Sealy & Smith Foundation
ActivePublic CharityHealth Care
About Sealy & Smith Foundation
Chartered to provide healthcare on Galveston Island through support of the John Sealy Hospital and related medical buildings, including providing/maintaining clinical properties on the UTMB campus, endowing academic chairs, advocating for UTMB, and providing grant funding to ensure Galveston citizens receive excellent health care.
Focus Areas
Hospital infrastructure and capital projectsBiomedical researchClinical care and community healthMedical education and endowed chairsInfectious disease and virology research
Who They Fund
patients in the UTMB service areahealthcare providers and clinic staffmedical/administrative personnel (UTMB HR and affiliates)local community served by UTMB clinics
Funding Style
capital/infrastructure investmentreal estate acquisition and developmentfacility operations supportasset management
Topics
healthcare facility developmentclinical service expansion (primary care, ophthalmology)administrative and HR facility supportoutpatient clinic property managementparking and transportation infrastructure
About Sealy & Smith Foundation
The Sealy & Smith Foundation’s recent grantmaking is centered on the physical and operational support of UTMB’s health system on Galveston Island, with a $24,020,135 grant to John Sealy Hospital in 2023 standing out as the largest recent award. That pattern fits the foundation’s long-running role in underwriting hospital facilities, clinical properties, and the infrastructure that keeps healthcare delivery moving for Galveston residents. Its grant history also shows direct support for UTMB’s campus and related medical buildings, not just for services but for the properties and systems that house them. Beyond the flagship hospital support, the foundation funded UTMB for a primary care pavilion, an ophthalmology clinic, and the R. Waverley Smith Pavilion, showing a strong emphasis on specific care settings rather than broad, unrestricted philanthropy. Other 2023 grants covered human resources, parking, and real estate needs, which points to a funder that treats healthcare access as a facilities-and-operations question as much as a clinical one. The foundation also maintains support for endowments, research, and medical education tied to UTMB.
What Sealy & Smith Foundation Funds
A major theme in the foundation’s grantmaking is healthcare infrastructure. In 2023, it gave $551,409 to The University of Texas Medical Branch for the Primary Care Pavilion and $100,311 for the R. Waverley Smith Pavilion, reflecting support for concrete care sites within UTMB. It also funds clinic and property-related needs. The foundation awarded $252,143 to UTMB for the ophthalmology clinic, $99,606 for other real estate, and $47,153 for the West End Clinic Property, showing attention to the spaces where patients are seen and services are delivered. Administrative and operational support appears as well. A $376,260 grant to UTMB for human resources and a $69,624 grant for the parking lot indicate that staffing and access infrastructure are part of the funding mix.
How Sealy & Smith Foundation Gives
Grant sizes are substantial: the typical grant distribution is $92,110 at the 25th percentile, $176,227 at the median, and $420,047 at the 75th percentile. The recent data also includes a single very large award of $24,020,135, showing that the foundation uses both routine property-level grants and major capital support. Giving appears highly recurring and institution-centered. The recent grants list shows multiple awards in 2023 to The University of Texas Medical Branch and its facilities, and the foundation’s active programs repeatedly point to UTMB, John Sealy Hospital, and related medical properties. It is a public charity, funds individuals is false, and it does not accept unsolicited grants.
Where Sealy & Smith Foundation Makes Grants
The Sealy & Smith Foundation gives locally and entirely within Texas. All recent grants in the dataset went to recipients in Galveston, TX, with 100% of grants in the headquarters state. The recipient geography is tightly concentrated on Galveston Island and the UTMB campus, including John Sealy Hospital, the Primary Care Pavilion, the ophthalmology clinic, and the West End Clinic Property. The country distribution is entirely U.S.-based, with 8 grants in the United States.
Frequently Asked Questions About Sealy & Smith Foundation
What kinds of projects does The Sealy & Smith Foundation fund?
Its active programs focus on hospital and clinical infrastructure, biomedical research, endowed academic chairs, medical equipment, and support for UTMB-related properties and services. Recent grants also covered a primary care pavilion, an ophthalmology clinic, human resources, parking, and real estate tied to UTMB operations.
Does The Sealy & Smith Foundation accept unsolicited applications?
No. The active grant program entries list “Accepts unsolicited: False” for the UTMB-related grantmaking programs and the targeted grant program examples.
Who are the foundation’s main beneficiaries?
The grantmaking is directed to UTMB and related hospital facilities, with benefits flowing to patients in the UTMB service area, healthcare providers and clinic staff, medical and administrative personnel, and the local community served by UTMB clinics.
What is the typical grant size?
The grant-size distribution is $92,110 at the 25th percentile, $176,227 at the median, and $420,047 at the 75th percentile. That sits alongside a much larger 2023 grant of $24,020,135 for John Sealy Hospital.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$25.5M
Total Assets
$1.7B
Total Revenue
$158.7M
Total Expenses
$31.8M
Latest 990 Filing
2023
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2023.
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $92K and $420K, with a median of $176K.
25th Percentile
$92K
Median
$176K
75th Percentile
$420K
Geographic Reach
Local1 state funded
About 100% of grants go to recipients in TX.
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
Leadership
JOHN W KELSO
PRESIDENT/DIRECTOR
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