The Robert a Welch Foundation
Houston, TX · EIN 76-0343128. Reported 318 grants totalling $187.2M to 78 recipients across tax years 2020-2024. 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 Robert a Welch 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 $52,500. Half of everything it gave fell between $40,000 and $250,000; the smallest was $20,000 and the largest $10.6M. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The University of Texas at Southwestern Medical Center | Dallas, TX | $34.7M | 5 | 5 | 2024 |
| The University of Texas at Austin | Austin, TX | $29.9M | 5 | 5 | 2024 |
| Rice University | Houston, TX | $18.8M | 5 | 5 | 2024 |
| Texas A&m University | College Station, TX | $15.8M | 5 | 5 | 2024 |
| University of Houston | Houston, TX | $15.7M | 5 | 5 | 2024 |
| Rice University- Welch Institute | Houston, TX | $15.4M | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| Texas A&m Foundation | College Station, TX | $10.0M | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Baylor College of Medicine | Houston, TX | $7,037,143 | 5 | 5 | 2024 |
| The University of Texas at Dallas | Richardson, TX | $5,998,000 | 5 | 5 | 2024 |
| Baylor University | Waco, TX | $3,324,194 | 5 | 5 | 2024 |
| The University of Texas at San Antonio | San Antonio, TX | $2,105,000 | 5 | 5 | 2024 |
| The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston | Houston, TX | $2,080,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Texas Tech University | Lubbock, TX | $2,010,000 | 5 | 5 | 2024 |
| Trinity University | San Antonio, TX | $1,670,000 | 5 | 5 | 2024 |
| The University of Texas Health San Antonio | San Antonio, TX | $1,600,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| The University of Texas at El Paso | El Paso, TX | $1,285,000 | 5 | 5 | 2024 |
| Texas Christian University | Fort Worth, TX | $1,220,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Southern Methodist University | Dallas, TX | $1,080,000 | 5 | 5 | 2024 |
| University of North Texas | Denton, TX | $1,050,000 | 5 | 5 | 2024 |
| The Texas Interscholastic League Foundation | Austin, TX | $999,429 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| The University of Texas at Arlington | Arlington, TX | $840,000 | 5 | 5 | 2024 |
| The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston | Galveston, TX | $780,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Sam Houston State University | Huntsville, TX | $635,000 | 5 | 5 | 2024 |
| Texas State University | San Marcos, TX | $565,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Jacqueline Barton Dervan | Houston, TX | $500,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| University of Houston-Downtown | Houston, TX | $345,000 | 5 | 5 | 2024 |
| Lamar University | Beaumont, TX | $335,000 | 5 | 5 | 2024 |
| Texas A&m University - Kingsville | Kingsville, TX | $335,000 | 5 | 5 | 2024 |
| Texas A&m University-Corpus | Corpus Christi, TX | $335,000 | 5 | 5 | 2024 |
| Stephen F Austin State University | Nacogdoches, TX | $330,000 | 5 | 5 | 2024 |
| Texas Woman's University | Denton, TX | $330,000 | 5 | 5 | 2024 |
| The University of Texas at Rio Grande Valley | Edinburg, TX | $330,000 | 5 | 5 | 2024 |
| University of the Incarnate Word | San Antonio, TX | $330,000 | 5 | 5 | 2024 |
| Southwestern University | Georgetown, TX | $320,000 | 5 | 5 | 2024 |
| University of St Thomas | Houston, TX | $320,000 | 5 | 5 | 2024 |
| Abilene Christian University | Abilene, TX | $315,000 | 5 | 5 | 2024 |
| Austin College | Sherman, TX | $315,000 | 5 | 5 | 2024 |
| The University of Texas at Tyler | Tyler, TX | $305,000 | 5 | 5 | 2024 |
| Texas A&m University System | College Station, TX | $300,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Midwestern State University | Wichita Falls, TX | $290,000 | 5 | 5 | 2024 |
| St Mary's University | San Antonio, TX | $290,000 | 5 | 5 | 2024 |
| Tarleton State University | Stephenville, TX | $290,000 | 5 | 5 | 2024 |
| St Edward's University | Austin, TX | $280,000 | 5 | 5 | 2024 |
| Angelo State University | San Angelo, TX | $276,000 | 5 | 5 | 2024 |
| University of Houston-Clear Lake | Houston, TX | $276,000 | 5 | 5 | 2024 |
| Texas Lutheran University | Seguin, TX | $273,000 | 5 | 5 | 2024 |
| Texas A&m International | Laredo, TX | $270,000 | 5 | 5 | 2024 |
| University of Dallas | Irving, TX | $270,000 | 5 | 5 | 2024 |
| West Texas A&m University | Canyon, TX | $270,000 | 5 | 5 | 2024 |
| The University of Texas of the Permian Basin | Odessa, TX | $266,000 | 5 | 5 | 2024 |
| Lubbock Christian University | Lubbock, TX | $261,000 | 5 | 5 | 2024 |
| University of Mary Hardin-Baylor | Belton, TX | $260,000 | 5 | 5 | 2024 |
| East Texas Baptist University | Marshall, TX | $255,000 | 5 | 5 | 2024 |
