Mays Family Foundation

Private foundation · EIN 74-2691624 · since 1994maysfamilyfoundation.com·Bexar County·Updated 13 October 2026

At a glance

$18.2M

Annual giving, 2024 tax year

From the Form 990-PF filing

$10,000 to $120k

Grant range

From grants in the 990-PF filings

$25,000

Typical grant (median)

181 grants in the latest filing

Open to applications

A mix of rolling and fixed deadlines · unsolicited applications welcome

Key takeaways

Mays Family Foundation is based in San Antonio, TX, and its priority is Bexar county, so applicants whose work does not touch that area are unlikely to fit.
Keep requests modest: about 8 in 10 of its 181 grants to organisations fell between $10,000 and $120,000, with a median grant of $25,000, though it has made larger awards up to $3,500,000.
Apply online through the Foundation's application system; requests of $25,000 or less follow a quarterly schedule (for example, applications submitted April–June are usually decided by September 30), while requests over $25,000 are reviewed as received and may be awarded at any time, though those arriving after November 1 are generally considered the following year.
It favours organisations that collaborate with other grantees and organisations, do not compete with other non-profits, measure their results and have a history of success, so be ready to demonstrate this.
It funds 501(c)(3) organisations but does not fund individuals, partisan political groups or lobbying efforts, or anything that benefits disqualified persons.

Overview

Mays Family Foundation is a US private foundation based in San Antonio, TX.

What they fund

Profile derived from the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings (TY2024, TY2023, TY2022) and its website, with every statement checked against those sources. Sources read on 7 October 2026.

Priority Areas

The Mays Family Foundation supports the communities in which it lives, works and serves through causes that aid, empower, enrich and educate. Grants are available to tax-exempt organisations under section 501(c)(3), and funding should generally support specific needs in the communities served, primarily Bexar County, Texas; the majority of gifts are distributed there. It favours organisations that collaborate with other grantees and organisations, do not compete with other non-profits, measure results and have a history of success. Approved applications may require a grant agreement and follow-up reporting on a case-by-case basis.

Themes

Education

Geographic Focus

Priority: Bexar county.

What They Don't Fund

Individuals
Partisan political groups or lobbying efforts
Any benefit to disqualified persons

How to apply

Organisations apply online through the Foundation's application system, creating an email login and password. Requests of $25,000 or less follow the quarterly schedule; requests over $25,000 are reviewed as received and may be awarded at any time. The board considers requests several times a year.

Deadlines:

Applications of $25,000 or less submitted in April–June are usually decided by September 30; July–September by December 10; October–December by February 28; January–March by May 30.
Applications over $25,000 received after November 1 are generally considered in the following calendar year.

Application success factors

Grant size: In its TY2024 filing, half of its 181 grants to organisations were $25,000 or less.

What the foundation says:

The Foundation favours organisations that collaborate with other grantees and organisations.
The Foundation favours organisations that do not compete with other non-profits.
The Foundation favours organisations that measure results.
The Foundation favours organisations with a history of success.
Approved applications may require a grant agreement and follow-up reports on a case-by-case basis.

Where grants go

From grants to organisations in the foundation’s filings for tax years 2022–2024.

Grant dollars by state

Texas90%

Tennessee6%

Florida<1%

Georgia<1%

Wyoming<1%

Colorado<1%

6 other states: 1%

The largest single recipient received 38% of grant dollars to organisations.
No grants were paid directly to organisations outside the US.
5% of grant dollars went to intermediaries that regrant to other organisations.

Grants

181 grants in the latest filing analysed · median $25,000

How much do they typically give?

Share of 181 grants in tax year 2024 by size

$1k–$2.5k2%

$2.5k–$5k2%

$5k–$10k6%

$10k–$25k31%

$25k–$50k27%

$50k–$100k15%

$100k–$250k9%

$250k–$500k3%

$500k–$1M2%

$1M and over3%

Median $25,000 (tax year 2024)

The largest grants to organisations in the foundation’s latest filing:

Texas A&M Foundation · General
$3,500,0002024 tax year
Texas A&M Foundation · General
$2,300,0002024 tax year
Ut Health At San Antonio · General
$1,800,0002024 tax year
Texas A&M Foundation · General
$1,050,0002024 tax year
San Antonio Zoological Society · General
$1,000,0002024 tax year
Vanderbilt University · General
$500,0002024 tax year
Vanderbilt University · General
$500,0002024 tax year
Ut Health At San Antonio · General
$500,0002024 tax year

Grants to organisations listed in the foundation’s Form 990-PF filings. Grants to individuals are not shown.

Officers and directors

Randall T Mays — Director / Secretary
Mark P Mays — Director
Linda Mays McCaul — Director
Kathryn Mays Johnson — Director / President

From the latest Form 990-PF filing

3 years of tax filings

Year	Total expenses	Grants paid	Assets	Filing document
2022 tax year	$22,733,616	$20,170,665	$353,016,152	Filing for 2022 tax year
2023 tax year	$21,100,945	$17,812,800	$399,024,052	Filing for 2023 tax year
2024 tax year	$22,414,242	$18,174,270	$442,853,590	Filing for 2024 tax year

Figures from the foundation’s IRS Form 990-PF filings. Assets are at fair market value at year end. The document icon links to each year’s filing on ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer.