The Looper Foundation

The Looper Foundation operates as a private family foundation anchored entirely to the philanthropic vision of Terry Looper, a Houston-based energy entrepreneur who built and sold Texon, a natural gas marketing firm. All four officers — Terry Looper (President), Doris Looper (Secretary), Jeannie Lynn Able (Vice President), and Tanya Jean Pitre (Treasurer) — serve without compensation, confirming this as a closely held family vehicle rather than an institutionalized grantmaking program. The foundation reflects Looper's deep Christian faith and his conviction, articulated in his 2019 Thomas Nelson book Sacred Pace, that sustainable ministry requires intentional spiritual renewal and leader formation.

The single most important fact for prospective applicants: The Looper Foundation is preselected only. It does not accept unsolicited grant applications or proposals. IRS filings and every major nonprofit database confirm this policy explicitly. Relationship cultivation — not proposal submission — is the only viable pathway to funding.

In practice, the foundation functions as a curated network of trusted Christian ministry partners. Young Life has received at least six separate grants totaling over $1.97M across the documented portfolio. Fuller Theological Seminary has received at least three grants exceeding $1M. Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary has received two grants totaling $450,000. This pattern of repeat, multi-year commitments signals that the foundation builds deep partnerships with a small cohort of proven organizations rather than distributing funds broadly across new applicants each cycle.

Organizations that fit the portfolio cluster into four archetypes: (1) national parachurch ministries with large professional staff who need soul care infrastructure (Young Life, Living Water International); (2) accredited theological seminaries offering Christian leadership formation programs (Fuller, Gordon-Conwell, College of Biblical Studies, Houston Christian University); (3) faith-based community development or poverty relief organizations with explicit Christian mission (Hope International, There's Still Hope, Memorial Assistance Ministries); and (4) specialized leadership development programs bridging faith and vocation (Praxis Inc, Center for Faithwalk Leadership, The Bonhoeffer Project). Organizations without an explicit Christian formation component — regardless of how compelling their social impact — are unlikely to be considered. Geographic priority centers on Texas, though the foundation funds nationally and internationally when mission alignment is clear.

The Looper Foundation's grantmaking shows meaningful year-to-year variation but has reached a modern high in fiscal year 2024: approximately $4.8M distributed across 30 grants, the foundation's most generous documented cycle since at least 2019 ($4.0M). Prior years were significantly lower — $2.6M in 2022, $2.1M in 2021, $1.6M in 2020 — suggesting a deliberate scale-up tied to an influx of $10.1M in new contributions that grew assets from $39.1M to $46.4M in a single year.

Grant size benchmarks (2024 cohort): Range $5,000–$1,075,000. Median approximately $87,500. Average approximately $160,000 (skewed upward by two seven-figure Young Life commitments). The 32-grant historical dataset shows an average of $104,379 and a median of $50,000, with a typical grant size of $25,000–$250,000 per the foundation's own profile.

Program area breakdown by dollars (lifetime grantee record): - Soul care / staff wellbeing (~35%): Young Life soul care ($1.5M+ in 2024 alone), Living Water International staff soul care ($300K), Lc Pastoral Services ($35K), Serenity Retreat for Healing Spirit ($75K) - Discipleship and Christian formation (~35%): College of Biblical Studies ($400K), Gordon-Conwell ($450K), Grace School of Theology ($50K), The Bonhoeffer Project ($50K), Center for Faithwalk Leadership ($50K) - Theological and vocational education (~15%): Fuller Theological Seminary ($1M+), Houston Christian University ($75K), Alongside Inc ($375K lifetime), Eco ordination process ($100K) - General ministry / poverty relief / youth (~15%): Hope International ($250K), Praxis Inc ($200K), Youth for Christ ($50K), There's Still Hope ($50K), Memorial Assistance Ministries ($50K), Kanakuk Ministries ($42K)

Geographic distribution: Texas accounts for 43% of grants (14 of 32 tracked). California and Colorado each hold 12.5% (4 grants each). Florida, Massachusetts, DC, Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina each have 1-2 grants. Houston-based organizations — College of Biblical Studies, Houston Christian University, Memorial Assistance Ministries, His Father's Heart Ministries — receive disproportionate support.

