# Menil Foundation

Menil Foundation is an Endowment / Foundation based in Houston, United States.

## Overview

- **Organization type:** Endowment / Foundation
- **Headquarters:** Houston, United States
- **Region:** North America
- **Address:** 1533 Sul Ross Street, Houston, TX, United States
- **Founded:** 1954
- **Assets under management:** 507 (Altss estimate)
- **Website:** www.menil.org
- **LinkedIn:** https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-menil-collection

## Regulatory record

- **Reports private funds:** No

## About

The Menil Foundation was established in 1954 by John and Dominique de Menil. The foundation operates The Menil Collection as its primary vehicle. The foundation deploys capital across real estate holdings and private fund commitments. Confirmed positions include limited partnership interests in Commonfund Capital Private Equity Partners VI and Commonfund Capital Venture Partners VII. It maintains direct ownership of the Menil Collection Campus, Menil House, Menil Drawing Institute, and over 35 bungalows in the Montrose neighborhood of Houston. Geographic focus centers on the United States with all disclosed assets located in Texas. The foundation employs 108 professionals. It maintains an endowment valued at 507 million dollars as of June 2024 tax filings. November 2023: Sponsored the International Society of Surrealism Conference in Houston. Adjacent vehicles include the independent Rothko Chapel and ties to the Dia Art Foundation through family members. The foundation's structure centers on direct ownership of a museum campus and related real estate rather than external manager relationships. Governance flows through Menil Foundation, Inc. as the operating entity. This architecture ties investment decisions closely to collection stewardship and site preservation.

## Sectors

- Arts

## People

- Louisa Stude Sarofim — President

## Questions

### Who runs investment decisions at Menil Foundation?

Louisa Stude Sarofim serves as president. The foundation retains Prime Buchholz LLC as investment advisor since 2012 and Fayez Sarofim & Co. for additional advisory services.

### Does Menil Foundation participate in fund commitments or only direct deals?

The foundation holds limited partnership interests in Commonfund Capital Private Equity Partners VI, LP and Commonfund Capital Venture Partners VII, LP. It also owns real estate assets directly through Menil Foundation, Inc.

### What investment stages does Menil Foundation typically target?

Disclosed commitments target buyout, growth, venture, and secondaries strategies through Commonfund vehicles.

### How is Menil Foundation related to Rothko Chapel?

John and Dominique de Menil founded the Rothko Chapel. It now operates as an independent foundation but remains closely linked to the Menil Foundation.

## Related profiles

- [The AVI CHAI Foundation](https://altss.com/profile/the-avi-chai-foundation)
- [Mulago Foundation](https://altss.com/profile/mulago-foundation)

---

Last updated: 2026-08-10T18:03:08.091Z

Canonical page: https://altss.com/profile/menil-foundation

Maintained by Altss — https://altss.com — methodology: https://altss.com/methodology