Tree of Life Foundation
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.
Tree of Life Foundation at a glance
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.
- Annual giving (2024)
- $374,000
- Grants made (2024)
- 12
- Average grant
- $31,167
- Median grant
- $25,000
- Total assets
- $3,556,502
- New grantees (estimate)
- 25% first-time grantees (3 of 12, 2024; small sample)
- Primary geography
- Texas (71% of itemized 2024 grant dollars)
- Latest 990 filing
- Form 990-PF, 2024 View filing
Data from IRS Form 990-PF, 2024; updated October 2026. New grantees are estimated by matching recipient names across years (methodology).
How to apply to Tree of Life Foundation
- 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.
- Contact
Mailing address: PO Box 368, New Waverly, TX 77358
Phone: (936) 661-1083
Application details from Grantable's research on the foundation's public materials; confirm on its website before applying.
Who Tree of Life Foundation funds
How this funder distributes its grants
Top Recipients
Top 10 recipients in 2024
The largest 2024 recipient was Samaritan's Purse ($100K). Together the top 10 received $367K.
Grant Size Distribution
43 grants across all recorded years
The most common grant size was under $50K: 38 grants of 43 (88%).
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
Share of 2024 grant dollars across all 12 itemized grants.
Cities
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.
Giving History
Giving Over Time
Total grant dollars and number of grants per year
From 2020 to 2024, annual grant giving ranged from $225K (2022) to $374K (2024). In 2024 it made 12 grants totaling $374K.
Grants by year
Grant recipients and amounts by year
| Recipient | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Samaritan's Purse Boone, NC | Charitable Contributions | $100,000 |
| Alpha Omega Academy Huntsville, TX | Charitable Contributions | $85,000 |
| Fellowship of Huntsville Church Huntsville, TX | Charitable Contributions | $45,000 |
| Good Shepherd Mission Huntsville, TX | Charitable Contributions | $37,000 |
| Boys & Girls Club of Walker County Huntsville, TX | Charitable Contributions | $25,000 |
| Care Center Huntsville Huntsville, TX | Charitable Contributions | $25,000 |
| Restore Texas Ministries Huntsville, TX | Charitable Contributions | $25,000 |
| CASA of Walker County Huntsville, TX | Charitable Contributions | $10,000 |
| Saafe House Huntsville, TX | Charitable Contributions | $10,000 |
| Campus Outreach Houston Huntsville, TX | Charitable Contributions | $5,000 |
Ready to take the next step with Tree of Life Foundation?
Financial History
Multi-year comparison from IRS filings
| Filing year | Total Assets | Revenue | Expenses | Grants paid | Grants | Qualifying Distributions | Net Investment Income | Distributable Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $3,556,502 | $489,586 | $424,000 | $374,000 | 12 | $374,000 | $406,427 | $167,608 |
| 2022 | $3,793,581 | $85,986 | $275,000 | $225,000 | 9 | $225,000 | $12,323 | $178,287 |
| 2021 | $3,603,449 | $264,384 | $308,672 | $286,000 | 11 | $286,000 | $156,174 | $154,933 |
| 2020 | $3,828,261 | $-5,471,968 | $333,795 | $232,000 | 11 | — | $1,871 | $237,305 |
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.
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.
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.
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.
Data update history
(5)
When this profile's IRS filing data changed on Grantable
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2020 (received by the IRS November 15, 2021)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2021 (received by the IRS November 21, 2022)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2022 (received by the IRS November 17, 2023)
- Updated Form 990-PF for fiscal year 2024 (received by the IRS February 24, 2026)
- IRS filings on file for fiscal years 2020–2024
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Cite this profile
Grantable. (2026). Tree of Life Foundation funder profile. GrantGraph. Retrieved October 26, 2026, from https://grantable.co/funders/tree-of-life-foundation-morg_4438867cdece46c49cfbdf000011def1
BibTeX
@misc{grantable_202368593_2026,
author = {{Grantable}},
title = {{Tree of Life Foundation funder profile}},
howpublished = {GrantGraph},
year = {2026},
url = {https://grantable.co/funders/tree-of-life-foundation-morg_4438867cdece46c49cfbdf000011def1},
note = {Accessed 2026-10-26. 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 Tree of Life 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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