Stabat Mater Foundation

Stabat Mater Foundation is a private operating foundation in Texas dedicated to supporting sacred artists and promoting religious art "for the good of the Church and culture." Named for the medieval Catholic Marian hymn "Stabat Mater Dolorosa" (The sorrowful mother stood), the foundation's mission is explicitly theological and aesthetic: it prays for artists, provides just compensation to sacred art creators, produces artwork for churches and Catholic homes, and coordinates a grassroots prayer network for artists and their families.

Ann H. Slattery serves as both President and Secretary (uncompensated), with Peter Kane as Treasurer and Robert Puschautz as Executive Director (40 hours/week, $64,723 annual salary). The foundation maintains a PO Box in Montalba, Texas (rural Anderson County, population ~900) though its Dallas Texas address appears on IRS filings. The small-town Texas address reflects an operational base in rural East Texas.

The foundation noted "NO OFFICIAL FORM AS OF YET" for applications — an unusually candid statement indicating the organization is still developing formal grant processes. Phone contact with Ann Slattery (903-723-1040) is described as the primary pathway for inquiries. The restriction is limited to "furthering of art and sacred art in the local and broader community."

The foundation experienced a dramatic asset increase in FY2024: assets jumped from $277,660 in 2023 to $2,862,830 in 2024 — a $2.6M contribution received in a single year. This suggests a major donor or testamentary gift that significantly expanded the foundation's financial capacity. Prior to this, the foundation operated on a very small scale ($42,000–$313,000 in assets from 2021–2023) with annual distributions of $39,000–$248,000.

Despite now holding approximately $2.9M in assets, the foundation made $0 in external grants in 2024 (and all prior years). All expenditures go to direct operations: creating sacred artwork, operating the prayer network, paying the Executive Director, and related program expenses. In 2024, $344,865 was distributed in total program expenses (including $108,164 described as charitable activity expenses).

The foundation has never made a grant to an outside organization, making it purely an operating entity. It produces and distributes artwork, hosts prayer networks, and provides direct support/compensation to artists — but not through the traditional grant mechanism.

Stabat Mater Foundation occupies a unique niche at the intersection of Catholic faith, traditional sacred art, and artist support. It bears comparison to organizations like the Foundation for Sacred Arts, the Society of St. Pius X's art programs, and various Catholic arts patronage initiatives that have emerged in the past 20 years.

The "traditional beauty" and sacred art emphasis aligns with a broader Catholic cultural revival movement that emphasizes classical and traditional religious art forms (iconography, traditional church painting and sculpture, sacred music) over modernist liturgical art. This movement has been growing since Pope Benedict XVI's 2007 encyclical "Summorum Pontificum" and the broader "New Evangelization" emphasis on beauty as a pathway to faith.

The recent $2.6M contribution in 2024 transforms Stabat Mater from a small operating ministry into a moderately capitalized foundation that could begin making significant grants to sacred artists or churches if it chooses to expand beyond direct operations.

FY2024 data (most recent via Grantmakers.io, updated January 2026) shows the dramatic asset expansion to $2.86M from $2.6M in new contributions. Despite this windfall, the foundation continued its policy of no external grants. Program expenses were $344,865 (including $108,164 in charitable activities), compared to $248,566 in FY2023.

The foundation's website (stabatmater.org) is active and professional, describing the prayer network for artists and the sacred art production mission. The site language emphasizes the intersection of Catholic faith and artistic excellence — "just compensation for great artists" and "beautiful artwork for churches, homes, and communities."

The newly enlarged financial capacity creates an opportunity for the foundation to begin external grantmaking to sacred artists, church art restoration projects, or religious art education initiatives — though no announcements of such a shift have been found.

Stabat Mater Foundation has no external grants program and has never made a grant to an outside organization. All its charitable activity is conducted through direct operations: creating sacred art, running prayer networks, and compensating artists directly.

For sacred artists, iconographers, church muralists, religious sculptors, or others working in the Catholic sacred arts tradition, direct contact with Ann Slattery (President, 903-723-1040) or Robert Puschautz (Executive Director) is the most productive pathway. The foundation explicitly notes "no official form as of yet" — suggesting it may be open to informal artist inquiries and support requests even without a formal grant program.

For churches seeking artwork, the foundation's mission to "produce beautiful artwork for churches, homes, and communities" suggests it may provide or commission sacred art at reduced or subsidized cost. Engage through the website (stabatmater.org) or by calling 903-723-1040.

The foundation's $2.6M asset injection in 2024 may signal an intent to expand its programs, potentially including external grants to artists or church beautification projects. Watch for any strategic announcements through the foundation's website or Catholic arts community networks.