Once Upon A Time Foundation

The Once Upon A Time Foundation (OUAT) is a private, invitation-only family foundation headquartered at 301 Commerce St, Suite 3200 in Fort Worth, Texas. Founded in 1998 by the Raynor family, it has grown from a $34 million foundation (FY2014) to a $276.7 million philanthropic institution (FY2024) — an eight-fold asset increase driven largely by investment returns and a $30 million capital contribution recorded in FY2012.

OUAT does not accept unsolicited proposals. IRS filings confirm application instructions as 'none,' and the foundation's own website provides no grant application portal or eligibility guidelines. All grantmaking is relationship-driven and proactively initiated by the foundation's leadership: President and Treasurer Pat Dunne (who serves without compensation alongside the rest of the volunteer board), Director Geoffrey P Raynor, VP Montana Raynor (added March 2023), and Director/Secretary Paul E Christensen.

First-time organizations seeking entry into the OUAT ecosystem have three realistic pathways. The first is affiliation with a Philanthropy Lab partner university — the program operates at Stanford, Harvard, Notre Dame, Texas Christian, Marquette, Baylor, UT Austin, Columbia, Wisconsin-Madison, and others, and Lab-connected nonprofits have received repeat grants over 8-12 year spans. The second is excellence in medical research, particularly in cerebellar disorders, psychiatric electronic data, childhood apraxia of speech, or oncology. OUAT has shown a clear preference for peer-reviewed institutions with infrastructure to absorb multi-year, seven-figure commitments. The third is Fort Worth community embeddedness — local organizations like the YMCA of Metropolitan Fort Worth ($96,250 across 3 grants), KERA public broadcasting ($90,000 across 4 grants), Fort Worth Zoo ($2.0M across 6 grants), and Fort Worth Country Day School ($70,000) receive durable if modest support.

Organizations not fitting these profiles should not invest resources in pursuing OUAT. There is no evidence the foundation has expanded its grantee list substantially in recent years — the concentration of giving in a small number of long-term partners is the defining characteristic of their strategy.

OUAT's giving has grown sharply in recent years, driven almost entirely by the Raynor Cerebellum Project launched in 2022. Historical annual giving ranged from $3.0–$3.6 million (FY2012–2015) and $3.0–$8.8 million (FY2019–2022) before jumping to $19.9 million in FY2023 — the highest year on record. FY2022 giving of $9.0 million already represented a near-doubling from FY2021's $5.0 million.

Across 761 tracked grants totaling $27.5 million, the average grant is $36,181. However, this figure is heavily distorted by a bimodal distribution. The foundation's own reported typical grant data (across 174 grants in a subsample) shows a median of just $1,425 — reflecting the many small Philanthropy Lab grants, in which student cohorts direct $50–$500 each to individual nonprofits. Strip those out, and the institutional grant profile looks very different: flagship relationships receive $1 million–$11.4 million over multiple grants.

Concentration at the top: The top 5 grantees account for $17.8 million of the $27.5 million tracked — 65% of all recorded giving. UT Southwestern Medical Center alone received $11.4 million across 5 grants. The Fort Worth Zoo received $2.0 million across 6 grants. Massachusetts General Hospital received $1.2 million across 2 grants. Marquette University received $1.1 million across 8 grants (likely Philanthropy Lab hosting fees plus scholarships).

By geography: Texas dominates at 43% of all grants (325 of 761). New York accounts for 8% (60 grants), California 8% (60 grants), Wisconsin 5% (39 grants — driven by Marquette), and Massachusetts 4% (29 grants — McLean Hospital, Harvard, Boston-area universities).

By sector: Health and medicine represents the largest dollar volume by far (UT Southwestern, Mass General, McLean, Johns Hopkins, Mount Sinai, Vanderbilt, Emory, MD Anderson). Education (university scholarships and Philanthropy Lab hosting) is the dominant grant count category. Community organizations in Fort Worth receive consistent but smaller grants in the $25,000–$100,000 range.