The following table compares The Looper Foundation to peer foundations at similar asset levels within the Philanthropy & Grantmaking NTEE category:

The Looper Foundation sits in the top 10% of U.S. private foundations by asset size, ranking approximately #4,059 among 160,500+ foundations. Its grantmaking style diverges sharply from more institutionalized peers: the Bullitt Foundation, with nearly identical assets, distributes more than double the annual dollars through a transparent, publicly accessible LOI process. The Looper Foundation's preselected model concentrates resources among roughly 30 grantees per year, enabling per-organization investments that average over $100,000 — well above the national median for private foundations. Most NTEE-matched peers at this asset level are similarly family-operated with limited public disclosure, making thematic comparison difficult. The Looper Foundation's Christian discipleship focus is distinctive within this asset tier and unlikely to overlap with secular peer foundations in meaningful ways.

The most recent publicly available Form 990-PF (fiscal year 2024, filed November 2025) documents the foundation's largest giving year in recent history: $4.8M in charitable distributions, a near-doubling from the $2.6M distributed in 2022. This expansion is driven by a substantial capital infusion — $10.1M in contributions received in 2024 — consistent with periodic large personal contributions from Terry Looper (2011: $38M; 2013-2014: $5-6M; 2024: $10.1M).

Two relationships dominated 2024 grantmaking: Young Life received $1,475,000 across two grants (Staff Soul Care Initiative at $1,075,000 and Discipleship Camps at $400,000), and Fuller Theological Seminary received $671,000 for the Center for Spiritual Formation — both extensions of multi-year partnerships. Alongside Inc (Colorado) received $300,000, up significantly from a $75,000 scholarship grant in a prior cycle, suggesting an intentional deepening of that relationship. Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary received $300,000 in 2024.

No press releases, public announcements, named campaigns, or social media activity from The Looper Foundation were identified in open-source research as of May 2026. The foundation maintains a deliberately minimal public profile consistent with its preselected grantmaking model. The official website (thelooperfoundation.org) was unavailable during research. Terry Looper remains President with no announced leadership transitions. No new program areas or strategic pivots were identified in the 990 records.

Because The Looper Foundation operates on a strictly preselected basis, conventional grant-seeking approaches — submitting an LOI, completing an online portal application, or cold-calling program staff — are not viable pathways. The following tips are specific to how organizations realistically access this funder:

1. Map your network to Terry Looper's circles. Looper is embedded in Houston's Christian business community, the Young Life national network, and the theological education world centered on Fuller Seminary and Gordon-Conwell. Cross-reference your board, advisory council, and senior leadership against these networks. A trusted personal introduction is the only realistic first step.

2. Use existing grantees as introduction channels. Young Life, Fuller Theological Seminary, Gordon-Conwell, Living Water International, Hope International, and Praxis Inc are all active anchor grantees. A senior staff connection, partnership agreement, or letter of endorsement from one of these organizations carries far more weight than any standalone pitch document.

3. Align your language precisely. The foundation's grant descriptions use specific terms verbatim: 'soul care,' 'discipleship,' 'spiritual formation,' 'vocation formation,' 'staff wellbeing,' 'pastoral support,' 'ordination process.' Organizations whose programs naturally use this vocabulary will resonate; those attempting surface-level reframing will not.

4. Target the soul care niche if applicable. Young Life's soul care initiative alone received $1.075M in 2024 — more than the entire giving total in 2020 ($750K in grants paid). Organizations offering structured retreat, counseling, or spiritual renewal services specifically for Christian ministry workers are in the highest-priority funding lane.

5. Lead with Texas presence if you have it. 43% of documented grants go to Texas-based organizations. Houston-area nonprofits receive disproportionate investment. Physical presence or program activity in Houston specifically strengthens your case, especially for a first-time relationship.

6. Be patient — this is a multi-year cultivation. Every major grantee in the portfolio holds multiple grants across multiple years. The foundation is not looking for new partners to write one check to; it is looking for long-term ministry relationships. Budget 12-24 months for relationship development before expecting a funding decision.

7. Do not submit an unsolicited proposal. No application portal exists. The phone number on file (281-368-2734) leads to a suite address; there are no dedicated program officers. Any outreach should be relational, informal, and introduced through a mutual contact.