About Sarofim Foundation
The Sarofim Foundation gives very large, concentrated gifts and appears to prioritize fulfilling institutional payout requirements while directing significant support to private education and arts/teacher development. In the reported year the foundation made one very large transfer to other charities and two seven-figure grants to education-related organizations, indicating an interest in sustaining independent schools and nonprofit education programs. The pattern suggests a preference for high-dollar, targeted gifts rather than many small awards.
Focus Areas
Payout transfers to other foundations / donor-advised or transferee foundationsIndependent/private secondary schools (e.g., Episcopal High School)Arts education and teacher development programs (Knowledge Arts Foundation / TEACH)
Who They Fund
arts and cultural institutions/nonprofitsprograms supported by benefit events (event beneficiaries)general charitable causes / broad public beneficiaries
Giving Approach
Highly concentrated: very few grants with large dollar amounts, including a single large transfer to satisfy undistributed income requirements and multi‑hundred‑thousand to million-dollar gifts to education-related organizations.
About Sarofim Foundation
A single transferee-foundation payout of $7,821,495 stands out in The Sarofim Foundation’s latest reported giving, and it sits alongside a smaller number of targeted grants to Houston-area institutions. The pattern points to a foundation that combines legacy distribution requirements with relationship-based philanthropy. In the reported year, the foundation also backed Knowledge Arts Foundation dba Teach with $1,150,000 and Episcopal High School with $810,000, signaling sustained support for education and organizations connected to its legacy giving. The recent record includes other large awards to United Way of Greater Houston, The Museum of Fine Arts Houston, and Awty International School, which shows a mix of broad charitable support and institution-specific funding. Grants are concentrated in Houston and nearby Texas communities, with several awards also reaching arts, health, and human-service organizations. Across the list, the foundation’s giving reads as selective and high-dollar rather than broad-based, with repeated support for organizations that appear in multiple years.
What Sarofim Foundation Funds
Education is a clear theme in the recent record. The foundation gave $1,150,000 to Knowledge Arts Foundation dba Teach for general charitable purposes, and it made an $810,000 grant to Episcopal High School. Arts institutions also received meaningful support: The Museum of Fine Arts Houston received $311,258 in one grant that included $100,000 for the 2022 Grand Gala Ball, and the same school later received a $225,000 payment tied to a $1 million pledge for a visual and performing arts center. Human services and community need appear as well. United Way of Greater Houston received $375,000, while Houston Food Bank and Star of Hope Mission each appear among the recent recipients, showing that the foundation also funds broader public-benefit organizations.
How Sarofim Foundation Gives
The Sarofim Foundation’s reported grant sizes cluster in the mid-five-figure to low-six-figure range, with a p25 of $10,000, median of $25,000, and p75 of $50,000. The recent record also includes one very large transferee-foundation payment, which pulls the overall distribution upward. The foundation shows repeated support for some recipients across multiple years, including Episcopal High School, Houston Grand Opera, Houston Food Bank, Bellville Hospital Foundation, and The Beacon Formerly Houston Compass Inc. Its active grant programs describe legacy- and relationship-based grantmaking, and the foundation states that it is not accepting unsolicited requests for funding.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$8M
Total Assets
$0
Total Revenue
$1.4B
Total Expenses
$9M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $10K and $50K, with a median of $25K.
25th Percentile
$10K
Median
$25K
75th Percentile
$50K
Geographic Reach
Local6 states funded
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
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