The Petersen Family Foundation gives in a fairly concentrated way, with a handful of large grants to major institutions and a smaller circle of repeat or aligned recipients. Their pattern points to strong support for Houston-area civic and health institutions, Texas Tech/Red Raider causes, and Christian-affiliated schools and churches, alongside some interest in youth development and public safety. The giving also suggests a donor-advised or family-led approach that favors recognizable, mission-aligned organizations over a broad, fragmented grantmaking portfolio.
The Petersen Family Foundation’s recent record is defined by a single large unrestricted distribution: $7,944,834 in 2025 listed to “See statement attached,” with each recipient receiving unrestricted use. That grant sits alongside a pattern of sizable flexible support to Houston-area institutions, especially in education and community philanthropy. In 2024, the foundation gave $1,500,000 to Second Baptist School Foundation for unrestricted use, followed by additional support for the same organization in 2023. The foundation also funded the Houston nonprofit ecosystem through grants to United Way of Greater Houston and The Chapelwood Foundation, both with unrestricted purposes, and to the Astros Golf Foundation. The mix of recipients suggests a funder that favors local, institution-level support rather than narrowly specified projects. Its public grant history shows a compact set of large awards, mostly in the Houston/Sugar Land area, with Christian K-12 education appearing as one recurring thread and broader philanthropic organizations also receiving support. The foundation’s grants are all to U.S. recipients and are concentrated in Texas, matching its local giving scope.
One clear theme is flexible support for education. The foundation gave $1,500,000 to Second Baptist School Foundation in 2024 for unrestricted use, and also provided a separate $100,000 grant to the same organization in 2023. That recurring relationship points to sustained support for a private Christian K-12 institution. A second theme is community philanthropy. In 2023, Petersen Family Foundation awarded $100,000 to United Way of Greater Houston for unrestricted use, aligning the foundation with a broad local intermediary. Faith-linked institutional support also appears in the record: The Chapelwood Foundation received $50,000 in 2023 for unrestricted use. The grant to Astros Golf Foundation for $200,000 in 2023 adds another local civic and sports-related recipient to the pattern.
The typical grant size is large: the 25th percentile is $100,000, the median is $150,000, and the 75th percentile is $1,175,000. Recent giving includes both one very large multi-recipient or statement-based distribution and several six-figure awards. The record also shows repeat support to Second Baptist School Foundation across 2024 and 2023, which suggests some ongoing recipient relationships rather than a one-time-only pattern. The foundation makes no grants to individuals and does not make program-related investments. The available data points to flexible support, with multiple grants described as unrestricted use.
$18.1M
$17.6M
$25.8M
$18.3M
Most grants fall between $5K and $106K, with a median of $25K.
25th Percentile
$5K
Median
$25K
75th Percentile
$106K
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Highly concentrated grantmaking with several seven-figure gifts to a small set of core institutions, plus occasional smaller grants to repeat partners and mission-aligned local nonprofits.
Notable grantees: Memorial Hermann Foundation, The Matador Club, Second Baptist School Foundation, Texas Tech University Foundation, Houston Police Foundation
Grantmaking is concentrated in Texas, and every recent grant in the dataset went to a U.S. recipient. Houston is the most visible recipient city, appearing in grants to Second Baptist School Foundation, Astros Golf Foundation, United Way of Greater Houston, and The Chapelwood Foundation. The 2025 grant is listed to “See statement” in Texas, reinforcing the state-level concentration. With 100% of grants going to recipients in the HQ state, the foundation’s geography is tightly local rather than national.
The recent record includes a private Christian K-12 education organization, a community philanthropy intermediary, a sports-related foundation, and a faith-affiliated foundation. Named recipients include Second Baptist School Foundation, United Way of Greater Houston, Astros Golf Foundation, and The Chapelwood Foundation.
Yes. The recent grants are repeatedly labeled unrestricted, including the $7,944,834 2025 distribution listed as “See statement attached,” the $1,500,000 grant to Second Baptist School Foundation, the $200,000 grant to Astros Golf Foundation, and the $100,000 grant to United Way of Greater Houston.
The foundation’s grant-size distribution is very large: the 25th percentile is $100,000, the median is $150,000, and the 75th percentile is $1,175,000. That makes six-figure support the norm in the available data.
Its giving is local. The geographic scope is listed as local, Texas is the top state by grant count, and 100% of grants in the dataset went to recipients in the HQ state.
