Harold Simmons Foundation Inc.

The Harold Simmons Foundation is a family/corporate foundation (funded primarily by Contran Corporation, controlled by the late Harold Clark Simmons) that operates as a classic local Dallas funder rather than a national grantmaker. With total assets of just $10.06M against annual giving of roughly $6.9-10.3M in recent years, this is a pass-through-style foundation: it distributes close to or more than its asset base annually, relying on ongoing contributions (Form 990 shows $7.5M in contributions received in FY2023, matching prior years) rather than endowment drawdown. That structure matters for applicants — the Foundation's capacity is driven by its corporate sponsor's continued funding, not investment returns, so its giving is relatively stable year to year rather than market-dependent.

First-time applicants should expect modest grants: the Foundation's own guidance states $5,000-$20,000 for new relationships, a figure far below the $6.01M average grant size reported in the underlying IRS data bundle — that average is skewed by a tiny number of large, likely multi-year or lead-gift grants to established partners (the 990 attachment references just 4 grants totaling $24M in aggregate reporting, almost certainly bundled/summary line items rather than 4 actual checks). Practically, first-time applicants are competing for the $5K-$20K tier, while long-standing Dallas institutions (Uplift Education, Parkland Hospital, Dallas Zoo, Dallas Arboretum) receive larger, likely renewed support.

The application process is deliberately low-friction and old-school: no online portal, no set form, submission by mail or email to a Grants Administrator, review in 1-2 months, and no deadlines. This favors organizations that can write a clear, complete narrative proposal rather than navigate a complex online system. The Foundation explicitly states applications are considered 'on a case by case basis' with no set form — a sign that fit and relationship matter more than formatting.

For Dallas-area 501(c)(3)s new to the Foundation, the strategic path is: start with a modest, specific ask tied to a clear community need, build a track record, and expect the relationship to develop over multiple annual cycles (given the mandatory one-year wait between requests) before qualifying for larger, sustained support.

IRS Form 990-PF data shows total giving climbing from a pandemic-era low of $1.82M (FY2019) to $5.14M (FY2020), $5.74M (FY2021), $6.30M (FY2022), and $10.35M (FY2023) — the FY2023 spike (grants_paid of $9.77M against $7.75M total revenue) suggests either a large one-time commitment or accumulated multi-year pledges paid out. Web sources report 2024 giving at $7.23M and 2025 giving at approximately $6.9M, indicating the FY2023 figure was likely an outlier rather than a new baseline.

Historically the Foundation gave much larger sums when its asset base was larger: $54.9M in FY2014 and $28.1M in FY2013, when total assets ran $5.3M-$81.4M (reflecting large one-time contributions from Contran that were then redistributed). Assets have since stabilized around $9-10M, with the Foundation now operating as a high-velocity pass-through — contributions received ($7.5M in FY2023, matching FY2022 and FY2021) flow through to grants paid within the same or following year, rather than being retained and invested.

The underlying grantee data bundle in this profile shows only 4 aggregate grant line items totaling $24.04M with an average of $6.01M — these are almost certainly IRS attachment summary rows ('See Attachment For Part XIV,' 'See Attachment For Part XV') rather than individual grants, and should not be read as typical award size. The Foundation's own public guidance is the more reliable figure for applicants: $5,000-$20,000 for first-time grantees, scaling up for renewed, multi-year partners.

By program area, web research (Inside Philanthropy, the Foundation's own grants page) indicates health and medical organizations now receive the largest share, followed by social welfare, education/youth, arts & culture, and civic improvement — six categories in total. Geographically, funding is concentrated almost entirely in the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area (100% TX per the underlying grantee stats), with no evidence of giving outside Texas.

No peer foundations were returned in the underlying database bundle for this profile, so the comparison set above is drawn from web research on major Dallas-area philanthropic funders operating in similar focus areas. Relative to these peers, the Harold Simmons Foundation is dramatically smaller in both assets and annual giving — roughly 1-2% the size of The Meadows Foundation or Rees-Jones Foundation — making it a complementary, smaller-dollar funder best suited to grassroots and mid-sized Dallas nonprofits rather than large capital campaigns. Its no-deadline, no-portal application process is also unusually accessible compared to peers that run structured, deadline-driven competitive cycles.

The most recent concrete financial data available is the FY2023 Form 990-PF, showing $10.35M in total giving against $9.54M in year-end assets and $7.5M in contributions received (matching the prior two years exactly, suggesting a stable, committed annual contribution from Contran Corporation). Web research indicates giving continued at $7.23M in 2024 and approximately $6.9M in 2025, per the Foundation's own published grants list and Inside Philanthropy's tracking — both figures are below the FY2023 peak, consistent with FY2023 having included an unusually large distribution.

No leadership changes, new program announcements, or major strategic shifts were identified in web searches; the Foundation's officer/director information in IRS filings is listed only as 'See Officers & Directors Statement' with no compensation reported, and no named contact beyond '% Patty Brinda' appears in the DB record. The most visible recent Simmons-family philanthropic news is not the Foundation itself but the related Harold Simmons Park project in downtown Dallas — a $325M capital initiative that broke ground in April 2025, completed site clearing in fall 2025, began infrastructure groundwork in winter 2025, and started playground construction in early 2026, with plant selection due spring 2026 and playground equipment shipping summer 2026. That park project is a distinct entity from the grantmaking Foundation profiled here, but reflects continued, active Simmons-family philanthropic engagement in Dallas civic infrastructure.

Given the absence of any Foundation-specific news beyond routine annual grant distributions, applicants should treat this as a stable, low-turnover funder rather than one undergoing active strategic change — a predictable, if modest, ongoing source of Dallas-area community funding.

Because the Foundation states there is 'no set form' and proposals are 'considered on a case by case basis,' the quality of the narrative matters more than formatting. Structure the proposal around the five elements the Foundation explicitly asks for: organizational mission/history, the specific community need, how the requested funds meet that need, your evaluation method, and your relationships with other community organizations — the Foundation values collaboration and explicitly wants projects that 'complement other public and private efforts.'

Since first-time grants run $5,000-$20,000, calibrate the ask accordingly rather than requesting large sums out of the gate; a right-sized, specific first request (e.g., funding a single program component rather than general operating support) is more likely to succeed and sets up a stronger renewal case. Do not request funding for individuals, endowments, or deficit financing — all explicitly excluded — and confirm the organization is a 501(c)(3) with a current tax determination letter ready to attach.

Submission is by mail or email to the Grants Administrator at Three Lincoln Centre, 5430 LBJ Freeway, Suite 1700, Dallas, TX 75240-2697 — there is no online portal, so track submissions manually and follow the Foundation's own courtesy note to print double-sided if mailing physical copies. Expect a 1-2 month response window; there is no fixed cycle or deadline, so applicants can submit whenever the proposal and budget documents (current-year budget, balance sheet, most recent audited financials or Form 990) are ready.

The single biggest structural constraint to plan around: after any request (funded or not), the Foundation requires a full year before reapplying. This means organizations should not treat this as a source of frequent, iterative asks — build it into a broader, patient multi-funder cultivation strategy, and use the intervening year to strengthen the program-need narrative and gather updated outcome data for the next cycle. Geographic eligibility is strictly the Dallas, Texas metro area — do not apply from outside this footprint, as it will be an automatic disqualifier regardless of program quality.