The Nystrom Family Foundation is a small, place-based funder focused on supporting Rockport/Aransas County community life, with an emphasis on local arts organizations, K–12 education support through school foundations, and direct human services. They make sizable, targeted grants to a handful of hometown organizations and often provide repeat support to trusted local partners. Their giving reinforces cultural institutions (theatre, arts center, cultural district) while also funding basic needs and education initiatives.
Concentrated, local giving with relatively large, infrequent awards to a small set of repeat grantees; funds tend to be programmatic or organizational support to community arts, education foundations, and direct service nonprofits rather than broad national initiatives.
A defining pattern in Nystrom Family Foundation grantmaking is repeat support for a small set of Rockport-area organizations, especially in arts, education, and basic human services. The largest recent award in the list is $27,200 to Rockport Little Theatre for program support, and the foundation has also backed Rockport-Fulton Good Samaritans, Rockport Cultural Arts District, and local school foundations with repeated grants across multiple years. That pattern points to a place-based funder that stays close to a handful of hometown partners rather than spreading gifts broadly. The foundation’s recent grants show a strong preference for program support and operational support, with many awards clustered around established civic institutions in Rockport and nearby Fulton. Local cultural organizations such as Rockport Center for the Arts and Texas Maritime Museum appear alongside education-focused recipients like Aransas County ISD Education Foundation and Rockport-Fulton ISD Foundation. Human-service groups also fit into the mix, including Access Inc, Habitat for Humanity of Aransas County, and the Council on Aging. The result is a grantmaking profile centered on community infrastructure in Aransas County.
Arts and culture are a clear theme. Nystrom Family Foundation gave $25,000 to Rockport Cultural Arts District for program support and $25,000 to Rockport Center for the Arts for program support, alongside $27,200 to Rockport Little Theatre for program support. Those grants show sustained backing for local cultural institutions rather than one-off event funding. Education is another consistent area. The foundation awarded $25,000 to Rockport-Fulton ISD Foundation Inc for program support and $25,000 to Aransas County ISD Education Fdn for program support. In the recent grants list, those school-related awards sit alongside arts and human-service support, indicating that K–12 community support is part of the same local funding portfolio. Human services and community care also receive support. Grants include $25,000 to Rockport-Fulton Good Samaritans for program support, $20,000 to Access Inc for program support, and $20,000 to Aransas County Council on Aging for program support. These gifts suggest attention to immediate local needs in the Rockport area.
Typical grant size clusters around the middle of the list: p25 is $12,160, the median is $20,000, and p75 is $25,000. The recent grants suggest a steady pattern of repeat support rather than isolated awards; several recipients appear in multiple years, including Rockport-Fulton Good Samaritans, Aransas County ISD Education Fdn, Rockport Center for the Arts, Rockport Little Theatre, Access Inc, Aransas County Council on Aging, and Chihuahuan Desert Research Institute. The foundation does not fund individuals and does not make program-related investments. The grants are largely framed as program support, with some general operating support appearing as well.
$546K
$3.4M
$149K
$223K
Most grants fall between $12K and $25K, with a median of $20K.
25th Percentile
$12K
Median
$20K
75th Percentile
$25K
About 93% of grants go to recipients in TX.
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Notable grantees: Rockport-Fulton Good Samaritans, Aransas County ISD Education Foundation, Rockport Little Theatre, Rockport-Fulton ISD Foundation, Rockport Center for the Arts
Giving is heavily concentrated in Texas: 93% of grants go to recipients in the foundation’s HQ state. Most awards land in Rockport, with additional grants in Fulton and nearby Corpus Christi and Fort Davis. Outside Texas, the recent list includes one recipient in Washington, DC: Friends of Aransas National Wildlife Refuge. The recipient distribution is entirely U.S.-based in the data provided, with 29 grants in the United States.
The recent grants point to three main areas: arts and cultural institutions, K–12 education support through local school foundations, and direct human services. Named recipients include Rockport Little Theatre, Aransas County ISD Education Fdn, Rockport-Fulton ISD Foundation Inc, Rockport-Fulton Good Samaritans, Access Inc, and Aransas County Council on Aging.
The grant-size distribution centers on mid-sized awards. In the recent data, p25 is $12,160, the median is $20,000, and p75 is $25,000. Many individual grants fall at $20,000 or $25,000, with a smaller number above or below that range.
Yes. Several organizations appear across multiple years in the recent grants list, including Rockport-Fulton Good Samaritans, Aransas County ISD Education Fdn, Rockport Center for the Arts, Rockport Little Theatre, Access Inc, Aransas County Council on Aging, Aransas County Beautiful Inc, and Chihuahuan Desert Research Institute.
The foundation’s giving is highly local. 93% of grants go to recipients in Texas, and the recent list is dominated by Rockport, with additional awards in Fulton, Corpus Christi, Fort Davis, and one Washington, DC recipient tied to Aransas National Wildlife Refuge.
Most recent awards are labeled program support, with some general operating support also present. The pattern suggests funding for ongoing activities and organizational capacity rather than restricted one-time initiatives.
2025
Source: IRS Form 990-PF, fiscal year 2025.
