Jacob and Terese Hershey Foundation
Historical FunderHouston, Texas · EIN 74-6039126 · Private foundation · Website
Grants paid (2024)$6.8M
Organizations funded174
Typical grant$30,000
Total assets$123.4M
Half of its grants to organizations were between $10,000 and $50,000.
From the return
How to apply
The foundation filed the following application information (Form 990-PF Part XV, tax year 2024):
| Contact | Jacob and Terese Hershey Foundation |
|---|---|
| Address | PO Box 66009, Houston TX 77266 |
| Phone | 7135297612 |
| support@jthershey.org | |
| Form and materials | Anyone interested in applying for a grant must first submit a letter of inquiry via our online system at https://jthershey.org/apply/. |
| Deadlines | Varies, see website |
| Restrictions | Evaluated on case by case basis by the Board |
Copied as filed. Deadlines on a tax return describe the foundation's usual process; they are not confirmation of a current open cycle.
What it funds
Share of grant lines on the latest return, classified from the purpose each grant states.
Where it gives
24% of grants went outside Texas.
Grants paid in tax year 2024
| Recipient | Location | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vanguard Charitable | Warwick, RI | Contribution to Donor Advised Fund | $455,000 |
| Parks and Wildlife Foundation of Texas Inc | Dallas, TX | Toward developing Palo Pinto Mountains State Park | $250,000 |
| Rockefeller Family Fund Inc | New York, NY | Toward efforts to stop the buildout of oil export terminals along the Texas coast | $250,000 |
| Public Citizen Foundation Inc | Austin, TX | Toward accountability for the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality | $175,000 |
| Center for Reproductive Rights | New York, NY | Toward operating support for the organization's work in Texas | $150,000 |
| Air Alliance Houston | Houston, TX | Toward general operations | $120,000 |
| Amalgamated Charitable Foundation Inc | Washington, DC | Toward the purposes of Organizing Resilience | $100,000 |
| Healthy Gulf | Houston, TX | Toward the purposes of CEER | $100,000 |
| Nuclear Information & Resource Service | Takoma Park, MD | Toward resisting new nuclear energy facilities and waste storage sites in Texas | $90,000 |
| Bayou City Waterkeeper | Houston, TX | Toward general operations | $80,000 |
| LINK Houston | Houston, TX | Toward general operations | $77,000 |
| Commission Shift | Laredo, TX | Toward general operations | $76,000 |
| Calhoun County Resource Watch | Seadrift, TX | Toward general operations | $75,000 |
| Inside Climate News | Brooklyn, NY | Toward reporting on the issue of produced water in Texas | $75,000 |
| Lone Star Legal Aid | Houston, TX | Toward environmental justice legal services along the upper Texas coast | $75,000 |
| Sierra Club Foundation | Oakland, CA | Toward the purposes of the Lone Star chapter of the Sierra Club | $75,000 |
| Spark | Houston, TX | Toward general operations | $75,000 |
| Texas Land Trust Council | Wimberley, TX | Toward general operations | $75,000 |
| The Film Collaborative Inc | Los Angeles, CA | Toward the Zurawski v. Texas film | $75,000 |
| Jolt Initiative | Austin, TX | Toward general operations | $70,000 |
| ACLU Foundation of Texas | Houston, TX | Toward efforts to restore reproductive rights in Texas | $65,500 |
| Avow Foundation for Abortion Access Inc | Austin, TX | Toward general operations | $65,000 |
| Environmental Integrity Project | Washington, DC | Toward operating support for the organization's work in Texas | $65,000 |
| Public Citizen Foundation Inc | Austin, TX | Toward the purposes of the Healthy Port Communities Coalition | $65,000 |
| The Afiya Center | Dallas, TX | Toward general operations | $65,000 |
| Texas Freedom Network Education Fund | Austin, TX | Toward general operations | $61,000 |
| Land Trust Alliance Inc | Washington, DC | Toward building capacity among Texas land trusts | $60,000 |
| National Wildlife Federation | Austin, TX | Toward advancing a sustainable water future for the people and wildlife of Texas | $60,000 |
| National Wildlife Federation | Austin, TX | Toward ensuring responsible storm surge protection along the upper Texas coast | $60,000 |
| Texas Campaign for the Environment Fund | Austin, TX | Toward general operations | $60,000 |
| Texas Impact Education Fund | Austin, TX | Toward general operations | $60,000 |
| Texas Tribune Inc | Austin, TX | Toward reporting on the environment and reproductive rights | $60,000 |
| Tides Center | San Francisco, CA | Toward the purposes of RRRH | $60,000 |
| Young Invincibles | Washington, DC | Toward general operations | $51,000 |
| Achieving Community Tasks Successfully | Houston, TX | Toward improvements at Pleasantville Park | $50,000 |
