The Mr and Mrs Nelson Rusche Foundation concentrates its giving in Texas on faith-based and higher-education causes. The foundation makes a small number of very large gifts—primarily to a university scholarship/emergency aid program and to an active Methodist congregation—indicating a preference for supporting student access and church ministry rather than a broad portfolio of charities. Its support appears relationship-driven, with repeat funding to the same university foundation and a major one-time gift to a prominent Methodist church.
A defining feature of the Mr and Mrs Nelson Rusche Foundation is its repeated support for Stephen F Austin State University through the SFASU Foundation, including a $550,000 grant in 2023 and a $525,000 grant in 2024. That pattern points to a funder that backs higher-education access in a sustained way, alongside faith-based work in Texas. The same Texas-centered approach appears in gifts to First Methodist Church - Houston, including $300,000 in 2023 and $150,000 in 2024 for operations and building upkeep at the Downtown Campus. Beyond those anchors, the foundation’s recent grants show a mix of student aid, church ministry, and community-serving nonprofits. It has also supported organizations tied to pediatric cancer scholarships, infertility education and patient assistance, child welfare, therapeutic horsemanship, food systems, recovery services, and historic preservation. The grant list suggests a foundation that uses large, targeted awards rather than a broad spread of small gifts, with several recipients appearing more than once across the recent record.
Education-related giving is one of the clearest patterns. In 2024, the foundation gave $525,000 to the SFASU Foundation for its Scholarships & Student Emergency Aid Program, following a $550,000 grant in 2023 to the same university foundation. Health and patient support also appear in the recent record. The foundation gave $100,000 in 2023 to Snowdrop Foundation Inc for scholarships for college-bound pediatric cancer patients and childhood cancer survivors, and another $100,000 in 2024 to the same group for general support. Its portfolio also includes infertility and family-support work. The Fertility Foundation of Texas received $100,000 in 2023 for infertility education, patient grants, and research, plus $50,000 in 2024 for general support. Community health and child services show up as well, including $80,000 to The Council on Recovery in 2023 for alcohol and drug-related services and $50,000 to DePelchin Children's Center in 2024 for general support.
Typical grants cluster around the middle of six figures, with a p25 of $15,000, a median of $25,000, and a p75 of $50,000. The recent record also includes much larger outliers, which helps explain the foundation’s annual grant volume of $4,450,000. Several recipients appear in multiple years, including SFASU Foundation, First Methodist Church - Houston/First United Methodist Church of Houston, The Seton Fund, Snowdrop Foundation Inc, Con Mi Madre, Sustainable Food Center, The Council on Recovery, Lowe Syndrome Association, and DePelchin Children's Center. The foundation is classified as a regular funder, and the grant data suggest relationship-based repeat giving rather than one-time awards.
$2.2M
$37.2M
$1.7M
$2.4M
Most grants fall between $15K and $50K, with a median of $25K.
25th Percentile
$15K
Median
$25K
75th Percentile
$50K
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Highly concentrated: very few, large grants; repeat support to a single university foundation and targeted significant grants to prominent local faith organizations.
Notable grantees: SFASU Foundation (Stephen F. Austin State University) — scholarships & student emergency aid, First Methodist Church - Houston
The giving is overwhelmingly Texas-based: 96% of grants go to recipients in TX, and the top recipient cities include Houston, Austin, Nacogdoches, Conroe, and Willis. Houston appears repeatedly through church, health, and community grants; Austin shows up across education, food systems, and family-support work; and Nacogdoches anchors the university-related awards. Outside Texas, the only named recipient location in the recent grants is Lake Mary, Florida, plus Cincinnati, Ohio, from the Lowe Syndrome Association record.
The recent record centers on higher education access and faith-based work in Texas, especially grants connected to SFASU Foundation and First Methodist Church - Houston. It also includes health and family-support organizations such as Snowdrop Foundation Inc, The Fertility Foundation of Texas, The Council on Recovery, and DePelchin Children's Center.
Yes. The data show multiple recipients appearing in more than one year, including SFASU Foundation in 2023 and 2024, First Methodist Church - Houston / First United Methodist Church of Houston in 2023 and 2024, and several others such as The Seton Fund, Snowdrop Foundation Inc, Con Mi Madre, and The Council on Recovery.
The foundation’s typical grant sizes are p25 $15,000, median $25,000, and p75 $50,000. The recent grants also include larger awards, such as $550,000 and $525,000 to SFASU Foundation and $300,000 to First Methodist Church - Houston.
Its grantmaking is concentrated in Texas. The data show 96% of grants going to recipients in TX, with Houston, Austin, Nacogdoches, Conroe, and Willis appearing among the recipient locations.
