Robert A Welch Foundation
ActivePhilanthropy & VoluntarismFunds Individuals
About Robert A Welch Foundation
The Robert A. Welch Foundation is a major funder of basic chemical research, concentrating large gifts to leading Texas research universities and research institutes. Its grants overwhelmingly support chemistry-focused programs, institutes, chairs, and infrastructure at institutions such as UT Austin, UT Southwestern, Texas A&M, Rice, and University of Houston. The foundation favors institution-level investments that strengthen the state’s academic chemistry capacity and scientific discovery pipeline.
Focus Areas
Basic chemistry research funding at Texas public and private research universitiesEstablishment and support of chemistry research institutes and centers (e.g., Welch Institute)Endowed research programs and chairs in chemical sciencesCapital and programmatic support for graduate/postgraduate chemistry research and facilities in Texas
Who They Fund
individual research scientistsacademic researchers in chemistryresearch laboratories/institutions
Giving Approach
About Robert A Welch Foundation
The Robert A Welch Foundation puts chemistry at the center of its giving, and its largest recent grants show that clearly. In 2024, it awarded $10,570,000 to The University of Texas at Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas for basic research in chemistry and related fields, followed by $10,000,000 to Texas A&M Foundation in 2025 for the same broad purpose. Those awards sit within a long pattern of large institution-level grants to Texas universities and research centers, especially in chemistry-focused research programs, institutes, chairs, and facilities. The foundation’s recent support reaches major research hubs such as The University of Texas at Austin, Rice University, University of Houston, Baylor College of Medicine, and The University of Texas at Dallas. A distinctive feature of its giving is the way it backs both broad research capacity and named scientific recognition: in 2025, it awarded $500,000 to Jacqueline Barton Dervan for the Welch Award in Chemistry and related fields. Across the recent grants list, its support is tightly aligned with strengthening chemical sciences at Texas academic institutions and research laboratories.
What Robert A Welch Foundation Funds
Basic chemistry research is the foundation’s core area. It gave $7,460,000 to University of Houston in 2024 for basic research in chemistry and related fields, and $6,666,000 to The University of Texas at Austin in 2023 for the same purpose. It also supported Texas A&M University with $4,720,000 in 2023 and $2,860,000 in 2024, again tied to basic research in chemistry and related fields. The foundation also funds specialized chemistry infrastructure and institutes. In 2023, it granted $4,956,600 to RICE UNIVERSITY- Welch Institute in Houston for basic research in chemistry and related fields, alongside $4,800,000 to Rice University in the same year. Individual recognition is part of the portfolio as well: Jacqueline Barton Dervan received the Welch Award in Chemistry and related fields in 2025.
How Robert A Welch Foundation Gives
Typical grant size sits at $40,000 at the 25th percentile, a median of $65,000, and $280,000 at the 75th percentile, though the recent grant list also includes much larger institutional awards in the millions. The pattern is highly recurring rather than one-off: the same Texas universities appear across multiple years, including The University of Texas at Southwestern Medical Center, The University of Texas at Austin, Rice University, Texas A&M University, University of Houston, Baylor College of Medicine, and The University of Texas at Dallas. The foundation is a grantmaking foundation, not a PRI maker, and the data also shows it funds individuals. Grants are concentrated in Texas and routed through academic and research institutions.
Financial Snapshot
Annual Giving
$39.3M
Total Assets
$619M
Total Revenue
$36.8M
Total Expenses
$64.3M
Typical Grant Size
Most grants fall between $40K and $280K, with a median of $65K.
25th Percentile
$40K
Median
$65K
75th Percentile
$280K
Geographic Reach
Local1 state funded
About 100% of grants go to recipients in TX.
Funding intensity
LowHigh
Headquarters
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