The Dene Anton Foundation gives in Houston-area civic and community causes, with a strong emphasis on local historic preservation and place-based cultural projects alongside targeted youth education support. Its largest commitment in the dataset is a major unrestricted grant to the Astrodome Conservancy, while a smaller grant supports a community education/mentorship group, indicating priorities around preserving local landmarks and investing in youth development programming.
Highly concentrated giving: very few grants per cycle with one large flagship grant and occasional smaller supplemental gifts; geographically local (Houston-focused) and mission-specific rather than broad funding across many sectors.
A $145,000 unrestricted grant to the Astrodome Conservancy is the clearest signal in the Dene Anton Foundation’s recent giving. That award sits alongside smaller gifts to Houston civic and cultural groups, showing a pattern of support for place-based preservation and community institutions. The foundation’s grant history also includes a $25,000 educational activity grant to Rise 2 Greatness Foundation in Marion, Iowa, which broadens the picture beyond Houston and into youth-focused programming. Across the recent grants on file, the foundation is active at a range of levels rather than only making large awards. Its support includes historic preservation, civic heritage, and education-oriented work, with recipients spanning a local church, a preservation organization, a health-related nonprofit, and a youth development group. The mix suggests an interest in organizations serving the general public through exempt-purpose activities and educational programming. Houston remains especially prominent in the grant record, with multiple gifts going to local institutions. The foundation’s giving shows a consistent connection to cultural landmarks and community-serving organizations, while still extending selected support to groups outside Texas.
In historic preservation and landmark-related work, the foundation gave $145,000 to Astrodome Conservancy to carry out the organization’s exempt purpose. It also supported Walden Woods Project with a $1,000 grant for exempt-purpose activity, showing that preservation appears in more than one setting. On the civic and community side, Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo received $3,000 to carry out its exempt purpose, and St Martin's Episcopal Church received $1,000 for the same purpose. Those grants point to support for institutions that serve public-facing cultural or community functions. Education is another visible thread. Rise 2 Greatness Foundation received $25,000 for educational activity of the donee, indicating direct backing for programming rather than a capital or facilities project. The foundation also made a $500 grant to International Myeloma Foundation, expanding its reach to a different type of public-benefit organization.
Typical grants are small, with a p25 of $1,000, a median of $1,000, and a p75 of $14,000. That distribution sits alongside one much larger award, suggesting a pattern of mostly modest grants with occasional higher-dollar commitments. The recent record includes multiple 2023 grants and one 2025 grant, so the available data shows activity across more than one filing year. The foundation does not fund individuals and does not make program-related investments. The grant descriptions mostly use exempt-purpose or educational-activity language, which points to programmatic or unrestricted support rather than highly specified project grants.
$177K
$846K
$48K
$82K
Most grants fall between $1K and $14K, with a median of $1K.
25th Percentile
$1K
Median
$1K
75th Percentile
$14K
About 43% of grants go to recipients in IA.
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Notable grantees: Astrodome Conservancy, Rise 2 Greatness Foundation
The foundation gives nationally, and every grant in the recent sample went to a U.S. recipient. Texas accounts for 43% of grants in the dataset, with Houston appearing repeatedly among recipient cities. Outside Texas, the record includes Marion, Iowa; Lincoln, Massachusetts; Washington, D.C.; and Studio City, California. The top state by grant count is Iowa, even though the headquarters is in Houston. That spread shows a base in Texas with selective support to organizations in other parts of the country.
The recent grants show support for historic preservation, civic and community institutions, youth education, and a health-related nonprofit. Recipients include the Astrodome Conservancy, Rise 2 Greatness Foundation, Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, St Martin's Episcopal Church, and International Myeloma Foundation.
The grant-size distribution is small overall: the 25th percentile is $1,000, the median is $1,000, and the 75th percentile is $14,000. The recent sample also includes one much larger $145,000 grant, so most awards are modest but not all are at the same level.
Yes. While 43% of grants in the dataset went to recipients in Texas, the recent record also includes grants to organizations in Iowa, Massachusetts, Washington, D.C., and California. The foundation’s geographic scope of giving is national.
Yes. Rise 2 Greatness Foundation received $25,000 for educational activity of the donee. The data also uses educational-program language in its topic taxonomy, which aligns with support for learners, students, and participants in educational programs.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RISE 2 GREATNESS FOUNDATION | MARION, IA | $25,000 | 2025 | EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITY OF THE DONEE |
| ASTRODOME CONSERVANCY | HOUSTON, TX | $145,000 | 2023 | TO CARRY OUT THE ORGANIZATIONS EXEMPT PURPOSE. |
| HOUSTON LIVESTOCK SHOW AND RODEO | HOUSTON, TX | $3,000 | 2023 | TO CARRY OUT THE ORGANIZATIONS EXEMPT PURPOSE. |
| NATIONAL TRUST FOR HISTORIC PRESERVATION | WASHINGTON, DC | $1,000 | 2023 | TO CARRY OUT THE ORGANIZATIONS EXEMPT PURPOSE. |
| WALDEN WOODS PROJECT | LINCOLN, MA | $1,000 | 2023 | TO CARRY OUT THE ORGANIZATIONS EXEMPT PURPOSE. |
| ST MARTIN'S EPISCOPAL CHURCH | HOUSTON, TX | $1,000 | 2023 | TO CARRY OUT THE ORGANIZATIONS EXEMPT PURPOSE. |
| INTERNATIONAL MYELOMA FOUNDATION | STUDIO CITY, CA | $500 | 2023 | TO CARRY OUT THE ORGANIZATIONS EXEMPT PURPOSE. |
RISE 2 GREATNESS FOUNDATION
$25,000EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITY OF THE DONEE
ASTRODOME CONSERVANCY
$145,000TO CARRY OUT THE ORGANIZATIONS EXEMPT PURPOSE.
HOUSTON LIVESTOCK SHOW AND RODEO
$3,000TO CARRY OUT THE ORGANIZATIONS EXEMPT PURPOSE.
NATIONAL TRUST FOR HISTORIC PRESERVATION
$1,000TO CARRY OUT THE ORGANIZATIONS EXEMPT PURPOSE.
WALDEN WOODS PROJECT
$1,000TO CARRY OUT THE ORGANIZATIONS EXEMPT PURPOSE.
ST MARTIN'S EPISCOPAL CHURCH
$1,000TO CARRY OUT THE ORGANIZATIONS EXEMPT PURPOSE.
INTERNATIONAL MYELOMA FOUNDATION
$500TO CARRY OUT THE ORGANIZATIONS EXEMPT PURPOSE.