Recent recipients include SFASU Foundation for scholarships and emergency aid, Snowdrop Foundation Inc for pediatric cancer scholarships and general support, The Fertility Foundation of Texas for infertility-related education and patient grants, The Council on Recovery for alcohol and drug services, and SIRE for therapeutic horsemanship.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Breakthrough Central Texas | Austin, TX | $250,000 | 2026 | Pathways to Opportunity Campaign |
| The Seton Fund | Austin, TX | $225,000 | 2026 | Women First Campaign & Dell Seton |
| Stephen F Austin State University | Nacogdoches, TX | $225,000 | 2026 | Rusche Distinguished Lecture Series |
| The SAFE Alliance | Austin, TX | $120,000 | 2026 | General Support and The Sasha |
| Sustainable Food Center | Austin, TX | $100,000 | 2026 | General Support |
| Snowdrop Foundation Inc | Houston, TX | $100,000 | 2026 | General Support |
| Creative Action | Austin, TX | $100,000 | 2026 | Community Arts Collaborative |
| First United Methodist Church of Houston | Houston, TX | $75,000 | 2026 | Downtown Campus Maintenance |
| Camp for All | Houston, TX | $75,000 | 2026 | Blazing New Trails Capital Campaign |
| Fertility Foundation of Texas | Austin, TX | $50,000 | 2026 | General Support |
| Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Texas | Austin, TX | $50,000 | 2026 | Expansion Campaign |
| Communities in Schools of Central Texas | Austin, TX | $50,000 | 2026 | General Support |
| DePelchin Children's Center | Houston, TX | $50,000 | 2026 | General Support |
| Austin Christian Educational Foundation | Austin, TX | $40,000 | 2026 | General Support |
| The Council on Recovery | Houston, TX | $40,000 | 2026 | General Support |
| Mothers' Milk Bank at Austin | Austin, TX | $35,000 | 2026 | Charitable Assistance Program |
| Austin Sunshine Camps | Austin, TX | $35,000 | 2026 | General Support |
| Austin Ed Fund | Austin, TX | $35,000 | 2026 | General Support |
| SEARCH Homeless Services | Houston, TX | $30,000 | 2026 | General Support |
| Any Baby Can | Austin, TX | $30,000 | 2026 | General Support |
| Montgomery County Crime Stoppers Inc | Conroe, TX | $30,000 | 2026 | General Support |
| Lake Conroe Association | Willis, TX | $27,750 | 2026 | General Support |
| Lowe Syndrome Association Inc | Cincinnati, OH | $25,000 | 2026 | General Support |
| Stephen F Austin State University | Nacogdoches, TX | $25,000 | 2026 | Annual Fund |
| Lirios Pediatrics | Austin, TX | $25,000 | 2026 | General Support |
| Austin Child Guidance Center | Austin, TX | $25,000 | 2026 | General Support |
| Hand to Hold | Austin, TX | $25,000 | 2026 | General Support |
| Tourette Association of America - Texas Chapter | Richmond, TX | $20,000 | 2026 | General Support |
| Austin Angels | Austin, TX | $20,000 | 2026 | General Support |
| Youth Justice Alliance | Austin, TX | $20,000 | 2026 | General Support |
| SIRE Inc | Houston, TX | $15,000 | 2026 | General Support |
| Foster Angels of Central Texas | Austin, TX | $15,000 | 2026 | General Support |
| Make-A-Wish Central & South Texas | Austin, TX | $15,000 | 2026 | General Support |
| Montgomery County Food Bank | Conroe, TX | $15,000 | 2026 | General Support |
| Regional East Texas Food Bank | Tyler, TX | $15,000 | 2026 | General Support |
| Austin Together | Austin, TX | $15,000 | 2026 | General Support |
| House of Peace | Sugar Land, TX | $15,000 | 2026 | General Support |
| Central Texas Food Bank | Austin, TX | $15,000 | 2026 | General Support |
| CASA of Deep East Texas | Nacogdoches, TX | $10,000 | 2026 | General Support |
| Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country | Kerrville, TX | $10,000 | 2026 | Texas Hill Country Flood Response |
| Texas New Community Alliance dba New Danville | Willis, TX | $10,000 | 2026 | General Support |
| Austin Community Foundation | Austin, TX | $10,000 | 2026 | General Support |
| Tunnels to Towers Foundation | Staten Island, NY | $10,000 | 2026 | Gold Star Family Home Program in Texas |
| Dress for Success Austin | Austin, TX | $10,000 | 2026 | General Support |
| TEXSAR Inc | Wimberley, TX | $10,000 | 2026 | Texas Hill Country Flood Response |
| Collins 8 Foundation | Austin, TX | $8,000 | 2026 | Scholarships |
| The Osteosarcoma Institute | Dallas, TX | $5,000 | 2026 | Miles of Hope Fund |
| Con Mi MADRE | Austin, TX | $5,000 | 2026 | Scholarships |
| God's Garage | Conroe, TX | $5,000 | 2026 | General Support |
| The New Philanthropists | Austin, TX | $5,000 | 2026 | General Support |
Breakthrough Central Texas
$250,000Pathways to Opportunity Campaign
The Seton Fund
$225,000Women First Campaign & Dell Seton
Stephen F Austin State University
$225,000Rusche Distinguished Lecture Series
Snowdrop Foundation Inc
$100,000General Support
First United Methodist Church of Houston
$75,000Downtown Campus Maintenance
Camp for All
$75,000Blazing New Trails Capital Campaign
Fertility Foundation of Texas
$50,000General Support
Austin Christian Educational Foundation
$40,000General Support
Mothers' Milk Bank at Austin
$35,000Charitable Assistance Program
Austin Sunshine Camps
$35,000General Support
Austin Ed Fund
$35,000General Support
SEARCH Homeless Services
$30,000General Support
Any Baby Can
$30,000General Support
Montgomery County Crime Stoppers Inc
$30,000General Support
Lake Conroe Association
$27,750General Support
Lowe Syndrome Association Inc
$25,000General Support
Stephen F Austin State University
$25,000Annual Fund
Hand to Hold
$25,000General Support
Tourette Association of America - Texas Chapter
$20,000General Support
Austin Angels
$20,000General Support
Austin Together
$15,000General Support
House of Peace
$15,000General Support
CASA of Deep East Texas
$10,000General Support
Texas Hill Country Flood Response
Texas New Community Alliance dba New Danville
$10,000General Support
Tunnels to Towers Foundation
$10,000Gold Star Family Home Program in Texas
TEXSAR Inc
$10,000Texas Hill Country Flood Response
Collins 8 Foundation
$8,000Scholarships
God's Garage
$5,000General Support
The New Philanthropists
$5,000General Support