The Robert a Welch Foundation
Houston, TX · EIN 76-0343128. Reported 251 grants totalling $149.5M to 71 organizations across tax years 2020-2023. This foundation did not tell the IRS it funds only preselected organizations.
Does this foundation accept applications?
Yes -- on its own tax return. Form 990-PF asks every private foundation whether it makes grants only to organizations it selects itself. Of the 91,758 foundations in our data that made a grant and answered, 78% said yes -- and applying to those is wasted effort. The Robert a Welch Foundation did not check that box on its most recent filing, which puts it in the minority that is at least open to being approached.
How big are its grants?
The median grant is $50,000. Half of everything it gave fell between $40,000 and $240,000; the smallest was $20,000 and the largest $10.6M. If you are asking for materially more than the top of that range, you are asking the wrong foundation.
Every organization it funded
This is the complete list from its filings, largest first. Years funded is the number of separate tax years in which the organization received money -- more than one means a real relationship rather than a one-off.
| Organization | Location | Total received | Grants | Years funded | Last |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The University of Texas at Southwestern Medical Center | Dallas, TX | $28.5M | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| The University of Texas at Austin | Austin, TX | $21.9M | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Rice University- Welch Institute | Houston, TX | $15.4M | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| Rice University | Houston, TX | $14.7M | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Texas A&m University | College Station, TX | $12.8M | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| University of Houston | Houston, TX | $12.4M | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Texas A&m Foundation | College Station, TX | $10.0M | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| The University of Texas at Dallas | Richardson, TX | $4,495,000 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Baylor College of Medicine | Houston, TX | $4,437,143 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Baylor University | Waco, TX | $2,604,194 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| The University of Texas at San Antonio | San Antonio, TX | $1,605,000 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston | Houston, TX | $1,580,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Texas Tech University | Lubbock, TX | $1,310,000 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Trinity University | San Antonio, TX | $1,310,000 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| The University of Texas Health San Antonio | San Antonio, TX | $1,100,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| The University of Texas at El Paso | El Paso, TX | $985,000 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Southern Methodist University | Dallas, TX | $980,000 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| University of North Texas | Denton, TX | $750,000 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| The Texas Interscholastic League Foundation | Austin, TX | $735,500 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| Texas Christian University | Fort Worth, TX | $720,000 | 3 | 3 | 2023 |
| The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston | Galveston, TX | $580,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| The University of Texas at Arlington | Arlington, TX | $540,000 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Jacqueline Barton Dervan | Houston, TX | $500,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Sam Houston State University | Huntsville, TX | $400,000 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Texas A&m University System | College Station, TX | $300,000 | 2 | 2 | 2022 |
| University of Houston-Downtown | Houston, TX | $285,000 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Texas A&m University - Kingsville | Kingsville, TX | $275,000 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| University of the Incarnate Word | San Antonio, TX | $270,000 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Abilene Christian University | Abilene, TX | $265,000 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Southwestern University | Georgetown, TX | $265,000 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| University of St Thomas | Houston, TX | $265,000 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Texas A&m University-Commerce | Corpus Christi, TX | $255,000 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| The University of Texas at Tyler | Tyler, TX | $255,000 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Midwestern State University | Wichita Falls, TX | $245,000 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| St Mary's University | San Antonio, TX | $245,000 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Tarleton State University | Stephenville, TX | $245,000 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Angelo State University | San Angelo, TX | $231,000 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| University of Houston-Clear Lake | Houston, TX | $231,000 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Texas A&m International | Laredo, TX | $225,000 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| University of Dallas | Irving, TX | $225,000 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| West Texas A&m University | Canyon, TX | $225,000 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Lubbock Christian University | Lubbock, TX | $221,000 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| The University of Texas of the Permian Basin | Odessa, TX | $221,000 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| University of Mary Hardin-Baylor | Belton, TX | $220,000 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Mcmurry University | Abilene, TX | $211,000 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Texas Wesleyan University | Fort Worth, TX | $211,000 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Wayland Baptist University | Plainview, TX | $211,000 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| East Texas Baptist University | Marshall, TX | $210,000 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| The Texas Interscholastic | Austin, TX | $205,750 | 1 | 1 | 2021 |
| Hardin-Simmons University | Abilene, TX | $201,000 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Lamar University | Beaumont, TX | $200,000 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Texas A&m University-Corpus | Corpus Christi, TX | $200,000 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Stephen F Austin State University | Nacogdoches, TX | $195,000 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Texas Woman's University | Denton, TX | $195,000 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| The University of Texas at Rio Grande Valley | Edinburg, TX | $195,000 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Austin College | Sherman, TX | $180,000 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Texas A&m University-Texarkana | Texarkana, TX | $180,000 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Sul Ross State University | Alpine, TX | $175,000 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Texas State University | San Marcos, TX | $165,000 | 2 | 2 | 2023 |
| Huston-Tillotson University | Austin, TX | $160,000 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| St Edward's University | Austin, TX | $160,000 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Texas Lutheran University | Seguin, TX | $153,000 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Jarvis Christian College | Hawkins, TX | $149,000 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| Houston Baptist University | Houston, TX | $120,000 | 3 | 3 | 2022 |
| Schreiner University | Kerrville, TX | $119,500 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Letourneau University | Longview, TX | $118,000 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Our Lady of the Lake University | San Antonio, TX | $112,000 | 4 | 4 | 2023 |
| Jason Scott Mclellan | Houston, TX | $100,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Prairie View A&m University | Prairie View, TX | $95,000 | 2 | 2 | 2021 |
| Houston Christian University | Houston, TX | $40,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
| Jarvis Christian University | Hawkins, TX | $30,000 | 1 | 1 | 2023 |
65 of 71 (92%) received money in more than one year over the 4 years we hold.
