FundersTexas

Mays Foundation

Amarillo, TX · EIN 75-1213346. Reported 214 grants totalling $1,451,492 to 101 organizations across tax years 2021-2024. This foundation did not tell the IRS it funds only preselected organizations.

Yesaccepts unsolicited requests
$2,500median grant
$1,451,492granted, 2021-2024
101organizations funded
67%of grantees funded again the next year
$8,252,851assets, latest filing

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. Mays 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.

This is the foundation's own statement to the IRS, not our judgement, and it says nothing about whether they have a form, a deadline, or an appetite for new grantees. Treat it as the reason this foundation is worth your research time, not as an invitation. Many small foundations of this kind have no website and no application process -- a letter of inquiry is the normal first step.

How big are its grants?

The median grant is $2,500. Half of everything it gave fell between $1,000 and $6,000; the smallest was $200 and the largest $117,000. If you are asking for materially more than the top of that range, you are asking the wrong foundation.

Under $1,000
28 grants
$1,000 - $5,000
97 grants
$5,000 - $10,000
55 grants
$10,000 - $25,000
22 grants
$25,000 - $50,000
5 grants
$50,000 - $100,000
5 grants
$100,000 and Up
2 grants

Every organization it funded

This is the complete list from its filings, largest first. Years funded is the number of separate tax years in which the organization received money -- more than one means a real relationship rather than a one-off.

OrganizationLocationTotal receivedGrantsYears fundedLast
Baylor UniversityWaco, TX$298,392442024
First Baptist ChurchAmarillo, TX$248,400442024
Kids IncorporatedAmarillo, TX$75,000332023
Amarillo SymphonyAmarillo, TX$50,200442024
Wayland Baptist UniversityPlainview, TX$45,500332024
Opportunity PlanCanyon, TX$43,800442024
Panhandle Plains Historical MuseumCanyon, TX$42,600442024
Heal the CityAmarillo, TX$36,500442024
Baylor Line FoundationWaco, TX$31,000442024
Hawaii Baptist AcademyHonolulu, HI$30,250442024
Dallas Baptist UniversityDallas, TX$30,000332024
Saint Paul Methodist ChurchAmarillo, TX$28,500442024
Eastridge Mission CenterAmarillo, TX$27,500442024
Center City of AmarilloAmarillo, TX$26,100442024
Hidden Falls CampWayside, TX$21,000442024
Don Harrington Discovery CenterAmarillo, TX$20,000442024
True Hope ColisterBoise, ID$20,000222024
Harrington Cancer and Health FoundationAmarillo, TX$18,500442024
Reaching Souls InternationalOklahoma City, OK$17,500442024
Red River Community HouseRed River, NM$17,500442024
Wtamu FoundationCanyon, TX$17,500442024
The BridgeAmarillo, TX$17,000332024
Amarillo Children's HomeAmarillo, TX$16,000332024
Guyon Saunders Resource CenterAmarillo, TX$15,000222022
San Jacinto Christian AcademyAmarillo, TX$15,000332024
The Turn CenterAmarillo, TX$14,000442024
Friendship FoundationRussellville, AR$10,000112021
Laura W Bush InstituteAmarillo, TX$10,000442024
Texas Panhandle Heritage FoundationCanyon, TX$10,000222024
Waco Entrepreneurial Ecosystemdba Waco StartupWaco, TX$10,000112022
Wtamu College of Nursing & Health ServicesCanyon, TX$10,000222023
High Plains Food BankAmarillo, TX$9,500442024
Evelyn's Sunshine CottageAmarillo, TX$7,500332024
Hope ChoiceAmarillo, TX$7,500332024
Bushland Band BoostersBushland, TX$5,000112024
Care NetAmarillo, TX$5,000112021
Faith City MissionAmarillo, TX$5,000222023
Medical Center League HouseAmarillo, TX$5,000332024
New Noah's ClosetAmarillo, TX$5,000112024
Sharing Hope MinistryAmarillo, TX$5,000332023
Special Delivery Adoption AgencyAmarillo, TX$5,000112021
Texas Outdoor MusicalCanyon, TX$5,000112022
Texas Tech FoundationLubbock, TX$5,000112022
The Living Stone ChurchBroomfield, CO$5,000112024
The Oaks AcademyAmarillo, TX$5,000112021
Wheeler Peak Fire DistrictRed River, NM$5,000112021
Colorful ClosetsAmarillo, TX$4,500222024
Military Order of the Purple HeartAmarillo, TX$4,500332024
Citadelle Art FoundationCanadian, TX$4,000332023
Panhandle Fellowship of Christian AthletesAmarillo, TX$4,000442024
Texas Panhandle War Memorial CenterAmarillo, TX$4,000222022
Greater Amarillo Young LifeAmarillo, TX$3,500222024
Martha's HomeAmarillo, TX$3,500332023
Buckner InternationalDallas, TX$3,100222023
Amarillo AngelsAmarillo, TX$3,025222023
Amarillo Botanical GardensAmarillo, TX$3,000222022
Texas A&m FoundationCollege Station, TX$3,000332024
Amarillo OperaAmarillo, TX$2,500112024
Denison MinistriesDallas, TX$2,500112021
Doxa Dance MinistryAmarillo, TX$2,500112024
Hoodoo Art FoundationAmarillo, TX$2,500112021
Amarillo Area CASAAmarillo, TX$2,000112022
Amarillo Art InstituteAmarillo, TX$2,000112022
Amarillo College FoundationAmarillo, TX$2,000222023
Cole Valley Christian SchoolMeridian, ID$2,000112022
Downtown Women's CenterAmarillo, TX$2,000222023
Lone Star BalletAmarillo, TX$2,000112022
Snack Pac 4 KidsAmarillo, TX$2,000112024
Amarillo Area FoundationAmarillo, TX$1,500332024
Amarillo SPCAAmarillo, TX$1,500332024
Amarillo Wesley Community CenterAmarillo, TX$1,500332023
Brayden's GiftAmarillo, TX$1,250112023
Bushland PTOAmarillo, TX$1,250222024
Junior League of AmarilloAmarillo, TX$1,250112024
Ronald Mcdonald CharitiesChicago, IL$1,025112022
24 Hours in the CanyonAmarillo, TX$1,000112022
Amarillo Area Baptist AssociationAmarillo, TX$1,000112022
Amarillo Rotary WestAmarillo, TX$1,000222024
Amarillo Young LifeAmarillo, TX$1,000112022
Austin Children's ChoirAustin, TX$1,000112024
Canine CompanionsIrving, TX$1,000112021
Ceta CanyonHappy, TX$1,000112023
Family Support Services of AmarilloAmarillo, TX$1,000112023
Greater Southwest Music FestivalAmarillo, TX$1,000112022
High Plains Retreat CenterAmarillo, TX$1,000112022
Hoodoo Mural FestivalAmarillo, TX$1,000112023
Texas Baptists Mission FoundationDallas, TX$1,000112022
United Way of AmarilloAmarillo, TX$1,000112023
Valor SchoolAustin, TX$1,000112022
Windows on a Wider WorldAmarillo, TX$1,000112022
Homeless HerosAmarillo, TX$750112021
Mission AmarilloAmarillo, TX$750112023
Top of Texas Youth Sports LeagueAmarillo, TX$750112024
Amarillo Prayer BreakfastAmarillo, TX$700222024
Amarillo Bear Paws IncAmarillo, TX$500112024
Amarillo Independent School DistrictAmarillo, TX$500112022
By Example MissionsFt Worth, TX$500112021
Children's Miracle NetworkAmarillo, TX$500112021
Outdoor Amarillo OrgAmarillo, TX$500112023
Amarillo Community Prayer BreakfastAmarillo, TX$200112021
Panhandle Angel FoundationAmarillo, TX$200112024