OUAT sits in a peer cohort of family foundations with assets in the $274–$279 million range, all classified under NTEE code T (Philanthropy & Grantmaking). The comparison below highlights OUAT's distinctive high-conviction, low-volume grantmaking model relative to peers.

What distinguishes OUAT from its asset-size peers is the unusually high payout rate relative to assets: $19.9 million distributed on $276 million in assets represents a 7.2% payout in FY2023 — well above the 5% IRS minimum for private foundations and a strong signal of active grantmaking intent. Most comparable family foundations disclose little public giving data, suggesting more conservative distribution strategies. OUAT's investment in four named programmatic initiatives (the Philanthropy Lab, Raynor Cerebellum Project, EDMH, CAS) also sets it apart from peers that function purely as conduit vehicles. The foundation's rapid asset growth — from $32.7 million in FY2015 to $276.7 million in FY2024 — suggests a significant wealth transfer or investment windfall that has fundamentally changed its philanthropic scale.

No press releases or formal announcements were located for 2025 or 2026. The foundation maintains a minimal public footprint: no social media profiles were identified, and media coverage is essentially absent.

The most significant recent development is the Raynor Cerebellum Project, which launched in 2022 and has already distributed over $40 million — making it one of the largest privately funded cerebellar disorder research initiatives in the United States. The project funds research teams nationally and internationally and hosts regular scientific conferences. Given that total foundation giving in FY2023 was $19.9 million, the $40 million figure cited on the website likely represents cumulative commitments over multiple fiscal years.

Board evolution is also notable. In March 2022, Noel Nesser departed as Secretary and Paul Christensen joined as Director. In March 2023, Montana Raynor was installed as Vice President — representing a second Raynor family member on the board alongside founder-era Director Geoffrey P Raynor. This generational transition has historically preceded increased grantmaking activity at family foundations.

The foundation was actively recruiting a Program Director for the Philanthropy Lab as recently as early 2026, with a Fort Worth, Texas base and Texas professional ties strongly preferred. This suggests continued investment in the Lab program and possible expansion to additional university partners beyond the current 200+ classes across 20+ institutions.

Because OUAT does not accept unsolicited applications, the standard advice about grant portals and deadlines does not apply. Instead, strategy must focus on relationship development and program alignment.

Identify your program fit first. OUAT's four named initiatives — Health & Medicine, Philanthropy Lab, EDMH, and CAS — are explicit. Do not approach the foundation with a vague 'community impact' pitch. Before any outreach, articulate precisely which initiative your work supports and why OUAT is uniquely positioned to fund it.

Use the Philanthropy Lab as an entry point. Universities not yet in the Lab network (the program runs at 20+ institutions) have an opportunity to pitch participation — essentially inviting OUAT to bring a for-credit philanthropy course to their campus. This is the one documented pathway where OUAT has actively expanded relationships. The foundation's job posting for a Program Director confirms this interest. Contact info@onceuponatime.org with a brief academic proposal if your organization is affiliated with a university's philanthropy or nonprofit management program.

Medical research institutions should lead with peer credentials. OUAT's top grantee, UT Southwestern ($11.4M), is a nationally ranked academic medical center. McLean Hospital (Harvard-affiliated), Johns Hopkins, UPenn, Mount Sinai — all top-20 research institutions. If your medical institution lacks that caliber of peer recognition, OUAT is unlikely to be a fit regardless of the research topic.

Fort Worth community organizations should cultivate the local network. Pat Dunne (President) is the operating contact and has been since the foundation's founding. Organizations in the Fort Worth civic ecosystem — particularly those with existing board or donor relationships to the Raynor family's networks — are best positioned to receive community-tier grants ($25,000–$100,000).

Timing: No formal grant cycles or deadlines exist. The foundation operates on an opportunistic, relationship-driven calendar. Initial contact via info@onceuponatime.org or the website's contact form is appropriate for a brief (2–3 paragraph) introductory inquiry. Do not submit full proposals without an invitation.