| Austin Parks Foundation | Austin, TX | Toward advancing local parks | $50,000 |
| Bayou Land Conservancy | Spring, TX | Toward general operations | $50,000 |
| Coastal Prairie Conservancy | Houston, TX | Toward general operations | $50,000 |
| Environmental Defense Fund Inc | New York, NY | Toward advancing sustainable groundwater management in Texas | $50,000 |
| Friends of Brazoria Wildlife Refuges | Lake Jackson, TX | Toward advancing land conservation along Texas' mid-coast | $50,000 |
| Galveston Bay Foundation | Kemah, TX | Toward accelerating land conservation along Galveston Bay | $50,000 |
| Great Springs Project Inc | Austin, TX | Toward general operations | $50,000 |
| Hill Country Alliance | Austin, TX | Toward general operations | $50,000 |
| Hill Country Conservancy Inc | Austin, TX | Toward general operations | $50,000 |
| Houston in Action Network | Houston, TX | Toward building communications capacity for reproductive rights in Texas | $50,000 |
| Ipas | Chapel Hill, NC | Toward power building for reproductive rights in Texas | $50,000 |
| Move Texas Civic Fund | San Antonio, TX | Toward general operations | $50,000 |
| National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice | New York, NY | Toward general operations | $50,000 |
| Our Children's Trust | Eugene, OR | Toward general operations | $50,000 |
| Powerhouse Texas | Austin, TX | Toward general operations | $50,000 |
| Public Citizen Foundation Inc | Austin, TX | Toward the purposes of Close Parish Coal coalition | $50,000 |
| Public Citizen Foundation Inc | Austin, TX | Toward climate justice organizing in East Harris County | $50,000 |
| Rgisc Inc | Laredo, TX | Toward general operations | $50,000 |
| Sustainable Markets Foundation | New York, NY | Toward the purposes of the Property Rights and Pipeline Center | $50,000 |
| Texas Health and Environment Alliance Inc | Houston, TX | Toward general operations | $50,000 |
| Texas Land Conservancy | Austin, TX | Toward general operations | $50,000 |
| The Nature Conservancy | San Antonio, TX | Toward a coalition advancing nature-based solutions in Harris County | $50,000 |
| Verde Valley School | Sedona, AZ | Toward Verde Valleys environmental education initiatives | $50,000 |
| Center for Biological Diversity Inc | Tucson, AZ | Toward legal action addressing environmental degradation along the lower Texas coast | $40,000 |
| Common Defense Education Fund Inc | New York, NY | Toward organizing veterans for climate justice in southeast Texas | $40,000 |
Showing the 60 largest of 174 grants to organizations.
Grants approved for future payment
| Recipient | Location | Purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coalition for Environment Equity and Resilience | Houston, TX | Toward building parks advocacy capacity in Houston | $295,000 |
| Public Citizen Foundation Inc | Austin, TX | Toward accountability for the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality | $180,000 |
| Friends of Brazoria Wildlife Refuge | Lake Jackson, TX | Toward acquiring Columbia Bottomlands habitat for inclusion in the National Wildlife Refuge system | $100,000 |
| Nuclear Information & Resource Service | Takoma Park, MD | Toward resisting new nuclear energy facilities and waste storage sites in Texas | $90,000 |
| Bayou City Waterkeeper | Houston, TX | Toward general operations | $80,000 |
| Commission Shift | Laredo, TX | Toward general operations | $75,000 |
| Inside Climate News | Brooklyn, NY | Toward reporting on the issue of produced water in Texas | $75,000 |
| Inside Climate News | Brooklyn, NY | Toward reporting on the issue of produced water in Texas | $75,000 |
| LINK Houston | Houston, TX | Toward general operations | $75,000 |
| Lone Star Legal Aid | Houston, TX | Toward environmental justice legal services along the upper Texas coast | $75,000 |
| Lone Star Legal Aid | Houston, TX | Toward environmental justice legal services along the upper Texas coast | $75,000 |
| New Philanthropists | Austin, TX | Toward board training among Texas land trusts | $75,000 |
| Texas Land Trust Council | Wimberley, TX | Toward general operations | $75,000 |
| Jolt Initiative | Austin, TX | Toward general operations | $70,000 |
| ACLU Foundation of Texas | Houston, TX | Toward efforts to restore reproductive rights in Texas | $65,000 |
| Avow Foundation for Abortion Access Inc | Austin, TX | Toward general operations | $65,000 |
| Environmental Integrity Project | Washington, DC | Toward operating support for the organization's work in Texas | $65,000 |
| Planned Parenthood Texas Votes | Austin, TX | Toward mobilizing support for reproductive rights in Texas | $65,000 |
| Public Citizen Foundation Inc | Austin, TX | Toward the purposes of the Healthy Port Communities Coalition | $65,000 |
