Potts And Sibley Foundation

The Potts and Sibley Foundation is a deeply community-rooted trust established on November 24, 1967, by Effie Potts Sibley to share what "the land had provided" her and her late husband D.J. Sibley — prominent ranchers in the Trans-Pecos and Big Bend regions of West Texas. Funded through Mrs. Sibley's estate after her passing in 1978, the foundation embodies a straightforward ethos: return wealth to the communities of West Texas. This is not a foundation chasing program innovation or national trends; it supports the operational backbone of regional nonprofits year after year.

The giving philosophy centers on sustained relationships. Of the top 50 grantees in available IRS data, the vast majority have received 2–3 grants from the foundation, reflecting deliberate multi-year support rather than one-time project awards. Organizations such as Salvation Army ($295,000 over 3 grants), West Texas Food Bank ($270,000 over 3 grants), Safe Place ($240,000 over 3 grants), and Midland Community Healthcare Services ($220,000 over 2 grants) are exemplary multi-year partners. First-time applicants should view an initial grant as the beginning of a relationship, not the culmination of a campaign.

The foundation describes itself as "relatively small" and states plainly that it "cannot monitor grants in places distant from us." This geographic pragmatism is enforced: 97% of tracked grants have gone to Texas organizations, with the Midland/Permian Basin metropolitan area and the Big Bend corridor (Alpine, Marathon, Fort Stockton) representing the core geographic footprint. Out-of-state funding appears limited to specific causes with a direct trustee connection (e.g., American Macular Degeneration Foundation in Massachusetts, $90,000 over two grants).

The application process is streamlined but exacting. There is no letter of inquiry stage — applicants proceed directly to a formal package: the Request for Funds Affidavit and General Information for Grant Applicants, both downloadable from pottsandsibleyfoundation.org. The seven-member grants committee, chaired by Eileen Piwetz and including Manager Robert W. Bechtel, Trustee Burgess Wade, and committee members Dr. Cheryl Hightower, Stephen Johnson, Scott Davis, and Dennis Rambo, convenes twice annually in January and July. First-time applicants should target the July cycle for maximum preparation time. Budget 6–8 weeks for a response after the committee date.

The Potts and Sibley Foundation has grown from a modest regional grantmaker — $199,000 in grants on $5.7M in assets in FY2011 — to a meaningful mid-tier private foundation with $32.7 million in assets and approximately $1.5–2.1 million in annual grants. The trajectory is encouraging: from 29 grants ($1,498,500) in 2023 to 40 grants ($1,935,500) in 2025, the foundation is both increasing its frequency and broadening its reach.

Median grant size from available database records is $80,000, with an average of $82,629 per award across the analyzed period. Grant sizes span a wide range — from $5,000 (Stepping Stone Ministry) to $160,000+ in a single fiscal year — and top multi-year recipients accumulate substantial totals: Sibley Environmental Learning Center $340,000, Salvation Army $295,000, West Texas Food Bank $270,000. A first-time applicant should realistically calibrate an initial request between $25,000 and $75,000.

By program area, human services and basic needs represent the plurality of funding — food banks, domestic violence shelters, senior meal programs (Meals on Wheels), fire protection, emergency shelter, and affordable housing. Healthcare accounts for approximately 20–25% of cumulative giving: Midland Community Healthcare Services ($220,000), The Springboard Center for addiction recovery ($180,000), Aphasia Center of West Texas ($100,000), Hospice of Midland ($76,000), and Community Children's Clinic ($64,000). Education and youth development represent roughly 15%: Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Permian Basin ($110,000), Midland ISD Education Foundation ($44,000), Literacy Coalition of the Permian Basin ($55,000), and Bynum School ($50,000). Environmental and conservation education holds a special legacy position, with Sibley Environmental Learning Center receiving the single largest cumulative total.