2026
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2026.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Memorial Hermann Foundation | Houston, TX | $2,600,000 | 2025 | — |
| The Matador Club | Fort Worth, TX | $2,000,000 | 2025 | — |
| Texas Tech University Foundation | Lubbock, TX | $1,000,000 | 2025 | Unrestricted use |
| Red Raider Facilities Foundation | Lubbock, TX | $1,000,000 | 2025 | — |
| Astros Golf Foundation | Houston, TX | $400,000 | 2025 | Unrestricted use |
| Houston Police Foundation | Houston, TX | $225,000 | 2025 | — |
| Cal Farley's Boys Ranch | Amarillo, TX | $110,000 | 2025 | — |
| Chapelwood United Methodist Church | Houston, TX | $105,000 | 2025 | — |
| United Way of Greater Houston | Houston, TX | $100,000 | 2025 | — |
| Prager University | Sherman Oaks, CA | $100,000 | 2025 | — |
| Spring Spirit Baseball | Houston, TX | $50,000 | 2025 | Unrestricted use |
| REID Foundation | Winter Park, FL | $50,000 | 2025 | — |
| American Heart Association | Dallas, TX | $25,000 | 2025 | — |
| The Holdsworth Center | Austin, TX | $25,000 | 2025 | Unrestricted use |
| Mercy Ships | Lindale, TX | $25,000 | 2025 | — |
| Multiple Sclerosis Society | Houston, TX | $25,000 | 2025 | Unrestricted use |
| Second Baptist Church | Houston, TX | $20,000 | 2025 | Unrestricted use |
| Alira Foundation | Houston, TX | $15,000 | 2025 | Unrestricted use |
| The Salvation Army | Houston, TX | $10,000 | 2025 | — |
| St Jude Children's Research Hospital | Memphis, TN | $10,000 | 2025 | Unrestricted use |
| Sam Houston Area Council | Houston, TX | $8,334 | 2025 | — |
| Marines Toys for Tots | Triangle, VA | $5,000 | 2025 | — |
| Second Baptist School Foundation | Houston, TX | $5,000 | 2025 | — |
| Texas Hearing Institute | Houston, TX | $5,000 | 2025 | — |
| National Law Enforcement Officer Memorial Fund | Washington, DC | $5,000 | 2025 | — |
| Camp Ozark Foundation | Mount Ida, AR | $5,000 | 2025 | Unrestricted use |
| ROCC Employee Scholarship Fund | Houston, TX | $5,000 | 2025 | Unrestricted use |
| Communities in Schools | Houston, TX | $5,000 | 2025 | — |
| The Bryan Museum | Galveston, TX | $3,000 | 2025 | — |
| Memorial Park Conservatory | Houston, TX | $2,500 | 2025 | — |
| Phi Kappa Psi Foundation | Indianapolis, IN | $1,000 | 2025 | — |
| Second Baptist School Foundation | Houston, TX | $1,500,000 | 2024 | Unrestricted use by Second Baptist School Foundation |
| Astros Golf Foundation | Houston, TX | $200,000 | 2023 | Unrestricted use by Astros Golf Foundation |
| United Way of Greater Houston | Houston, TX | $100,000 | 2023 | Unrestricted use by United Way of Greater Houston |
| Second Baptist School Foundation | Houston, TX | $100,000 | 2023 | Unrestricted use by Second Baptist School Foundation |
| The Chapelwood Foundation | Houston, TX | $50,000 | 2023 | Unrestricted use by The Chapelwood Foundation |
The Matador Club
$2,000,000Texas Tech University Foundation
$1,000,000Unrestricted use
Red Raider Facilities Foundation
$1,000,000Cal Farley's Boys Ranch
$110,000Chapelwood United Methodist Church
$105,000Prager University
$100,000Spring Spirit Baseball
$50,000Unrestricted use
REID Foundation
$50,000The Holdsworth Center
$25,000Unrestricted use
Mercy Ships
$25,000Multiple Sclerosis Society
$25,000Unrestricted use
Second Baptist Church
$20,000Unrestricted use
Alira Foundation
$15,000Unrestricted use
The Salvation Army
$10,000Sam Houston Area Council
$8,334Marines Toys for Tots
$5,000Second Baptist School Foundation
$5,000Texas Hearing Institute
$5,000Camp Ozark Foundation
$5,000Unrestricted use
ROCC Employee Scholarship Fund
$5,000Unrestricted use
Communities in Schools
$5,000The Bryan Museum
$3,000Memorial Park Conservatory
$2,500Phi Kappa Psi Foundation
$1,000Second Baptist School Foundation
$1,500,000Unrestricted use by Second Baptist School Foundation
Unrestricted use by United Way of Greater Houston
Second Baptist School Foundation
$100,000Unrestricted use by Second Baptist School Foundation
The Chapelwood Foundation
$50,000Unrestricted use by The Chapelwood Foundation