Walter J & Holly O Thomson Charitable
Dallas, TX · EIN 30-6268353. Reported 294 grants totalling $11.1M to 85 recipients across tax years 2021-2025. 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. Walter J & Holly O Thomson Charitable 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 $30,000. Half of everything it gave fell between $30,000 and $35,000; the smallest was $5,000 and the largest $200,000. 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Food Bank of Santa Barbara County | Santa Barbara, CA | $435,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Music Academy of the West | Santa Barbara, CA | $305,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Los Angeles Conservancy | Los Angeles, CA | $300,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Lobero Theatre Foundation | Santa Barbara, CA | $290,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Santa Barbara Humane SPCA | Santa Barbara, CA | $270,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Midnight Mission | Los Angeles, CA | $250,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| California Hospital Medical Center Fdn | Los Angeles, CA | $240,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Doctors Without Walls-Santa Barbara | Santa Barbara, CA | $225,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Wilderness Youth Project Inc | Santa Barbara, CA | $225,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Direct Relief | Santa Barbara, CA | $215,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History | Santa Barbara, CA | $215,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network | Santa Barbara, CA | $215,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| The Chrysalis Center | Los Angeles, CA | $215,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Los Angeles Conservation Corps | Los Angeles, CA | $214,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Santa Barbara Botanic Garden Inc | Santa Barbara, CA | $210,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Elings Park Foundation | Santa Barbara, CA | $205,000 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| Fdn for Santa Barbara City College | Santa Barbara, CA | $190,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Transition House | Santa Barbara, CA | $190,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Inner-City Arts | Los Angeles, CA | $185,000 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra | Los Angeles, CA | $185,000 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| Santa Barbara Neighborhood Clinics | Santa Barbara, CA | $185,000 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| The Land Trust for Santa Barbara County | Santa Barbara, CA | $185,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Santa Barbara Rescue Mission | Santa Barbara, CA | $175,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| California 4-H Foundation | Davis, CA | $170,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Homeboy Industries | Los Angeles, CA | $165,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Santa Barbara Center for Performing Arts | Santa Barbara, CA | $165,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Santa Barbara Symphony Orchestra Assn | Santa Barbara, CA | $165,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| United Boysgirls Clubs of Santa Barbara Ubgc | Santa Barbara, CA | $160,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Planned Parenthood Santa Barbara | Santa Barbara, CA | $155,000 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| Community Arts Music Association | Santa Barbara, CA | $150,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Braille Institute of America Inc | Los Angeles, CA | $145,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Girls Inc of Greater Santa Barbara | Santa Barbara, CA | $145,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Heart of Los Angeles Youth Inc | Los Angeles, CA | $145,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Santa Ynez Valley Humane Society | Buelton, CA | $145,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara | Santa Barbara, CA | $145,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Care 4 Paws Inc | Santa Barbara, CA | $140,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Family Service Agency | Santa Barbara, CA | $140,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Hospice of Santa Barbara Inc | Santa Barbara, CA | $140,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Library Foundation of Los Angeles | Los Angeles, CA | $140,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Para Los Ninos | Los Angeles, CA | $140,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Path Aka People Assisting the Homeless | Los Angeles, CA | $140,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Santa Barbara Choral Society | Santa Barbara, CA | $140,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| United Way of Santa Barbara County Inc | Santa Barbara, CA | $140,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Unity Shoppe Inc | Santa Barbara, CA | $140,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Young Musicians Foundation (ymf) | Los Angeles, CA | $140,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Channel Islands YMCA | Santa Barbara, CA | $135,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Sro Housing Corporation Aka Single Room Occupancy Housing Corp | Los Angeles, CA | $135,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Food From the Heart Inc | Santa Barbara, CA | $130,000 | 5 | 5 | 2025 |
