Mabee Foundation

What Mabee Foundation does

The Mabee Foundation is a private 501(c)(3) charitable foundation established in 1948 by John and Lottie Mabee, headquartered in Midland, Texas with a secondary office in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It exclusively funds non-profit 501(c)(3) organizations (excluding private foundations under IRC section 509(a)) for three project categories: construction, renovation, and the purchase of major medical equipment. Grants are restricted geographically to projects located in six U.S. states: Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arkansas, Missouri, and Kansas. The Foundation does not fund government-owned institutions, debt retirement, endowments, operations, K-12 capital projects (with limited exceptions), or local church congregations.

The Foundation operates a challenge-grant model that requires applicant organizations to first raise 40% of total project costs from other public donors before a grant request is considered, after which the Foundation will contribute up to 20% of total costs with a $2,000,000 maximum. Recipients must raise the remaining funds within one year, and construction must commence within two years of satisfying the challenge. Grant applications are accepted through an online portal hosted at yourcausegrants.com and decided at quarterly Board of Trustees meetings.

Cumulatively, the Foundation has distributed over $1.9 billion in grants since inception, with allocations of approximately $953 million to General organizations, $539 million to Educational organizations, $369 million to Health organizations, and $71.5 million to Religious organizations. Its endowment value exceeds $2 billion. Governance rests with a Board of Trustees chaired by John W. Mabee, with day-to-day operations managed by Executive Director Michael Goeke, supported by a small team of roughly 1-10 staff members.

Name

Mabee Foundation

Legal name

Mabee Foundation

Website

https://mabeefoundation.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1948

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Mabee Foundation is a 1948-founded private 501(c)(3) charitable foundation that provides challenge grants of up to $2 million (20% of project costs) for construction, renovation, and major medical equipment to non-profit organizations in Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arkansas, Missouri, and Kansas.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Philanthropic Grantmaking

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Research & Science Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAI)

Keywords

• Nonprofit grant funding
• Challenge grant programs
• Capital construction grants
• Medical equipment grants
• Foundation philanthropy services

Headquarters

HQ city

Midland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Others

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

The Mabee Foundation awards challenge grants exclusively to IRS-classified 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations (excluding private foundations under IRC section 509(a)) for construction projects, renovation projects, and the purchase of major medical equipment. Grants cover up to 20% of total project costs with a maximum of $2,000,000 per award and require the applicant to first raise 40% of total project costs from other public donors. Projects must be located in Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arkansas, Missouri, or Kansas.

Product overview

Mabee Foundation is a single-service charitable grant-making organization that provides challenge grants exclusively to non-profit 501(c)(3) organizations. The foundation funds three types of projects: construction projects, renovation projects, and the purchase of major medical equipment. Grant amounts cover up to 20% of total project costs with a maximum of $2,000,000. The foundation operates challenge grants, requiring recipients to raise 40% of total project costs from other public donors before the grant is awarded, with the remaining funds raised within one year of grant award.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Mabee Foundation Challenge Grant Program Capital-project challenge grant program for IRS-classified 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations (excluding private foundations under IRC section 509(a)) located in Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arkansas, Missouri, or Kansas. Applicants must first raise 40% of total project costs from other public donors, raise the remaining funds within one year of grant award, and commence construction within two years of satisfying the challenge. Grants are reviewed at quarterly Board of Trustees meetings.
• Construction Project Grants Funding component for new construction of facilities by eligible 501(c)(3) nonprofits in the six-state service region. Construction must commence within two years after satisfying the grant challenge. Payment is made only after the challenge is satisfied and construction has started.
• Renovation Project Grants Funding component for renovation of existing facilities by eligible 501(c)(3) nonprofits in the six-state service region. Not available for renovation of leased property (unless a long-term lease tantamount to ownership is in place) and not available for projects already under construction or where a contractor contract has been signed.
• Major Medical Equipment Grants Funding component for the purchase of major medical equipment by eligible 501(c)(3) medical and health nonprofits in the six-state service region. Equipment other than major medical equipment (e.g., furnishings, vehicles, land, museum exhibits) is not eligible.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $1.9 billion in grants distributed since 1948
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Brown Foundation, Inc. Houston, Texas private foundation supporting education, the arts, and social services. Comparable as a long-standing Texas-based family foundation with similar capital and program grantmaking.
• Hall Family Foundation: Kansas City-based private family foundation focused on greater Kansas City and surrounding region. Comparable as a family-controlled regional foundation supporting education, health, and community-building in a state within Mabee's footprint.
• The Rapides Foundation: Alexandria, Louisiana-based private foundation focused on health, education, and community development in central Louisiana. Comparable as a regional family foundation with multi-decade grantmaking track record in health and education infrastructure.
• The Moody Foundation: Galveston, Texas-based private family foundation funding education, social services, and community development across Texas. Similar in scale, family control, and Texas-state geographic focus.
• William T. Kemper Foundation: Kansas City-based private family foundation supporting education, health, and civic initiatives in Missouri and Kansas. Comparable as a multi-generational family foundation operating in two of Mabee's six states.
• Sid W. Richardson Foundation: Fort Worth, Texas private foundation funding education, health, human services, and arts in Texas. Similar Texas-centric geography, family endowment, and project-based grantmaking.
• Meadows Foundation: Dallas-based private family foundation supporting Texas nonprofits across education, health, social services, and the arts. Comparable in structure, Texas footprint, and broad-based capital grantmaking model.
• George Kaiser Family Foundation: Tulsa, Oklahoma-based private family foundation focused on improving quality of life in the region. Directly comparable as a major family-controlled foundation operating in Mabee's core six-state geography with similar capital and program grantmaking.
• Sunderland Foundation: Kansas City-based private family foundation with a strong focus on construction and building projects for nonprofits. Particularly comparable given its similar emphasis on capital/brick-and-mortar projects, mirroring Mabee's core grant focus.

Broad incumbents

• J.B. and M.K. Pritzker Family Foundation: Large Chicago-based family foundation with national scope but some regional grantmaking in education and health. Broader incumbent — larger and more geographically diverse than Mabee, but structurally similar as a multi-generational family grantmaking foundation.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments9 records

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Frequently asked questions about Mabee Foundation