Measured the way we measure every foundation -- what share of one year's grantees are funded again the next -- this one retains 95%, across 3 year-to-year transitions. The median foundation retains about 67%, so this one is unusually consistent. A high number means its list is close to settled and a newcomer has to displace someone; a low one means it is still moving money around, which is where an opening is.
What the money was for
Taken verbatim from the purpose field of its filings. This is the closest thing to a statement of what this foundation cares about, in its own words.
- The University of Texas at Southwestern Medical Center
Basic Research in Chemistry and related fields - Jacqueline Barton Dervan
Welch Award in Chemistry and related fields - Jason Scott Mclellan
Norman Hackerman Award in Chemistry and related fields
What kind of organizations it funds
By the recipient's own IRS classification, for the 119 grants where we could identify the organization. These are assigned categories, not our guesses.
Giving by year
| Tax year | Grants | Total | Median grant |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 61 | $31.0M | $45,000 |
| 2021 | 64 | $38.0M | $45,000 |
| 2022 | 62 | $41.2M | $107,500 |
| 2023 | 64 | $39.3M | $110,000 |
Tax years, not calendar years, and the most recent year is usually incomplete -- filings arrive about a year late, so a low final year means late paperwork rather than a foundation winding down.
Already committed for future years
Form 990-PF has a separate schedule for grants approved but not yet paid. The Robert a Welch Foundation has 123 of them, worth $73.5M. This is the one part of the filing that looks forward rather than back -- and it also tells you how much of the next year's budget is already spoken for.
| Organization | Location | Approved |
|---|---|---|
| The University of Texas at Austin | Austin, TX | $7,362,000 |
| The University of Texas at Southwestern Medical Center | Dallas, TX | $6,650,000 |
| Baylor College of Medicine | Houston, TX | $4,400,000 |
| University of Houston | Houston, TX | $4,200,000 |
| The University of Texas at Southwestern Medical Center | Dallas, TX | $3,960,000 |
| The University of Texas at Southwestern Medical Center | Dallas, TX | $3,500,000 |
| The University of Texas at Austin | Austin, TX | $2,875,000 |
| The University of Texas at Austin | Austin, TX | $2,775,000 |
| Texas A&m University | College Station, TX | $2,650,000 |
| Rice University | Houston, TX | $2,230,480 |
| Rice University | Houston, TX | $2,125,000 |
| University of Houston | Houston, TX | $2,000,000 |
| Texas A&m University | College Station, TX | $1,680,000 |
| Rice University | Houston, TX | $1,500,000 |
| The University of Texas at Southwestern Medical Center | Dallas, TX | $1,500,000 |
Where its money goes
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Funders that support the same organizations
These funders gave to organizations this one also funded -- some private foundations, some community foundations and other grantmaking charities. Shared grantees are the strongest available signal that two funders have overlapping priorities, and a funder already backing your peers is a far warmer prospect than one that merely lists your cause.
How to approach this foundation
- Check you are its size. The median grant is $50,000. Asking for ten times that is the most common way small organizations waste a submission.
- Check you are in its geography. Its giving is concentrated in Texas.
- Read the recipient list above for organizations like yours. If nothing on it resembles your work, that is a real answer, and a cheap one to get.
- Look up the current filing before writing. The 990-PF names the foundation's officers and, where one exists, its application procedure. We link it below.
Related guides
Where these numbers come from
Everything above is taken from The Robert a Welch Foundation's own Form 990-PF filings, which the IRS publishes in bulk. We used 4 returns (tax years 2020-2023). Nothing here is scraped, inferred, or estimated.
Address of record on the latest return: 1717 West Loop South Suite 1661, Houston, TX, 77027. This is the address the foundation gave the IRS; many small foundations file through an accountant or a bank trust department, so it may not be where post to a programme officer should go.
EIN 76-0343128 · See the original filings on ProPublica · How we build this
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