Most recent grants reported to the IRS.
| Recipient | Location | Amount | Year | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rockport Cultural Arts District | Rockport, TX | $25,000 | 2025 | Program support |
| Rockport-Fulton ISD Foundation Inc | Rockport, TX | $25,000 | 2025 | Program support |
| Rockport-Fulton Good Samaritans | Rockport, TX | $25,000 | 2025 | Program support |
| Access Inc | Rockport, TX | $20,000 | 2025 | Program support |
| Aransas County Council on Aging | Rockport, TX | $20,000 | 2025 | Program support |
| Habitat for Humanity of Aransas County | Rockport, TX | $17,700 | 2025 | Program support |
| Rockport Little Theatre | Rockport, TX | $15,800 | 2025 | Program support |
| Friends of Aransas National Wildlife Refuge | Washington, DC | $12,160 | 2025 | Program support |
| Chihuahuan Desert Research Institute | Fort Davis, TX | $12,000 | 2025 | Program support |
| Corpus Christi Chamber Music Society Inc | Corpus Christi, TX | $10,000 | 2025 | Program support |
| ROCKPORT LITTLE THEATRE | ROCKPORT, TX | $27,200 | 2024 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| ROCKPORT-FULTON GOOD SAMARITANS | ROCKPORT, TX | $25,000 | 2024 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| ARANSAS COUNTY ISD EDUCATION FDN | ROCKPORT, TX | $25,000 | 2024 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| ROCKPORT CENTER FOR THE ARTS | ROCKPORT, TX | $25,000 | 2024 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| ACCESS INC | ROCKPORT, TX | $20,000 | 2024 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| ARANSAS COUNTY COUNCIL ON AGING | ROCKPORT, TX | $20,000 | 2024 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| CHIHUAHUAN DESERT RESEARCH INSTITUTE | FORT DAVIS, TX | $12,000 | 2024 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| FRIENDS OF ARANSAS NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE | Washington, DC | $11,600 | 2024 | GENERAL OPERATING |
| ARANSAS COUNTY BEAUTIFUL INC | Fulton, TX | $7,500 | 2024 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| ARANSAS COUNTY ISD EDUCATION FDN | ROCKPORT, TX | $25,000 | 2023 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| ROCKPORT-FULTON GOOD SAMARITANS | ROCKPORT, TX | $25,000 | 2023 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| ACCESS INC | ROCKPORT, TX | $20,000 | 2023 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| WINGS RESCUE CENTER | ROCKPORT, TX | $20,000 | 2023 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| ROCKPORT LITTLE THEATRE | ROCKPORT, TX | $20,000 | 2023 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| ARANSAS COUNTY BEAUTIFUL INC | Fulton, TX | $20,000 | 2023 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| ARANSAS COUNTY COUNCIL ON AGING | ROCKPORT, TX | $20,000 | 2023 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| TEXAS MARITIME MUSEUM | ROCKPORT, TX | $16,383 | 2023 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| ROCKPORT CENTER FOR THE ARTS | ROCKPORT, TX | $12,000 | 2023 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
| CHIHUAHUAN DESERT RESEARCH INSTITUTE | FORT DAVIS, TX | $12,000 | 2023 | PROGRAM SUPPORT |
Rockport Cultural Arts District
$25,000Program support
Rockport-Fulton ISD Foundation Inc
$25,000Program support
Rockport-Fulton Good Samaritans
$25,000Program support
Access Inc
$20,000Program support
Aransas County Council on Aging
$20,000Program support
Habitat for Humanity of Aransas County
$17,700Program support
Rockport Little Theatre
$15,800Program support
Friends of Aransas National Wildlife Refuge
$12,160Program support
Chihuahuan Desert Research Institute
$12,000Program support
Corpus Christi Chamber Music Society Inc
$10,000Program support
ROCKPORT LITTLE THEATRE
$27,200PROGRAM SUPPORT
ROCKPORT-FULTON GOOD SAMARITANS
$25,000PROGRAM SUPPORT
ARANSAS COUNTY ISD EDUCATION FDN
$25,000PROGRAM SUPPORT
ROCKPORT CENTER FOR THE ARTS
$25,000PROGRAM SUPPORT
ACCESS INC
$20,000PROGRAM SUPPORT
ARANSAS COUNTY COUNCIL ON AGING
$20,000PROGRAM SUPPORT
CHIHUAHUAN DESERT RESEARCH INSTITUTE
$12,000PROGRAM SUPPORT
FRIENDS OF ARANSAS NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE
$11,600GENERAL OPERATING
ARANSAS COUNTY BEAUTIFUL INC
$7,500PROGRAM SUPPORT
ARANSAS COUNTY ISD EDUCATION FDN
$25,000PROGRAM SUPPORT
ROCKPORT-FULTON GOOD SAMARITANS
$25,000PROGRAM SUPPORT
ACCESS INC
$20,000PROGRAM SUPPORT
WINGS RESCUE CENTER
$20,000PROGRAM SUPPORT
ROCKPORT LITTLE THEATRE
$20,000PROGRAM SUPPORT
ARANSAS COUNTY BEAUTIFUL INC
$20,000PROGRAM SUPPORT
ARANSAS COUNTY COUNCIL ON AGING
$20,000PROGRAM SUPPORT
TEXAS MARITIME MUSEUM
$16,383PROGRAM SUPPORT
ROCKPORT CENTER FOR THE ARTS
$12,000PROGRAM SUPPORT
CHIHUAHUAN DESERT RESEARCH INSTITUTE
$12,000PROGRAM SUPPORT