| The Afiya Center | Dallas, TX | Toward general operations | $65,000 |
| Air Alliance Houston | Houston, TX | Toward general operations | $60,000 |
| Land Trust Alliance Inc | Washington, DC | Toward building capacity among Texas land trusts | $60,000 |
| National Wildlife Federation | Austin, TX | Toward advancing a sustainable water future for the people and wildlife of Texas | $60,000 |
| National Wildlife Federation | Austin, TX | Toward ensuring responsible storm surge protection along the upper Texas coast | $60,000 |
| Texas Campaign for the Environment Fund | Austin, TX | Toward general operations | $60,000 |
| Texas Freedom Network Education Fund | Austin, TX | Toward general operations | $60,000 |
| Texas Impact Education Fund | Austin, TX | Toward general operations | $60,000 |
| Tides Center | San Francisco, CA | Toward the purposes of RRRH | $60,000 |
| Environmental Defense Fund Inc | New York, NY | Toward advancing sustainable groundwater management in Texas | $50,000 |
| Great Springs Project Inc | Austin, TX | Toward general operations | $50,000 |
| Hill Country Conservancy Inc | Austin, TX | Toward general operations | $50,000 |
| National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice | New York, NY | Toward general operations | $50,000 |
| Our Children's Trust | Eugene, OR | Toward general operations | $50,000 |
| Powerhouse Texas | Austin, TX | Toward general operations | $50,000 |
| Rgisc Inc | Laredo, TX | Toward general operations | $50,000 |
| Texas Health and Environment Alliance Inc | Houston, TX | Toward general operations | $50,000 |
| Texas Land Conservancy | Austin, TX | Toward general operations | $50,000 |
| Calhoun County Resource Watch | Seadrift, TX | Toward general operations | $40,000 |
| Fair Shot Texas | Austin, TX | Toward general operations | $40,000 |
| Public Citizen Foundation Inc | Austin, TX | Toward resisting new nuclear energy facilities and waste storage sites in Texas | $40,000 |
| Air Alliance Houston | Houston, TX | Toward the purposes of Texas Streets Coalition | $35,000 |
| ARISE Adelante | Alamo, TX | Toward equipping residents of South Texas colonias to address environmental concerns | $35,000 |
| Environmental Defense Fund Inc | New York, NY | Toward partnering with frontline leaders to advance clean air policies in Houston | $35,000 |
| Go Austin Vamos Austin | Austin, TX | Toward general operations | $35,000 |
| Pueblo Organizado En Defensa De La Tierra Y Sus Recursos | Austin, TX | Toward general operations | $35,000 |
| Save Our Springs Alliance Inc | Austin, TX | Toward general operations | $35,000 |
| Texas Agricultural Land Trust | Oakwood, TX | Toward the purposes of Ratcliff CBO | $35,000 |
| Texas Tribal Buffalo Project | Waelder, TX | Toward general operations | $35,000 |
| Texas Water Foundation Inc | Austin, TX | Toward supporting the Texas Water Caucus | $35,000 |
| West Street Recovery | Houston, TX | Toward general operations | $35,000 |
| Turtle Island Restoration Network | Galveston, TX | Toward resisting oil and gas infrastructure expansion along the Texas gulf coast | $30,000 |
| Coalition of Community Organizations | Houston, TX | Toward general operations | $25,000 |
| Deceleration | San Antonio, TX | Toward general operations | $25,000 |
| National Center for Appropriate Technology Inc | Butte, MT | Toward collaborating with historically underserved landowners to cultivate healthy landscapes | $25,000 |
| Occidential Arts and Ecology Center | Occidental, CA | Toward the purposes of Counterstream Media | $25,000 |
| Peregrine Fund Inc | Boise, ID | Toward recovering the northern Aplomado falcon in Texas | $25,000 |
| Public Health Watch Inc | Austin, TX | Toward general operations | $25,000 |
| Collective Action for Youth | Houston, TX | Toward environmental education and advocacy training for systems involved youth | $20,000 |
| Houston Humane Society | Houston, TX | Toward general operating support and wildlife center facility improvements | $20,000 |
| Partners for Education Agriculture and Sustainability | Austin, TX | Toward inclusive environmental education for all abilities | $20,000 |
Giving by year
| Tax year | Grants paid | Grant lines |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $6,844,100 | 240 |
| 2023 | $6,398,614 | 196 |
Sources
- IRS Form 990-PF, tax year 2024, filed Nov 7, 2025 - IRS e-file batch, object ID 202513119349102216
- IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search for EIN 74-6039126
- Profile updated Nov 4, 2026
Facts on this page come from the foundation's own IRS Form 990-PF filings as published by the IRS. Grantvello does not know whether a foundation is accepting proposals right now: a past grant is not an open opportunity. Always confirm current guidelines with the funder before applying.