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Sparks Foundation

  • Houston, TX
  • Tax-exempt since April 2009
  • EIN: 26-3473292

Organization summary

Type of Nonprofit

Designated as a Organizations for any of the following purposes: religious, educational, charitable, scientific, literary, testing for public safety, fostering national or international amateur sports competition (as long as it doesn't provide athletic facilities or equipment), or the prevention of cruelty to children or animals.

Category: International, Foreign Affairs and National Security / International Relief (NTEE)

Donations to this organization are tax deductible.

Summary charts: organization finances over time

Revenue
$279k (2023)

Expenses
$157k (2023)

Total Assets
$222k (2023)

Total Liabilities
$184k (2023)

Years with multiple filings
Source: Form 990 tax filings from 2012 to 2023

Tax Filings by Year

Form 990 is an information return that most organizations claiming federal tax-exempt status must file yearly with the IRS. Nonprofit Explorer has IRS digitized Form 990 data for filings processed in 2012 and later. If this organization filed an amended return, it may not be reflected below. Duplicate download links may indicate a resubmission or amendment to this organization's original return. Form 990 data is from the IRS.

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2023

Extracted Financial Data

Extracted Financial Data from Form 990-PF
Revenue
$278,679
Expenses
$156,920
Net Income
$121,759
Net Assets
$37,986
Notable Sources of Revenue Percent of Total Revenue
Contributions Received $278,678
100.0%
Interest Revenue $1
0.0%
Dividends $0
Sales of Assets $0
Other Income $0
Notable Expenses Percent of Total Expenses
Charitable Disbursements $156,920
100%
Compensation of Officers* $0
* Officer compensation may be included in charitable disbursements, so Percent of Total Expenses may add up to greater than 100%.
Assets/Debt
Total Assets $222,046
Total Liabilities $184,060
Net Assets $37,986
Compensation
Key Employees and Officers Compensation Other
Elizabeth Sparks (President) $0 $0
David Sparks (Secretary) $0 $0
Andrew Sparks (Board Member) $0 $0
Kathleen Sparks (Board Member) $0 $0
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Document Links

990-PF
Filed on Nov. 12, 2024

Primary tax return for a private foundation's activities, finances, and governance

View Filing
XML

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2022

Extracted Financial Data

Extracted Financial Data from Form 990-PF
Revenue
$243,754
Expenses
$233,108
Net Income
$10,646
Net Assets
-$83,773
Notable Sources of Revenue Percent of Total Revenue
Contributions Received $243,752
100.0%
Interest Revenue $2
0.0%
Dividends $0
Sales of Assets $0
Other Income $0
Notable Expenses Percent of Total Expenses
Charitable Disbursements $233,108
100%
Compensation of Officers* $0
* Officer compensation may be included in charitable disbursements, so Percent of Total Expenses may add up to greater than 100%.
Assets/Debt
Total Assets $227,938
Total Liabilities $311,711
Net Assets -$83,773
Compensation
Key Employees and Officers Compensation Other
Elizabeth Sparks (President) $0 $0
David Sparks (Secretary) $0 $0
Andrew Sparks (Board Member) $0 $0

Document Links

990-PF
Filed on Oct. 24, 2023

Primary tax return for a private foundation's activities, finances, and governance

View Filing
XML

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2021

Extracted Financial Data

Extracted Financial Data from Form 990-PF
Revenue
$160,507
Expenses
$196,690
Net Income
-$36,183
Net Assets
-$94,419
Notable Sources of Revenue Percent of Total Revenue
Contributions Received $160,463
100.0%
Interest Revenue $44
0.0%
Dividends $0
Sales of Assets $0
Other Income $0
Notable Expenses Percent of Total Expenses
Charitable Disbursements $196,690
100%
Compensation of Officers* $0
* Officer compensation may be included in charitable disbursements, so Percent of Total Expenses may add up to greater than 100%.
Assets/Debt
Total Assets $232,103
Total Liabilities $326,522
Net Assets -$94,419
Compensation
Key Employees and Officers Compensation Other
Elizabeth Sparks (President) $0 $0
David Sparks (Secretary) $0 $0
Andrew Sparks (Board Member) $0 $0

Document Links

990-PF
Filed on Nov. 9, 2022

Primary tax return for a private foundation's activities, finances, and governance

