The Houck Foundation focuses its Houston-area philanthropy on a small set of large grants that mix direct services and advocacy: substantial support for local domestic violence and workforce/employment programs, plus child advocacy and immigrant rights work in Texas. A majority of funding is concentrated in a few recipients, including a sizeable recurring pass-through to a donor-advised vehicle, indicating both direct grantee relationships and use of charitable financial intermediaries.
A $300,000 grant to Houston Area Women's Center Inc for general support sits at the top of the Houck Foundation’s recent record and points to a pattern of concentrated Houston-area giving. The foundation backs direct-service organizations, legal advocacy, and community safety work, with several large awards repeated across a small group of recipients rather than spread broadly. Houston Food Bank, Goodwill Industries of Houston, Children at Risk, and ACLU Foundation of Texas Inc each appear among the larger recent grants, showing that the funder supports both human services and policy or rights-based work in Texas. The Harvey R Houck Jr and Patricia W Houck Foundation Inc also uses charitable financial intermediaries as part of its grantmaking, including recurring support to Schwab Charitable and Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund. That structure sits alongside direct grants to local nonprofits, suggesting a mix of hands-on regional philanthropy and pass-through giving. In the recent grant list, purpose language ranges from general support to immigrant rights, veterans programs, and natural disaster relief. The overall picture is of a Houston-centered funder with a small number of recurring relationships and a consistent emphasis on organizations serving people facing barriers, crisis, or legal and social vulnerability.
Domestic violence and survivor support are a visible part of the foundation’s work: it gave $300,000 to Houston Area Women's Center Inc for general support. In workforce and employment services, Goodwill Industries of Houston received $200,000 for general support in 2023, followed by $150,000 in 2025 for general support and another $150,000 in 2025 for veterans programs. The foundation also funds child advocacy and education policy through Children at Risk, which received $200,000 in 2023 and $100,000 in 2025, both for general support. Legal and civil-rights work appears through ACLU Foundation of Texas Inc, including a $200,000 grant in 2025 for Immigrant Rights and additional $100,000 grants for general support. Food access is another recurring theme: Houston Food Bank received $155,000 in 2023 and two $150,000 grants in 2025 for general support.
$2M
$28M
$6.2M
$2.3M
Most grants fall between $3K and $33K, with a median of $5K.
25th Percentile
$3K
Median
$5K
75th Percentile
$33K
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Concentrated giving: a small number of large grants dominate the portfolio, with repeat payments to a charitable intermediary (Schwab Charitable) alongside multi-hundred-thousand-dollar gifts to a handful of local service and advocacy organizations. The foundation favors sizable, targeted awards rather than many small grants.
Notable grantees: Schwab Charitable, Houston Area Women’s Center Inc, Goodwill Industries of Houston, ACLU Foundation of Texas Inc, Children at Risk
Typical grants are modest to mid-sized, with a p25 of $2,500, a median of $5,000, and a p75 of $33,125, even though the recent record also includes several six-figure awards. The foundation is a Regular Funder and gives locally, with 82% of grants going to recipients in Texas. Recent years show repeat support to the same organizations across 2023 and 2025, including multiple awards to the same Houston nonprofits and recurring support to donor-advised charitable vehicles. Funding is often unrestricted or general support, with some purpose-specific awards such as immigrant rights, veterans programs, and natural disaster relief.
Grant recipients are overwhelmingly in the United States, and the giving is heavily concentrated in Texas. Houston is the clearest center of activity, with multiple recipients there including Houston Area Women's Center Inc, Houston Food Bank, Goodwill Industries of Houston, Children at Risk, ACLU Foundation of Texas Inc, and Hope & Healing Center and Institute. Outside Houston, the foundation’s recent grants reach Austin, Dallas, Fairfax, Washington, DC, Cincinnati, and San Francisco. The recipient-country distribution is entirely U.S.-based in the data provided.
Recent grants show support for domestic violence services, workforce and employment programs, child advocacy, immigrant rights, food access, veterans services, and disaster relief. Named recipients include Houston Area Women's Center Inc, Goodwill Industries of Houston, Children at Risk, ACLU Foundation of Texas Inc, Houston Food Bank, and American National Red Cross.
Very concentrated. The data shows 82% of grants go to recipients in the foundation’s HQ state of Texas, and Texas is also the top state by grant count. Houston nonprofits account for many of the larger awards.
The grant-size profile is relatively small at the center: p25 is $2,500, median is $5,000, and p75 is $33,125. Recent awards include larger six-figure grants, but the distribution indicates many smaller grants as well.
Yes. Several recipients appear in both 2023 and 2025, including Children at Risk, Goodwill Industries of Houston, Houston Food Bank, Hope & Healing Center and Institute, ACLU Foundation of Texas Inc, and Schwab Charitable. That pattern suggests ongoing relationships rather than isolated one-time gifts.