| Texas A&m University-Commerce | Corpus Christi, TX | $255,000 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Mcmurry University | Abilene, TX | $251,000 | 5 | 5 | 2024 |
| Wayland Baptist University | Plainview, TX | $251,000 | 5 | 5 | 2024 |
| Texas Wesleyan University | Fort Worth, TX | $246,000 | 5 | 5 | 2024 |
| Hardin-Simmons University | Abilene, TX | $236,000 | 5 | 5 | 2024 |
| Schreiner University | Kerrville, TX | $234,500 | 5 | 5 | 2024 |
| Letourneau University | Longview, TX | $233,000 | 5 | 5 | 2024 |
| Texas A&m University-Texarkana | Texarkana, TX | $210,000 | 5 | 5 | 2024 |
| The Texas Interscholastic | Austin, TX | $205,750 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Sul Ross State University | Alpine, TX | $200,000 | 5 | 5 | 2024 |
| Huston-Tillotson University | Austin, TX | $185,000 | 5 | 5 | 2024 |
| Houston Christian University | Houston, TX | $160,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| Rice University - Lsrf | Houston, TX | $160,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Jarvis Christian College | Hawkins, TX | $149,000 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| Houston Baptist University | Houston, TX | $120,000 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| Our Lady of the Lake University | San Antonio, TX | $112,000 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Howard Payne University | Brownwood, TX | $105,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Jason Scott Mclellan | Houston, TX | $100,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Prairie View A&m University | Prairie View, TX | $95,000 | 2 | 2 | 2021 |
| Baylor University - Lsrf | Waco, TX | $80,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Texas A&m University-Lsrf | College Station, TX | $80,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| The University of Texas at Austin-Lsrf | Austin, TX | $80,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| The University of Texas at Southwestern Medical Center-Lsrf | Dallas, TX | $80,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Jarvis Christian University | Hawkins, TX | $60,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| East Texas A&m University | Corpus Christi, TX | $55,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
67 of 78 (86%) received money in more than one year over the 5 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 94%, across 4 year-to-year transitions. The median foundation retains about 67%, so this one is unusually consistent. 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.
- The University of Texas at Southwestern Medical Center
Basic Research in Chemistry and related fields - Jacqueline Barton Dervan
Welch Award in Chemistry and related fields - Jason Scott Mclellan
Norman Hackerman Award in Chemistry and related fields
What kind of organizations it funds
By the activity category the IRS assigns each recipient, for the 150 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 61 | $31.0M | $45,000 |
| 2021 | 64 | $38.0M | $45,000 |
| 2022 | 62 | $41.2M | $107,500 |
| 2023 | 64 | $39.3M | $110,000 |
| 2024 | 67 | $37.7M | $105,000 |
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 Robert a Welch Foundation has 153 of them, worth $89.0M. This is the one part of the filing that looks forward rather than back.
| Organization | Location | Approved |
|---|---|---|
| The University of Texas at Austin | Austin, TX | $7,362,000 |
| The University of Texas at Southwestern Medical Center | Dallas, TX | $6,650,000 |
| Baylor College of Medicine | Houston, TX | $4,400,000 |
| University of Houston | Houston, TX | $4,200,000 |
| The University of Texas at Southwestern Medical Center | Dallas, TX | $3,960,000 |
| The University of Texas at Austin | Austin, TX | $3,515,000 |
| The University of Texas at Southwestern Medical Center | Dallas, TX | $3,500,000 |
| The University of Texas at Southwestern Medical Center | Dallas, TX | $3,500,000 |
| The University of Texas at Austin | Austin, TX | $2,875,000 |
| The University of Texas at Austin | Austin, TX | $2,775,000 |
| Texas A&m University | College Station, TX | $2,650,000 |
| Rice University | Houston, TX | $2,650,000 |
| Rice University | Houston, TX | $2,230,480 |
| Rice University | Houston, TX | $2,125,000 |
| University of Houston | Houston, TX | $2,000,000 |
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 $52,500. 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 Robert a Welch Foundation's own Form 990-PF filings, which the IRS publishes in bulk. We used 5 returns (tax years 2020-2024). 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: 1717 West Loop South Ste 1661, Houston, TX, 77027. 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 76-0343128 · See the original filings on ProPublica · How we build this
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