The Cullen Foundation
Houston, TX · EIN 76-0647361. Reported 150 grants totalling $72.0M to 82 recipients across tax years 2021-2024. This foundation did not tell the IRS it funds only preselected organizations.
Does this foundation accept applications?
Yes -- on its own tax return. Form 990-PF asks every private foundation whether it makes grants only to organizations it selects itself. Of the 91,758 foundations in our data that made a grant and answered, 78% said yes -- and applying to those is wasted effort. The Cullen Foundation did not check that box on its most recent filing, which puts it in the minority that is at least open to being approached.
How big are its grants?
The median grant is $150,000. Half of everything it gave fell between $100,000 and $500,000; the smallest was $40,000 and the largest $8,000,000. If you are asking for materially more than the top of that range, you are asking the wrong foundation.
Every organization it funded
This is the complete list from its filings, largest first. Recipients are grouped by name and state as they were written on the returns, so an organization entered under two different names appears twice. Years funded is the number of separate tax years in which that name received money.
| Organization | Location | Total received | Grants | Years funded | Last |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baylor College of Medicine | Houston, TX | $17.0M | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Houston Museum of Natural Science | Houston, TX | $5,600,000 | 5 | 4 | 2024 |
| Harris Health Strategic Fund | Bellaire, TX | $5,000,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| University of Houston System | Houston, TX | $3,610,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Good Reason Houston Inc | Houston, TX | $2,400,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Armand Bayou Nature Center | Houston, TX | $1,500,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Buffalo Bayou Partnership | Houston, TX | $1,500,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Houston Habitat for Humanity Inc | Houston, TX | $1,500,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Texas Children's Hospital | Houston, TX | $1,200,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| The Beta Foundation Dba Beta Academy | Houston, TX | $1,175,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Emerge Fellowship | Houston, TX | $1,150,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Alley Theatre | Houston, TX | $1,125,000 | 5 | 4 | 2024 |
| Spark | Houston, TX | $1,100,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Depelchin Children's Center | Houston, TX | $1,000,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Hermann Park Conservancy | Houston, TX | $1,000,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Houston Food Bank | Houston, TX | $1,000,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Kids' Meals Inc | Houston, TX | $1,000,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| New Hope Housing Inc | Houston, TX | $1,000,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| The Foundation for Jones Hall | Houston, TX | $1,000,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| United Way of Greater Houston | Houston, TX | $1,000,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Willow Waterhole Greenspace Conservancy Inc | Houston, TX | $1,000,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Bridgeyear | Houston, TX | $950,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Teach for America Inc - Houston | Houston, TX | $900,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Prounitas Inc | Houston, TX | $850,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Harmony Public Schools | Houston, TX | $750,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Houston Area Women's Center Inc | Houston, TX | $750,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| The Kinkaid School Inc | Houston, TX | $750,000 | 5 | 4 | 2024 |
| Houston Grand Opera Association Inc | Houston, TX | $725,000 | 5 | 4 | 2024 |
| Houston Symphony Society | Houston, TX | $725,000 | 5 | 4 | 2024 |
| Greater Houston Community Foundation | Houston, TX | $700,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Houston Ballet Foundation | Houston, TX | $625,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| The Museum of Fine Arts Houston | Houston, TX | $600,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Asia Society | Houston, TX | $500,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Avenue Community Development Corporation | Houston, TX | $500,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Girl Scouts of San Jacinto Council | Houston, TX | $500,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Houston Classical Inc | Houston, TX | $500,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Memorial Assistance Ministries Inc | Houston, TX | $500,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Menil Foundation Inc | Houston, TX | $500,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| My Connect Community | Houston, TX | $500,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Rebuilding Together Houston | Houston, TX | $500,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Rothko Chapel | Houston, TX | $500,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Wonderland Educational Estate Association Inc Dba Beatrice Mayes Institute | Houston, TX | $500,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Yellowstone Academy Inc | Houston, TX | $500,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Da Camera Society of Texas | Houston, TX | $300,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Emancipation Park Conservancy | Houston, TX | $300,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Galveston Bay Foundation | Houston, TX | $300,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Houston Public Media Foundation | Houston, TX | $300,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Project Row Houses | Houston, TX | $300,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Center for African American Military History Inc | Houston, TX | $250,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Covenant House | Houston, TX | $250,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Houston Hospice | Houston, TX | $250,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Target Hunger | Houston, TX | $250,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| The Salvation Army - Houston Texas Area Command | Houston, TX | $250,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Transform Houston Foundation | Houston, TX | $250,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| W Oscar Neuhaus Memorial Foundation | Houston, TX | $240,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Chinquapin Preparatory School | Houston, TX | $200,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Houston Arts Alliance | Houston, TX | $200,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Small Places | Houston, TX | $200,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Small Steps Nurturing Center | Houston, TX | $200,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Children's Museum Inc | Houston, TX | $195,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Houston Arboretum & Nature Center | Houston, TX | $160,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| The Council on Recovery | Houston, TX | $160,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Lawndale Art Center | Houston, TX | $150,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Wesley Community Center Inc | Houston, TX | $150,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Making It Better Dba Literacy Now | Houston, TX | $125,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| A D Players | Houston, TX | $100,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Breakthrough Houston | Houston, TX | $100,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Evelyn's Park Conservancy | Bellaire, TX | $100,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Friends of Pumpkin Park | Houston, TX | $100,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Just Community Inc | Austin, TX | $100,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Lone Star Flight Museum | Houston, TX | $100,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Nature Discovery Center Inc | Bellaire, TX | $100,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Society for the Performing Arts | Houston, TX | $100,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Holocaust Museum Houston | Houston, TX | $80,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Rice University | Houston, TX | $75,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| The Children's Museum of Houston | Houston, TX | $60,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Dress for Success Houston | Houston, TX | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Houston Botanic Garden | Houston, TX | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Society of St Vincent De Paul | Houston, TX | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| The Workfaith Connection | Houston, TX | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Westchase District Community Fund | Houston, TX | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Wonderland Educational Estate Association Inc | Houston, TX | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
29 of 82 (35%) received money in more than one year over the 4 years we hold.