54 of 101 (53%) 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 67%, across 3 year-to-year transitions. The median foundation retains about 67%, so this one is about typical. A high number means its list is close to settled and a newcomer has to displace someone; a low one means it is still moving money around, which is where an opening is.

What kind of organizations it funds

By the recipient's own IRS classification, for the 103 grants where we could identify the organization. These are assigned categories, not our guesses.

Education
29 grants
Arts & Culture
20 grants
Human Services
12 grants
Religion
12 grants
Recreation & Sports
7 grants
Community Improvement
5 grants
Health Care
4 grants
Philanthropy & Grantmaking
3 grants

Giving by year

Tax yearGrantsTotalMedian grant
202144$396,292$3,250
202261$404,475$2,000
202358$351,225$2,500
202451$299,500$2,500

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

Foundations concentrate geographically far more than their mission statements suggest. 93% of this one's giving went to organizations in Texas. If you are outside its footprint, that matters more than how well your programme fits.

Texas
$1.3M
Hawaii
$30K
New Mexico
$22K
Idaho
$22K
Oklahoma
$18K
Arkansas
$10K
Colorado
$5K
Illinois
$1K

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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 the strongest available signal that two funders have overlapping priorities, and a funder already backing your peers is a far warmer prospect than one that merely lists your cause.

Amarillo Area Foundation Inc38 shared recipientsHigh Plains Christian Ministries24 shared recipientsFidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund22 shared recipientsXcel Energy Foundation22 shared recipientsMary E Bivins Foundation18 shared recipientsDonor Advised Charitable Giving Inc17 shared recipients

How to approach this foundation

  1. Check you are its size. The median grant is $2,500. Asking for ten times that is the most common way small organizations waste a submission.
  2. Check you are in its geography. Its giving is concentrated in Texas.
  3. 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.
  4. 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

Foundations funding education in TexasEvery funder in this group, rankedFoundations funding arts & culture in TexasEvery funder in this group, rankedFoundations funding human services in TexasEvery funder in this group, ranked

Where these numbers come from

Everything above is taken from Mays Foundation's own Form 990-PF filings, which the IRS publishes in bulk. We used 4 returns (tax years 2021-2024). Nothing here is scraped, inferred, or estimated.

Address of record on the latest return: 914 S Tyler, Amarillo, TX, 79101. 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 75-1213346 · See the original filings on ProPublica · How we build this

This is history, not an open call. Foundation returns are published about a year after the tax year ends. Nothing on this page is a deadline. It is a record of who this foundation has actually funded, which is the best available predictor of who it will fund next -- and a much better basis for deciding whether to write to them than a mission statement.

Is something here wrong about your foundation? Email [email protected] and we will correct it.