View Filing
PDF XML

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2020

Extracted Financial Data

Extracted Financial Data from Form 990-PF
Revenue
$217,673
Expenses
$191,610
Net Income
$26,063
Net Assets
-$58,236
Notable Sources of Revenue Percent of Total Revenue
Contributions Received $217,672
100.0%
Interest Revenue $1
0.0%
Dividends $0
Sales of Assets $0
Other Income $0
Notable Expenses Percent of Total Expenses
Charitable Disbursements $191,608
100.0%
Compensation of Officers* $0
* Officer compensation may be included in charitable disbursements, so Percent of Total Expenses may add up to greater than 100%.
Assets/Debt
Total Assets $259,514
Total Liabilities $317,750
Net Assets -$58,236
Compensation
Key Employees and Officers Compensation Other
Elizabeth Sparks (President) $0 $0
David Sparks (Secretary) $0 $0
Andrew Sparks (Board Member) $0 $0

Document Links

990-PF
Filed on Nov. 9, 2021

Primary tax return for a private foundation's activities, finances, and governance

View Filing
XML

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2019

Extracted Financial Data

Extracted Financial Data from Form 990-PF
Revenue
$297,742
Expenses
$261,836
Net Income
$35,906
Net Assets
-$84,299
Notable Sources of Revenue Percent of Total Revenue
Contributions Received $297,643
100.0%
Interest Revenue $99
0.0%
Dividends $0
Sales of Assets $0
Other Income $0
Notable Expenses Percent of Total Expenses
Charitable Disbursements $261,827
100.0%
Compensation of Officers* $0
* Officer compensation may be included in charitable disbursements, so Percent of Total Expenses may add up to greater than 100%.
Assets/Debt
Total Assets $230,881
Total Liabilities $315,180
Net Assets -$84,299
Compensation
Key Employees and Officers Compensation Other
Elizabeth Sparks (President) $0 $0
David Sparks (Secretary) $0 $0
Andrew Sparks (Board Member) $0 $0

Document Links

990-PF
Filed on Nov. 8, 2020

Primary tax return for a private foundation's activities, finances, and governance

View Filing
XML

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2018

Extracted Financial Data

Extracted Financial Data from Form 990-PF
Revenue
$124,480
Expenses
$261,981
Net Income
-$137,501
Net Assets
-$120,205
Notable Sources of Revenue Percent of Total Revenue
Contributions Received $124,405
99.9%
Interest Revenue $75
0.1%
Dividends $0
Sales of Assets $0
Other Income $0
Notable Expenses Percent of Total Expenses
Charitable Disbursements $261,944
100.0%
Compensation of Officers* $0
* Officer compensation may be included in charitable disbursements, so Percent of Total Expenses may add up to greater than 100%.
Assets/Debt
Total Assets $229,475
Total Liabilities $349,680
Net Assets -$120,205
Compensation
Key Employees and Officers Compensation Other
Elizabeth Sparks (President) $0 $0
David Sparks (Secretary) $0 $0
John Bitner (Board Member) $0 $0
Connie Davis (Board Member) $0 $0
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Document Links

990-PF
Filed on Nov. 11, 2019

Primary tax return for a private foundation's activities, finances, and governance

View Filing
PDF XML

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2017

Extracted Financial Data

Extracted Financial Data from Form 990-PF
Revenue
$244,493
Expenses
$235,765
Net Income
$8,728
Net Assets
$17,296
Notable Sources of Revenue Percent of Total Revenue
Contributions Received $244,350
99.9%
Interest Revenue $143
0.1%
Dividends $0
Sales of Assets $0
Other Income $0
Notable Expenses Percent of Total Expenses
Charitable Disbursements $235,751
100.0%
Compensation of Officers* $0
* Officer compensation may be included in charitable disbursements, so Percent of Total Expenses may add up to greater than 100%.
Assets/Debt
Total Assets $226,476
Total Liabilities $209,180
Net Assets $17,296
Compensation
Key Employees and Officers Compensation Other
Elizabeth Sparks (President) $0 $0
David Sparks (Secretary) $0 $0
John Bitner (Board Member) $0 $0
Connie Davis (Board Member) $0 $0
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Document Links

990-PF
Filed on Nov. 13, 2018

Primary tax return for a private foundation's activities, finances, and governance

View Filing
PDF XML

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2016

Extracted Financial Data

Extracted Financial Data from Form 990-PF
Revenue
$75,346
Expenses
$169,687
Net Income
-$94,341
Net Assets
$8,568
Notable Sources of Revenue Percent of Total Revenue
Contributions Received $75,345
100.0%
Interest Revenue $1
0.0%
Dividends $0
Sales of Assets $0
Other Income $0
Notable Expenses Percent of Total Expenses
Charitable Disbursements $169,687
100%
Compensation of Officers* $0
* Officer compensation may be included in charitable disbursements, so Percent of Total Expenses may add up to greater than 100%.
Assets/Debt
Total Assets $215,648
Total Liabilities $207,080
Net Assets $8,568
Compensation
Key Employees and Officers Compensation Other
Elizabeth Sparks (President) $0 $0
David Sparks (Secretary) $0 $0
John Bitner (Board Member) $0 $0
Connie Davis (Board Member) $0 $0
+ View more people

