The Bech Family Foundation concentrates its philanthropy on legal education and religious-freedom legal work, chiefly through large gifts that fund scholarships and legal aid. The foundation makes a small number of high-dollar grants, frequently repeated to the same recipients, with a clear preference for supporting law students at the University of Texas and organizations providing religious liberty legal services.
Highly concentrated giving: five total grants totaling $3.4M, dominated by a few large gifts and repeated grants to the same organizations (UT Law entities and Religious Freedom Institute).
A defining feature of the Bech Family Foundation is its repeated high-dollar support for legal education at the University of Texas Law School Foundation, including two 2025 grants of $1,050,000 and $950,000 for scholarships for law students. That pattern places legal training at the center of the foundation’s giving, alongside a separate track of support for religious-freedom legal aid. The foundation’s recent grants show a narrow set of recipients and a small number of large awards. In addition to its law-school scholarships, it has backed the Religious Freedom Institute in multiple years for legal aid regarding religious freedom, indicating sustained interest in legal services tied to faith-based issues. The recent record also includes support for church administration through Second Baptist Church and a smaller general grant to Alliance Defending Freedom. Taken together, the Bech Family Foundation appears to fund legal education, religious liberty legal work, and selected church-related support through concentrated, project-specific grants rather than broad, dispersed philanthropy.
In legal education, the foundation gave $600,000 in 2023 to the University of Texas Law School for scholarships for law students, alongside its larger support for the University of Texas Law School Foundation. Those grants make law student aid a consistent feature of its giving. For religious-freedom legal work, the Religious Freedom Institute received three grants in the recent record: $600,000 in 2025, $200,000 in 2023, and $125,000 in 2025, each described as support to provide legal aid regarding religious freedom. That repeated funding points to a sustained legal-aid relationship. The foundation also funded church administration with a $100,000 grant in 2023 to Second Baptist Church. A separate $25,000 general grant to Alliance Defending Freedom shows interest in religious liberty advocacy beyond direct legal aid.
Grant sizes are concentrated at the high end: the 25th percentile is $125,000, the median is $400,000, and the 75th percentile is $600,000. The recent record shows repeated support to the same organizations across multiple years, especially the University of Texas law entities and the Religious Freedom Institute, suggesting ongoing relationships rather than one-time awards. The foundation is a private family foundation and does not fund individuals directly. Its grants are project-restricted in several cases, with purposes tied to scholarships, legal aid, and church administration.
$1.1M
$7.3M
$2.3M
$1.1M
Most grants fall between $125K and $600K, with a median of $400K.
25th Percentile
$125K
Median
$400K
75th Percentile
$600K
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Notable grantees: University of Texas Law School Foundation, Religious Freedom Institute, University of Texas Law School
Giving is heavily Texas-centered, with 50% of grants to recipients in the foundation’s home state. Austin appears repeatedly through the University of Texas Law School Foundation and the University of Texas Law School, while Houston appears through Second Baptist Church and Houston Arboretum. Outside Texas, grants also went to Washington, DC, and Scottsdale, AZ. All recent grants in the dataset were made to US recipients.
Its recent grants center on scholarships for law students at the University of Texas, legal aid for religious freedom, support for religious-liberty advocacy, and church administration. The largest awards in the record go to UT law entities, while the Religious Freedom Institute appears several times for legal aid regarding religious freedom.
Yes. The University of Texas Law School Foundation appears twice in 2025, and the Religious Freedom Institute appears three times across 2023 and 2025. That pattern suggests recurring relationships rather than isolated gifts.
The grant-size distribution is large: p25 is $125,000, median is $400,000, and p75 is $600,000. The recent record also includes two awards above $900,000, both to the University of Texas Law School Foundation.
Texas is the top grant recipient state, accounting for 50% of grants. Austin and Houston both appear in the recent record, with additional grants to Washington, DC, and Scottsdale, AZ.
It has funded both legal and administrative work. One grant went to Second Baptist Church in Houston for church administration, while several grants to the Religious Freedom Institute supported legal aid regarding religious freedom. A separate general grant also went to Alliance Defending Freedom.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS LAW SCHOOL FOUNDATION | AUSTIN, TX | $1,050,000 | 2025 | TO PROVIDE SCHOLARSHIPS FOR LAW STUDENTS. |
| UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS LAW SCHOOL FOUNDATION | AUSTIN, TX | $950,000 | 2025 | TO PROVIDE SCHOLARSHIPS FOR LAW STUDENTS. |
| RELIGIOUS FREEDOM INSTITUTE | WASHINGTON, DC | $600,000 | 2025 | To provide legal aid regarding religious freedom |
| RELIGIOUS FREEDOM INSTITUTE | WASHINGTON, DC | $125,000 | 2025 | To provide legal aid regarding religious freedom |
| ALLIANCE DEFENDING FREEDOM | SCOTTSDALE, AZ | $25,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| HOUSTON ARBORETUM | HOUSTON, TX | $5,000 | 2025 | GENERAL |
| UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS LAW SCHOOL | AUSTIN, TX | $600,000 | 2023 | TO PROVIDE SCHOLARSHIPS FOR LAW STUDENTS. |
| RELIGIOUS FREEDOM INSTITUTE | WASHINGTON, DC | $200,000 | 2023 | To provide legal aid regarding religious freedom |
| SECOND BAPTIST CHURCH | HOUSTON, TX | $100,000 | 2023 | To assist in the administration of the church |
TO PROVIDE SCHOLARSHIPS FOR LAW STUDENTS.
TO PROVIDE SCHOLARSHIPS FOR LAW STUDENTS.
To provide legal aid regarding religious freedom
To provide legal aid regarding religious freedom
GENERAL
HOUSTON ARBORETUM
$5,000GENERAL
To provide legal aid regarding religious freedom
SECOND BAPTIST CHURCH
$100,000To assist in the administration of the church