Yes. Schwab Charitable appears multiple times in the recent grants list, and Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund also appears. These entries indicate that the foundation uses charitable financial intermediaries alongside direct nonprofit grants.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houston Area Women's Center Inc | Houston, TX | $300,000 | 2025 | General support |
| Schwab Charitable | San Francisco, CA | $200,000 | 2025 | General support |
| Schwab Charitable | San Francisco, CA | $200,000 | 2025 | General purposes |
| ACLU Foundation of Texas Inc | Houston, TX | $200,000 | 2025 | Immigrant Rights |
| Goodwill Industries of Houston | Houston, TX | $150,000 | 2025 | General support |
| Jewish Family Service | Houston, TX | $150,000 | 2025 | Celebration Company West |
| Houston Food Bank | Houston, TX | $150,000 | 2025 | General support |
| Houston Food Bank | Houston, TX | $150,000 | 2025 | General support |
| Goodwill Industries of Houston | Houston, TX | $150,000 | 2025 | For veterans programs |
| ACLU Foundation of Texas Inc | Houston, TX | $100,000 | 2025 | General support |
| ACLU Foundation of Texas Inc | Houston, TX | $100,000 | 2025 | General support |
| Oficina Legal Del Pueblo Unido Inc | Austin, TX | $100,000 | 2025 | General support |
| Oficina Legal Del Pueblo Unido Inc DBA Texas Civil Rights Project | Austin, TX | $100,000 | 2025 | General support |
| Children at Risk | Houston, TX | $100,000 | 2025 | General support |
| Hope & Healing Center and Institute | Houston, TX | $100,000 | 2025 | General support |
| Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund | Cincinnati, OH | $100,000 | 2025 | General support |
| American National Red Cross | Fairfax, VA | $95,000 | 2025 | General support |
| Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund | Cincinnati, OH | $90,000 | 2025 | Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund |
| Amalgamated Charitable Foundation | Washington, DC | $85,000 | 2025 | Natural disaster relief |
| Hope & Healing Center and Institute | Houston, TX | $75,000 | 2025 | General support |
| American National Red Cross | Fairfax, VA | $60,000 | 2025 | General support |
| First Unitarian Church of Dallas | Dallas, TX | $60,000 | 2025 | General support |
| Children at Risk | Houston, TX | $50,000 | 2025 | Anti-human trafficking |
| Avenue Community Development Corporation | Houston, TX | $50,000 | 2025 | General support |
| First Unitarian Church of Dallas | Dallas, TX | $50,000 | 2025 | General support |
| United Against Human Trafficking | Houston, TX | $50,000 | 2025 | General support |
| Genesys Works | Houston, TX | $50,000 | 2025 | General support |
| Children at Risk | Houston, TX | $50,000 | 2025 | General support |
| Houston Area Women's Center Inc | Houston, TX | $50,000 | 2025 | General support |
| Avenue Community Development Corporation | Houston, TX | $50,000 | 2025 | General support |
| Genesys Works | Houston, TX | $50,000 | 2025 | General support |
| United Against Human Trafficking | Houston, TX | $50,000 | 2025 | General support |
| Lone Star Legal Aid | Houston, TX | $35,000 | 2025 | General support |
| Lone Star Legal Aid | Houston, TX | $35,000 | 2025 | General support |
| Workers Defense Project Inc | Austin, TX | $30,000 | 2025 | General support |
| Workers Defense Project Inc | Austin, TX | $30,000 | 2025 | General support |
| Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston | Houston, TX | $25,000 | 2025 | Refugee services |
| Tahirih Justice Center | Falls Church, VA | $25,000 | 2025 | General support |
| Tahirih Justice Center | Falls Church, VA | $25,000 | 2025 | General support |
| Texas Organizing Project Education Fund | San Antonio, TX | $25,000 | 2025 | General support |
| Texas Organizing Project Education Fund | San Antonio, TX | $25,000 | 2025 | General support |
| Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston | Houston, TX | $25,000 | 2025 | Refugee services |
| American Cancer Society | Houston, TX | $17,500 | 2025 | General support |
| Link Houston | Houston, TX | $15,000 | 2025 | General support |
| Houston Community College Foundation | Houston, TX | $15,000 | 2025 | Scholarship Fund |
| Link Houston | Houston, TX | $15,000 | 2025 | General support |
| Houston Community College Foundation | Houston, TX | $14,500 | 2025 | Scholarships |
| Air Alliance Houston | Houston, TX | $10,000 | 2025 | Texas Streets Coalition |
| Undies for Everyone | Houston, TX | $10,000 | 2025 | General support |
| Greater Houston Community Foundation | Houston, TX | $10,000 | 2025 | Houston Mayoral Task Force on Equity Fund |
Schwab Charitable
$200,000General support
Schwab Charitable
$200,000General purposes
Celebration Company West
General support
American National Red Cross
$95,000General support
Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund
Amalgamated Charitable Foundation
$85,000Natural disaster relief
American National Red Cross
$60,000General support
First Unitarian Church of Dallas
$60,000General support
First Unitarian Church of Dallas
$50,000General support
Genesys Works
$50,000General support
Genesys Works
$50,000General support
American Cancer Society
$17,500General support
Houston Community College Foundation
$14,500Scholarships
Greater Houston Community Foundation
$10,000Houston Mayoral Task Force on Equity Fund