A Mad Idea Foundation
This organization is a private foundation dedicated to supporting various charitable causes. Its mission appears to focus on education, arts and culture, and civil rights, as evidenced by its funding of institutions such as Rice University and the Equal Justice Initiative. The foundation serves a diverse range of recipients, including educational institutions and nonprofit organizations involved in the arts and civil rights advocacy. While it is based in Texas, its funding extends to organizations in multiple states.
Source: Zeffy Agent · Mar 2026
Ideal Applicant
Organizations with prior personal or institutional connections to the trustees, typically seeking general operating support in the $25K–$50K range and working in areas like higher education, arts, or justice-related causes.
Good Fit
- • Existing relationship or introduction to a board member or trustee
- • Request for general (unrestricted) support in the $25K–$50K band
- • Mission aligned with previously funded areas (education, arts, civil-rights/justice)
- • A Texas connection or demonstrated linkage to the foundation’s local network
Geography
Giving is concentrated in Texas in the most recent year, but the three-year record includes grants to organizations in Georgia and Alabama, indicating a small multi-state footprint rather than purely local or national reach.
Recipient Variety
The foundation made only one or two grants per year but funded different organizations across the three observed years (no repeat grantees), yielding a modestly varied recipient set for a micro private foundation.
New Applicants
Direct evidence shows new organizations were funded in each year, but the foundation explicitly limits funding to preselected applicants and provides no public application route or contact details, so unsolicited new entrants are unlikely to gain access.
Source: Zeffy Agent · Mar 2026
