The Cullen Foundation
Houston, TX · EIN 76-0647361. Reported 150 grants totalling $72.0M to 82 organizations 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. 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.
| 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. 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 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 recipient's own IRS classification, for the 119 grants where we could identify the organization. These are assigned categories, not our guesses.
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 -- and it also tells you how much of the next year's budget is already spoken for.
| 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 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.
How to approach this foundation
- Check you are its size. The median grant is $150,000. Asking for ten times that is the most common way small organizations waste a submission.
- 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). Nothing here is scraped, inferred, or estimated.
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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