Document Links

990-PF
Filed on Nov. 15, 2017

Primary tax return for a private foundation's activities, finances, and governance

View Filing
PDF XML

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2015

Extracted Financial Data

Extracted Financial Data from Form 990-PF
Revenue
$84,199
Expenses
$159,017
Net Income
-$74,818
Net Assets
$102,909
Notable Sources of Revenue Percent of Total Revenue
Contributions Received $84,196
100.0%
Interest Revenue $3
0.0%
Dividends $0
Sales of Assets $0
Other Income $0
Notable Expenses Percent of Total Expenses
Charitable Disbursements $166,337
> 100%
Compensation of Officers* $0
* Officer compensation may be included in charitable disbursements, so Percent of Total Expenses may add up to greater than 100%.
Assets/Debt
Total Assets $197,909
Total Liabilities $95,000
Net Assets $102,909
Compensation
Key Employees and Officers Compensation Other
Elizabeth Sparks (President) $0 $0
David Sparks (Secretary) $0 $0
John Bitner (Board Member) $0 $0
Connie Davis (Board Member) $0 $0
+ View more people

Document Links

990-PF
Filed on Aug. 15, 2016

Primary tax return for a private foundation's activities, finances, and governance

View Filing
PDF XML

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2014

Extracted Financial Data

Extracted Financial Data from Form 990-PF
Revenue
$136,978
Expenses
$114,564
Net Income
$22,414
Net Assets
$177,727
Notable Sources of Revenue Percent of Total Revenue
Contributions Received $136,755
99.8%
Interest Revenue $6
0.0%
Dividends $0
Sales of Assets $0
Other Income $217
0.2%
Notable Expenses Percent of Total Expenses
Charitable Disbursements $126,643
> 100%
Compensation of Officers* $0
* Officer compensation may be included in charitable disbursements, so Percent of Total Expenses may add up to greater than 100%.
Assets/Debt
Total Assets $185,582
Total Liabilities $7,855
Net Assets $177,727
Compensation
Key Employees and Officers Compensation Other
Elizabeth Sparks (President) $0 $0
David Sparks (Secretary) $0 $0
John Bitner (Board Member) $0 $0
Connie Davis (Board Member) $0 $0
+ View more people

Document Links

990-PF
Filed on Aug. 13, 2015

Primary tax return for a private foundation's activities, finances, and governance

View Filing
PDF XML

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2013

Extracted Financial Data

Extracted Financial Data from Form 990-PF
Revenue
$125,954
Expenses
$98,113
Net Income
$27,841
Net Assets
$155,313
Notable Sources of Revenue Percent of Total Revenue
Contributions Received $125,950
100.0%
Interest Revenue $4
0.0%
Dividends $0
Sales of Assets $0
Other Income $0
Notable Expenses Percent of Total Expenses
Charitable Disbursements $78,181
79.7%
Compensation of Officers* $0
* Officer compensation may be included in charitable disbursements, so Percent of Total Expenses may add up to greater than 100%.
Assets/Debt
Total Assets $175,246
Total Liabilities $19,933
Net Assets $155,313
Compensation
Key Employees and Officers Compensation Other
Elizabeth Sparks (President) $0 $0
David Sparks (Secretary) $0 $0
John Bitner (Board Member) $0 $0
Connie Davis (Board Member) $0 $0
+ View more people

Document Links

990-PF
Filed on July 25, 2014

Primary tax return for a private foundation's activities, finances, and governance

View Filing
PDF XML

Fiscal Year Ending Dec.
2012

Extracted Financial Data

Extracted Financial Data from Form 990-PF
Revenue
$73,229
Expenses
$72,555
Net Income
$674
Net Assets
$127,472
Notable Sources of Revenue Percent of Total Revenue
Contributions Received $73,225
100.0%
Interest Revenue $4
0.0%
Dividends $0
Sales of Assets $0
Other Income $0
Notable Expenses Percent of Total Expenses
Charitable Disbursements $85,667
> 100%
Compensation of Officers* $0
* Officer compensation may be included in charitable disbursements, so Percent of Total Expenses may add up to greater than 100%.
Assets/Debt
Total Assets $127,472
Total Liabilities $0
Net Assets $127,472