| Planned Parenthood of California Central Coast | Santa Barbara, CA | $130,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Los Angeles Trade Tech College Fdn Lattc | Los Angeles, CA | $125,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Los Angeles Master Chorale Association | Los Angeles, CA | $115,000 | 4 | 4 | 2025 |
| Santa Barbara Education Foundation | Santa Barbara, CA | $115,000 | 4 | 4 | 2024 |
| Hillside House | Santa Barbara, CA | $105,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Los Angeles Boys & Girls Club | Los Angeles, CA | $105,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Sro Housing Corporation | Los Angeles, CA | $100,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| CASA of Santa Barbara County | Santa Barbara, CA | $90,000 | 3 | 3 | 2025 |
| Carrillo Counseling Services Inc | Santa Barbara, CA | $85,000 | 3 | 3 | 2024 |
| Communify Aka Community Action of Sb | Goleta, CA | $80,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Land Trust for Sb - Sedgwick Reserve | Santa Barbara, CA | $80,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Little Tokyo Service Center (ltsc) | Los Angeles, CA | $65,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Santa Barbara Community Youth | Santa Barbara, CA | $65,000 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| Downtown Women's Center | Los Angeles, CA | $60,000 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| Mental Health Association in Santa Barbara | Santa Barbara, CA | $60,000 | 2 | 2 | 2024 |
| United Boysgirls Clubs of Santa Barbara | Santa Barbara, CA | $60,000 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
| Santa Barbara Public Library Foundation | Santa Barbara, CA | $55,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation | Santa Barbara, CA | $55,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Mental Health Assn in Santa Barbara | Santa Barbara, CA | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| University of California Santa Barbara | Santa Barbara, CA | $50,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Santa Barbara Opera Association | Santa Barbara, CA | $41,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| Channel Island YMCA | Santa Barbara, CA | $30,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Children's Museum of Sb - Moxi Museum | Santa Barbara, CA | $30,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Community Action of Santa Barbara | Goleta, CA | $30,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Community Aka Community Action of Sb | Goleta, CA | $30,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra Society Inc | Los Angeles, CA | $30,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Los Angeles Trade Technical College Fdn | Los Angeles, CA | $30,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Mental Health Association Santa Barbara | Santa Barbara, CA | $30,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Moxi the Wolf Museum | Santa Barbara, CA | $30,000 | 1 | 1 | 2024 |
| New Beginnings Counseling Center | Santa Barbara, CA | $30,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Santa Barbara City College Foundation | Santa Barbara, CA | $30,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| CASA of Santa Barbara County (court Court Appointed Special Advocates) | Santa Barbara, CA | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| CASA of Santa Barbara County Court Appointed Special Advocates) | Santa Barbara, CA | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2022 |
| Los Angeles Master Chorale Assn | Los Angeles, CA | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| New Beginnings Counseling Clinic | Santa Barbara, CA | $25,000 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Immigrant Hope Santa Barbara | Santa Barbara, CA | $15,000 | 1 | 1 | 2025 |
| Santa Barbara Foundation | Santa Barbara, CA | $10,000 | 2 | 2 | 2025 |
66 of 85 (78%) 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 88%, 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.
- Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History
SUPPORT RARE EARTH EXHIBIT - The Chrysalis Center
SUPPORT DOWNTOWN EMPLOYMENT - Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network
WILDLIFE HOSPITAL CAPITAL - Santa Barbara Humane SPCA
SUPPORT FOR TLC VETERINARY - Los Angeles Conservation Corps
HISTORIC SOUTH CENTRAL TREE - Midnight Mission
SUPPORT HOMELESS TO HOUSED
What kind of organizations it funds
By the activity category the IRS assigns each recipient, for the 175 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 | 59 | $2,105,000 | $25,000 |
| 2022 | 58 | $2,465,000 | $30,000 |
| 2023 | 58 | $2,140,000 | $30,000 |
| 2024 | 60 | $2,140,000 | $30,000 |
| 2025 | 59 | $2,245,000 | $30,000 |
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.
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 $30,000. 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 California.
- 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 Walter J & Holly O Thomson Charitable's own Form 990-PF filings, which the IRS publishes in bulk. We used 5 returns (tax years 2021-2025). 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: Po Box 653067, Dallas, TX, 75265. 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 30-6268353 · See the original filings on ProPublica · How we build this
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