Kinder Foundation

• Kinder Foundation prioritises Greater Houston and does not fund internationally, so organisations working outside that area, or working internationally, are not a fit here.
• Its themes are urban green space, education and quality of life, so work in those areas is best placed to appeal.
• A realistic request might sit around the median grant of $100,000, with most grants falling between $5,000 and $1,500,000, though occasional gifts have reached as much as $16,500,000.
• The foundation only makes grants to pre-selected organisations and does not accept unsolicited requests, so approach is only possible once invited, at which point a written application giving the organisation's name, address and the purpose of the grant should be submitted.
• With 99% of its grant dollars going to organisations it has funded before, its giving looks strongly relationship-led rather than open to competitive applications, so patience in building a relationship is more useful than a cold approach.

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

• Buffalo Bayou Partnership · Park design & construction - 10 year master plan
  $15,816,7662024 tax year
• Rice University · Enhancement and expansion of the kinder institute for urban research
  $11,871,4742024 tax year
• University of Missouri · Enhancement and expansion of the kinder institute for constitutional democracy
  $4,742,2372024 tax year
• Houston Local Information Initiative · Support of an independent news publication in houston
  $2,500,0002024 tax year
• Memorial Park Conservancy · Memorial groves
  $2,376,1742024 tax year
• Houston Parks Board · Macgregor park design & construction
  $2,368,9872024 tax year
• Good Reason Houston · Support of public education in houston
  $1,898,5592024 tax year
• Discovery Green Conservancy · Endowment fund & strategic plan
  $1,890,9072024 tax year

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

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.