Measured the way we measure every foundation -- what share of one year's grantees are funded again the next -- this one retains 49%, across 3 year-to-year transitions. The median foundation retains about 67%, so this one is less consistent than most. This measures how often it paid the same organizations again. It says nothing about whether it would consider a new one.
What the money was for
Taken verbatim from the purpose field of its filings. This is the closest thing to a statement of what this foundation cares about, in its own words.
- Baylor College of Medicine
Capital Campaign - Health Sciences Tower - Houston Museum of Natural Science
Cullen Hall of Gems and Minerals Renovation - Harris Health Strategic Fund
Investing in a Healthier Houston - A Campaign for Harris Health - University of Houston System
Centennial Project: Transforming Houston's Campus - Centennial Plaza Naming - Armand Bayou Nature Center
Upper Armand Bayou Protection Project - Buffalo Bayou Partnership
Lockwood South Housing Development in Buffalo Bayou East
What kind of organizations it funds
By the activity category the IRS assigns each recipient, for the 117 grants where we could match the recipient to a registered organization. The categories are the IRS's. The match, made from the name and address on the return, is ours.
Giving by year
| Tax year | Grants | Total | Median grant |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 46 | $19.0M | $150,000 |
| 2022 | 36 | $17.9M | $175,000 |
| 2023 | 35 | $17.2M | $150,000 |
| 2024 | 33 | $17.9M | $250,000 |
Tax years, not calendar years, and the most recent year is usually incomplete -- filings arrive about a year late, so a low final year means late paperwork rather than a foundation winding down.
Already committed for future years
Form 990-PF has a separate schedule for grants approved but not yet paid. The Cullen Foundation has 4 of them, worth $19.6M. This is the one part of the filing that looks forward rather than back.
| Organization | Location | Approved |
|---|---|---|
| Baylor College of Medicine | Houston, TX | $12.0M |
| Baylor College of Medicine | Houston, TX | $6,000,000 |
| Harris Health Strategic Fund | Bellaire, TX | $1,000,000 |
| Texas Children's Hospital | Houston, TX | $600,000 |
Where its money goes
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Funders that support the same organizations
These funders gave to organizations this one also funded -- some private foundations, some community foundations and other grantmaking charities. Shared grantees are a sign of overlapping priorities and nothing more: they do not show that any of these funders would consider a new organization. Each page says what its filings show.
How to approach this foundation
- Check you are its size. The median grant is $150,000. A request many times that size asks for something it has rarely or never given.
- Check you are in its geography. Its giving is concentrated in Texas.
- Read the recipient list above for organizations like yours. If nothing on it resembles your work, that is a real answer, and a cheap one to get.
- Look up the current filing before writing. The 990-PF names the foundation's officers and, where one exists, its application procedure. We link it below.
Related guides
Where these numbers come from
Everything above is taken from The Cullen Foundation's own Form 990-PF filings, which the IRS publishes in bulk. We used 4 returns (tax years 2021-2024). Grant figures are from its returns. Matching recipients to registered organizations, their IRS classifications, the retention rate and the funders that support the same organizations are our own calculations, described in how we build this.
Address of record on the latest return: 2727 Allen Parkway 1050, Houston, TX, 77019. This is the address the foundation gave the IRS; many small foundations file through an accountant or a bank trust department, so it may not be where post to a programme officer should go.
EIN 76-0647361 · See the original filings on ProPublica · How we build this
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