Priddy Foundation

The Priddy Foundation is not a general Texas funder — it is hyper-local to a defined 24-county territory (18 north Texas counties plus 6 southern Oklahoma counties), and organizations outside this footprint cannot apply. Within that geography, however, it functions as the dominant private philanthropy by a wide margin, with $190.6 million in assets and $13.65 million in grants paid in 2023 alone.

The foundation favors organizations with deep roots in the Wichita Falls metro and surrounding rural communities. An examination of the top 50 grantees reveals that the median grantee has been funded across 4-7 grant cycles, and several flagship relationships — Midwestern State University (16 grants, $10.07M), Region 9 Education Service Center (23 grants, $5.77M), Connected Nation (35 grants, $1.03M) — span a decade or more. First-time applicants should position their LOI as the start of a long conversation, not a one-time request.

The gateway into this relationship is the Letter of Intent, due electronically by 5:00 PM on February 1 (Spring) or August 1 (Fall). The LOI replaces what was formerly called the "preliminary application" and functions as the foundation's true filter. Organizations that pass the LOI are invited to submit a full application; those that don't are turned away without a formal rejection process. Investing substantial effort in the LOI — treating it with the same rigor as a full proposal — is the single most important strategic choice a first-time applicant can make.

The foundation's four pillars — human services, education, arts, and health — encompass a wide range of program types. Within education, the foundation funds everything from early childhood readiness to higher education scholarships to nonprofit management training. Within human services, it funds food banks, veterans services, housing assistance, child care, and CASA programs. Applicants should frame their programs explicitly within one of these four pillars while demonstrating a specific, measurable community benefit within the 24-county service area.

Dr. Shelley S. Sweatt has served as President/CEO across all recent 990 filings, with compensation rising from $243,625 to $328,116 between 2020 and 2023, reflecting organizational confidence in her leadership. Building a relationship with her office before submitting an LOI — via phone or a preliminary informational call — is consistent with the relationship-driven culture the grantee record reveals.

The Priddy Foundation has distributed $53.5 million across 587 tracked grants in the grantee database, with an average of $91,135 per grant. However, this average is heavily skewed by a small number of large, multi-year flagship commitments. The foundation's own reported typical grant range shows a median of $25,000 — meaning half of all grants fall below this threshold — with a floor of $1,000 for small project support and a ceiling of $2,000,000 for major initiatives.

The practical grant distribution breaks into three tiers. Small grants ($5,000-$50,000) represent the majority of grant count and typically fund program support, equipment, or emergency operational needs for established community organizations. Mid-range grants ($50,000-$250,000) often represent multi-year program grants or operating support for anchor institutions like arts organizations, social service agencies, and libraries. Large commitments ($250,000+) are reserved for strategic, long-term relationships — Midwestern State University alone has received $10.07 million across 16 grants, Region 9 Education Service Center $5.77 million across 23 grants, and Wichita Falls Area Food Bank $3.8 million across 13 grants.

Total giving has grown significantly over the past decade: $8.46 million paid in grants in 2019, rising to $12.25 million in 2020 (when COVID emergency operational support grants nearly doubled the roster), settling at $10.58 million in 2021, and reaching $13.8 million in 2022 and $13.65 million in 2023. This trajectory suggests the foundation has reached a stable annual payout rate of approximately $13-14 million in direct grants.

By geography, Texas organizations account for approximately 80% of grant count (468 of 587 tracked grants), with Oklahoma receiving roughly 13% (78 grants). The remaining 7% appear to reflect national organizations with local program delivery or intermediary partners. By program area, education (including higher education, K-12, and nonprofit capacity) accounts for roughly 35-40% of dollar volume, human services 35%, arts and culture 15%, and health 10-15%.

A distinctive feature is the foundation's use of named Community Impact Programs — multi-year thematic grants that deploy capital to multiple organizations simultaneously within a defined program framework. Technology CIP (2019-2023 and 2022-2025/26), Rural Library CIP (2022-2024), Broadband CIP (2021-2022), and Mental Health Initiative CIP (2022-2025) each represent $1-5M in coordinated capital deployed across cohorts of grantees. Organizations that enter these programs often receive their largest sustained grants from the foundation.

The Priddy Foundation occupies a unique niche among Texas private foundations: it is among the largest private foundations in the state by assets but deliberately limits its geography to a 24-county rural and small-city footprint. This creates a very different competitive landscape than statewide funders.

