grant recipients and amounts by year

RecipientPurposeAmount
Samaritan's Purse Boone, NCCharitable Contributions$100,000
Alpha Omega Academy Huntsville, TXCharitable Contributions$85,000
Fellowship of Huntsville Church Huntsville, TXCharitable Contributions$45,000
Good Shepherd Mission Huntsville, TXCharitable Contributions$37,000
Boys & Girls Club of Walker County Huntsville, TXCharitable Contributions$25,000
Care Center Huntsville Huntsville, TXCharitable Contributions$25,000
Restore Texas Ministries Huntsville, TXCharitable Contributions$25,000
CASA of Walker County Huntsville, TXCharitable Contributions$10,000
Saafe House Huntsville, TXCharitable Contributions$10,000
Campus Outreach Houston Huntsville, TXCharitable Contributions$5,000

Financial History

Multi-year comparison from IRS filings

Filing year Assets Revenue Expenses Grants
2024 $3,556,502 $489,586 $424,000 $374,000
2022 $3,793,581 $85,986 $275,000 $225,000
2021 $3,603,449 $264,384 $308,672 $286,000
Revenue
Expenses
Qualifying Distributions
Net Investment Income
$0$200K$400K$600K2020 2021 2022 2024
Metric202420222021
Total Assets$3,556,502$3,793,581$3,603,449
Revenue$489,586$85,986$264,384
Expenses$424,000$275,000$308,672
Qualifying Distributions$374,000$225,000$286,000
Net Investment Income$406,427$12,323$156,174
Distributable Amount$167,608$178,287$154,933

Data update history

When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable

  1. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS November 15, 2021)
  2. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS November 21, 2022)
  3. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS November 17, 2023)
  4. Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS February 24, 2026)
  5. IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024

Leadership & Key People

Leadership team and compensation from IRS filings

The 2024 filing lists Kelvin Steely, Robert A. Flack, DeAnn Steely, and Laurie Flack as trustees.

Tree of Life Foundation's 2024 filing lists 4 officers; none of the 4 officers listed in 2024 report compensation.

Officers on the 2024 filing

  • Deann Steely

    Trustee

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Kelvin Steely

    Trustee

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Laurie Flack

    Trustee

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

  • Robert A. Flack

    Trustee

    On filings since 2020

    1 hr/week

    No compensation reported

Data from IRS Form 990 filings, 2020–2024. "On filings since" is the earliest filing we hold that lists the person; hours are average hours per week as reported.

Contact

Mailing address: PO Box 368, New Waverly, TX 77358
Phone: (936) 661-1083

Frequently asked questions about Tree of Life Foundation

How much does Tree of Life Foundation give each year?

Tree of Life Foundation gave $374K across 12 grants in 2024, according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF.

What is Tree of Life Foundation's typical grant size?

Tree of Life Foundation's median grant in 2024 was $25,000, and its average grant was $31,167, across 12 grants on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Organizations receiving their first grant from Tree of Life Foundation that year got $36K on average.

Where does Tree of Life Foundation give grants?

Tree of Life Foundation gives mostly in Texas: 71% of the grant dollars itemized on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF went to recipients there. The next largest state was North Carolina (27%). The most frequent recipient cities were Huntsville, TX (9 grants).

Who are Tree of Life Foundation's largest grantees?

Tree of Life Foundation's largest 2024 grantees include Samaritan's Purse ($100,000), Alpha Omega Academy ($85,000) and Fellowship of Huntsville Church ($45,000), according to its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. Together they received 61% of its itemized 2024 grant dollars.

How large is Tree of Life Foundation?

Tree of Life Foundation reported $3.6M in total assets on its 2024 IRS Form 990-PF. It paid out $374K in qualifying distributions that year, against a required minimum of $168K (roughly 5% of its investment assets).

What does Tree of Life Foundation fund?

No mission statement for the foundation is provided. See mission & focus areas ↑

How do I apply for a grant from Tree of Life Foundation?

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 Tree of Life Foundation's EIN?

Tree of Life Foundation's EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 20-2368593. IRS Form 990 filing data is available on this page for 2020–2024.

Does Tree of Life Foundation 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 September 2026.

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