Geographically, the Midland/Permian Basin corridor is the dominant cluster, supplemented by a consistent Big Bend corridor including Alpine, Marathon, and Fort Stockton. Fiscal year 2023 included an extraordinary $5,637,719 in contributions received — the first external funding in over a decade of available filings — which has elevated the asset base and may support sustained increases in grantmaking through 2026 and beyond.

The Potts and Sibley Foundation's $32.7M asset base places it well below the largest West Texas private foundations — Abell-Hanger and CH Foundation both exceed $400M in assets and require formal invitations — yet its open application process and twice-annual review cycles make it uniquely accessible by regional standards. Organizations that cannot secure invitations from the invitation-only tier should treat Potts and Sibley as a critical first-tier entry point, using multi-year grant relationships here to build the credibility and track record that larger funders expect to see. Its operational grant focus and absence of an LOI stage distinguish it sharply from the more competitive, programmatically structured landscape of Texas private philanthropy.

The Potts and Sibley Foundation has not issued formal press releases or public news announcements; its operational profile is deliberately low-key with no social media presence and a minimal website. Substantive developments must be inferred from IRS filings and administrative signals.

The most notable recent development is rapid asset growth: from $23.4 million in FY2021 to $32.7 million as of 2025 — a roughly 40% increase in four years. A significant portion of this growth stems from an extraordinary $5,637,719 in charitable contributions received in FY2023, the first external contributions recorded in the foundation's available filing history. In a region where oil-driven estate gifts are common, this likely reflects a mineral rights bequest or major donation; the source is not disclosed in public filings.

Grant volume has accelerated in parallel: 29 awards in 2023 ($1,498,500) expanded to 32 awards in 2024 ($1,690,400) and 40 awards in 2025 ($1,935,500). The applicant guidance PDF was refreshed July 10, 2025, confirming active administration. Robert W. Bechtel remains the long-tenured foundation manager (most recent compensation $229,914), with W. Burgess Wade continuing as co-trustee ($170,874). The foundation's mineral rights holding in Midland County, listed in public property records, represents an ongoing revenue stream whose value tracks West Texas energy prices — meaning the Permian Basin's continued oil production activity benefits the foundation's grantmaking capacity directly.

The grants committee convenes in January and July — plan your submission to arrive at least 4–6 weeks before the target meeting. Because the website does not publish exact submission deadlines, your first step should be to email trustee@pottsandsibleyfoundation.org and ask for the submission window for the next cycle. The July cycle is generally preferable for first-time applicants because it allows maximum preparation time after the January cycle closes.

Download and read the 'General Information for Grant Applicants' (updated July 10, 2025) and the 'Request for Funds Affidavit' from pottsandsibleyfoundation.org before preparing a single page of narrative. The foundation is explicit: all required information must be complete, and any omission must be explained in writing. Submitting an incomplete affidavit is the most common reason applications are not advanced.

Lead with operational need, not program innovation. The word 'Operations' appears in the stated purpose for nearly every top-funded grantee. This is a funder that values keeping proven organizations running — not piloting new models or funding capital campaigns. Frame your request as essential to sustaining services West Texas families already rely on.

Use regional identity language. The foundation was born from Trans-Pecos land stewardship and community reciprocity. Phrases that resonate: 'serving Permian Basin families,' 'Big Bend corridor communities,' 'West Texas residents with no alternatives.' National impact narratives or comparisons to coastal programs will not move this committee.

For first-time applicants, calibrate your ask between $25,000 and $75,000. Multi-year partners scale to $80,000–$160,000+, but initial grants in the $50,000 range are consistent with the committee's pattern for new organizations.

A credible warm introduction carries weight. The seven committee members — Eileen Piwetz, Dr. Cheryl Hightower, Stephen Johnson, Scott Davis, Dennis Rambo, plus trustees Bechtel and Wade — are embedded in Midland's civic and healthcare networks. A referral from a current grantee (e.g., West Texas Food Bank, Salvation Army Midland, Hospice of Midland) significantly improves first-impression credibility. If applying for a matching grant, attach documented matching commitment from another source and follow the separate matching grant instructions precisely.