The Priddy Foundation's $190.6M asset base, while smaller than statewide giants like Moody or Meadows, translates to extraordinary grantmaking power within its narrow geography. For a nonprofit operating in Wichita Falls or the surrounding north Texas counties, Priddy is categorically different from any other funder — it is the primary source of sustained multi-year philanthropic capital in the region. Statewide foundations like Meadows and Moody concentrate most of their giving in Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio. The Wichita Falls Area Community Foundation, while a frequent Priddy partner, operates at a scale roughly 50 times smaller. For organizations within Priddy's 24-county footprint, no other private funder comes close to its scale or commitment to the region.

Public news about the Priddy Foundation is sparse relative to its size — the foundation maintains a low media profile consistent with a regional private foundation. The most visible recent activity is the continuation of the Priddy Scholars Program at Midwestern State University, with fall 2026 applications now open and due April 1. This program, which provides scholarships and development support for first-generation college students, has received $10.07 million across 16 grants and represents the foundation's most publicly recognized educational investment.

The Technology Community Impact Program II, running 2022-2026, remains the most active multi-year initiative in the foundation's current portfolio. At least a dozen organizations — including the Salvation Army, Camp Fire North Texas, Pets Low Cost Spay and Neuter Clinic, Big Brothers Big Sisters Lone Star, River Bend Nature Works, and the Bicentennial City-County Library — are mid-cycle on these tech infrastructure grants. The program signals continued foundation investment in digital infrastructure for regional nonprofits.

Dr. Shelley S. Sweatt has been President/CEO across all recent filing years, with her compensation reflecting sustained institutional confidence: $243,625 in 2021, $302,752 in 2022, and $328,116 in 2023. No leadership transitions have been publicly announced. The board of trustees compensation structure ($7,000 per trustee) has remained consistent, with trustees including Robert Britt Milstead, Max Vordenbaum, James Johnson, Marjorie Parker, Tim Cornelius, and others serving across multiple years. The stable leadership and board composition suggest a continuity of grantmaking philosophy rather than a pivot to new priorities. Cumulative distributions through 2024 have exceeded $317 million since the foundation's 1963 founding.

Start with geography, not program. The single most disqualifying factor is operating outside the 24-county service area. Confirm that your programs demonstrably serve Archer, Baylor, Childress, Clay, Cottle, Foard, Hardeman, Haskell, Jack, King, Knox, Montague, Stonewall, Throckmorton, Wichita, Wilbarger, Wise, or Young counties in Texas, or Comanche, Cotton, Jackson, Jefferson, Stephens, or Tillman counties in Oklahoma.

Invest in the LOI. The Letter of Intent is submitted via the online portal at priddyfdn.org/app/login/ and is due electronically by 5:00 PM on February 1 (Spring) or August 1 (Fall). If the deadline falls on a weekend or holiday, submit by 5pm on the previous business day. If your fiscal year ends within one month of these dates (March 1 or September 1 year ends), wait for the next cycle — submitting with incomplete financials reduces your chances.

Frame requests around program impact, not organizational need. The foundation's guidelines emphasize "significant potential for individual development and community improvement." Applications that center measurable community outcomes over institutional survival are favored. Quantify: how many individuals will be served, at what cost per beneficiary, over what timeline.

Understand what each grant type signals. Program grants for new or expanded services carry the highest probability of approval for first-time applicants. Operating grants trigger self-sufficiency scrutiny — be prepared to present a clear path to reduced foundation dependency, possibly including a formal MSO consulting arrangement. Capital requests should represent no more than 20% of total project cost and should demonstrate broad community and donor support.

Research active Community Impact Programs. The foundation periodically launches multi-year CIPs (Technology, Rural Libraries, Broadband, Mental Health) that recruit cohorts of eligible organizations. These programs may not be open for unsolicited LOIs — call (940) 723-8720 to understand what CIPs are currently accepting new participants before submitting.

Align language with their four pillars explicitly. Use the foundation's own terminology: "human services," "education," "the arts," "health." Secondary alignment with their values of "individual development" and "community improvement" should appear in the LOI's opening paragraph.

Build a multi-year narrative. Given that top grantees average 5-10+ grants over a decade, frame your LOI as the beginning of a relationship. Acknowledge the community's longer-term needs beyond this grant cycle. Foundations that fund decade-long relationships are selecting partners, not awarding prizes.