Document Links

990-PF

Primary tax return for a private foundation's activities, finances, and governance

PDF

Fiscal Year Ending Jan.
2012

Extracted Financial Data

Extracted Financial Data from Form 990-PF
Revenue
$50,224
Expenses
$89,771
Net Income
-$39,547
Net Assets
$126,798
Notable Sources of Revenue Percent of Total Revenue
Contributions Received $50,195
99.9%
Interest Revenue $29
0.1%
Dividends $0
Sales of Assets $0
Other Income $0
Notable Expenses Percent of Total Expenses
Charitable Disbursements $88,570
98.7%
Compensation of Officers* $0
* Officer compensation may be included in charitable disbursements, so Percent of Total Expenses may add up to greater than 100%.
Assets/Debt
Total Assets $142,932
Total Liabilities $16,134
Net Assets $126,798

Document Links

990-PF

Primary tax return for a private foundation's activities, finances, and governance

PDF

Fiscal Year Ending Jan.
2011

No Extracted Financial Data

Extracted financial data is not available for the forms filed in this tax period, but Form 990 documents are available for download.

Document Links

990-PF

Primary tax return for a private foundation's activities, finances, and governance

PDF

Fiscal Year Ending Jan.
2010

No Extracted Financial Data

Extracted financial data is not available for the forms filed in this tax period, but Form 990 documents are available for download.

Document Links

990-PF

Primary tax return for a private foundation's activities, finances, and governance

PDF

Fiscal Year Ending Jan.
2009

No Extracted Financial Data

Extracted financial data is not available for the forms filed in this tax period, but Form 990 documents are available for download.

Document Links

990-PF

Primary tax return for a private foundation's activities, finances, and governance

PDF

About This Data

What Is This Data?

Nonprofit Explorer includes summary data for nonprofit tax returns and full Form 990 documents, in both PDF and digital formats.

The summary data contains information processed by the IRS during the 2012-2019 calendar years; this generally consists of filings for the 2011-2018 fiscal years, but may include older records. This data release includes only a subset of what can be found in the full Form 990s.

In addition to the raw summary data, we link to PDFs and digital copies of full Form 990 documents wherever possible. This consists of separate releases by the IRS of Form 990 documents processed by the agency, which we update regularly.

We also link to copies of audits nonprofit organizations that spent $750,000 or more in Federal grant money in a single fiscal year since 2016. These audits are copied from the Federal Audit Clearinghouse.

Which Organizations Are Here?

Every organization that has been recognized as tax exempt by the IRS has to file Form 990 every year, unless they make less than $200,000 in revenue and have less than $500,000 in assets, in which case they have to file form 990-EZ. Organizations making less than $50,000 don’t have to file either form but do have to let the IRS they’re still in business via a Form 990N "e-Postcard."

Nonprofit Explorer has organizations claiming tax exemption in each of the 27 subsections of the 501(c) section of the tax code, and which have filed a Form 990, Form 990EZ or Form 990PF. Taxable trusts and private foundations that are required to file a form 990PF are also included. Small organizations filing a Form 990N "e-Postcard" are not included in this data.

Types of Nonprofits

There are 27 nonprofit designations based on the numbered subsections of section 501(c) of the tax code. See the list »

Get the Data

For those interested in acquiring the original data from the source, here’s where our data comes from:

  • Raw filing data. Includes EINs and summary financials as structured data.
  • Exempt Organization profiles. Includes organization names, addresses, etc. You can merge this with the raw filing data using EIN numbers.
  • Form 990 documents. Prior to 2017, these documents were obtained and processed by Public.Resource.org and ProPublica. Bulk PDF downloads since 2017 are available from the IRS.
  • Form 990 documents as XML files. Includes complete filing data (financial details, names of officers, tax schedules, etc.) in machine-readable format. Only available for electronically filed documents. Electronic data released prior to October 2021 is also available through Amazon Web Services.
  • Audits. PDFs of single or program-specific audits for nonprofit organizations that spent $750,000 or more in Federal grant money in a single fiscal year. Available for fiscal year 2015 and later.

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Nonprofit Explorer

Browse millions of annual returns filed by tax-exempt organizations with ProPublica’s Nonprofit Explorer. See details like executive compensation, revenue, expenses and more. Search for an organization or a person, or search the full text of filings.

By Andrea Suozzo, Alec Glassford, Ash Ngu and Brandon Roberts.

Design by Jeff Frankl. Additional development by Ken Schwencke, Mike Tigas, and Sisi Wei.

E-file viewer adapted from IRS e-File Viewer by Ben Getson. Code for scraping audit documents adapated from Govwiki.

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