Search Through Grants for Environmental Projects in Texas in the U.S.

Background

Our Community Investment Program contributes to nonprofit organizations that operate within the immediate H-E-B service area. Depending on the need we may contribute in-kind product, volunteers, or monetary funding towards activities, projects, and causes that make a visible and possible difference. Our Community Investment Program primarily supports organizations focused on arts and humanities, disaster relief, diversity and inclusion, education and literacy, environmental and sustainability, health and wellness, hunger relief, military and veteran support, and general social services.

Please see FAQs for additional guidelines.

The Cynthia and George Mitchell Foundation funds high‐impact projects in the state of Texas at the nexus of environmental protection, social equity, and economic vibrancy.

To accomplish our goals, we develop long-term, strategic guidelines for our grantmaking and make disciplined and intentional funding decisions based on these guidelines. We continually monitor and adjust our strategies to accommodate the evolving accomplishments and opportunities in the areas in which we work.

Current strategic grantmaking programs focus on the following initiatives:

Clean Energy

The Cynthia and George Mitchell Foundation is committed to clean energy in the state of Texas and supports strategic efforts that ensure that the state’s growing demand for power is both minimized and met with the cleanest and water-leanest sources of electricity possible. Our clean energy program has three areas of focus:

• Enhancing Distributed Energy Resources (DERs); 
• Catalyzing community-scale energy projects; and
• Reducing Industrial emissions.

Land Conservation

Texas possesses an ecologically diverse and biologically significant network of lands, waters, and habitat at a scale that only Alaska rivals. About 95 percent of Texas land is privately owned and managed, which means that private landowners have enormous influence over the long-term health and sustainability of the Texas landscape.

It also means that private land conservation—permanent protection, stewardship, and restoration—plays a critical role in ensuring that future generations of Texans will enjoy and benefit from a broad range of natural resource values provided by these lands. Values associated with healthy land include wildlife habitat and migration corridors, clean water and air, watershed health, soil productivity, recreational access, and so many more.

Subsurace Energy

George P. Mitchell was an early pioneer of shale gas discovery and production and is credited for making shale development commercially viable. He was considered an elder statesman in the industry, taking a leadership role in addressing the challenges of shale production.

At the same time, George had a long history of supporting his keen interests in science and sustainability. Because of George's position in the oil and gas industry, the environmental community, and science circles, the foundation is able to lend its voice to the ongoing dialogue and debate about shale development. 

Sustainability Education

Significant gifts from the Mitchells to the National Academy of Sciences in 1996 and 2001 to study the scientific merit of sustainability helped launch a new field of academic endeavor: Sustainability Science.

The sustainability science approach to solving complex environmental and social problems aims to bring together scholarship and practice, global and local perspectives, and disciplines across natural and social sciences.

Water

Water is the most important natural resource in Texas. Ensuring sufficient, clean water is intrinsically tied to a sustainable future. The Cynthia and George Mitchell Foundation envisions a future with ample and healthy waters above and below ground that sustain rich, diverse ecosystems while minimizing effects of infrastructure on water quantity and quality throughout Texas and the Gulf of Mexico.

The Texas of tomorrow will be very different than the Texas of the past - planning for an uncertain future is one of the greatest water challenges we face.

SYNOPSIS

International Ocean Discovery Program Operations

The International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) serves to advance basic research in the marine geosciences and is supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and its international partners. The science plan, , provides justification for the United States' participation in the IODP and reflects the top priorities of the international science community. A multi-platform approach is required to address the goals outlined in the IODP science plan, including a non-riser vessel to collect widely-distributed high-resolution cores to address climate, environmental, crustal and observatory science objectives; a heavy riser-equipped vessel to reach the deep sedimentary and crustal layers; and mission-specific platforms to support high-latitude and shallow-water projects.

The light drillship,, is provided by the U.S. National Science Foundation. Science operations for the JOIDES Resolution are conducted through a Cooperative Agreement with Texas A&M University with scientific planning conducted by the Facility Board.

The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) of Japan provides the heavy drillship, (Earth), to conduct the deep drilling projects in the new program. The Center for Deep Earth Exploration of the Independent Administrative Institution, Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC) operates the vessel for IODP. Scientific planning for IODP operations is conducted by the Chikyu IODP Board.

Mission Specific Platforms (MSP) are provided by the European Consortium for Ocean Research Drilling (ECORD). The ECORD Facility Board conducts scientific planning for MSP expeditions and the platforms themselves are operated by the European Science Operator (ESO).

A Science Support Office (SSO) is provided by Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego under a Cooperative Agreement with the National Science Foundation. The SSO’s primary tasks include:

• providing logistical support for the JOIDES Resolution Facility Board and its advisory panels
• overseeing the proposal submission and review process
• managing the Site Survey Data Bank 
• providing a gateway website to IODP scientific planning 

United States Science Support for Drilling-Related Research

Grant support for drilling-related research performed by United States scientists is available from the NSF. Proposals for most pre-expedition (e.g., site characterization) and post-expedition studies should be submitted through the appropriate NSF programs, such as Ocean Sciences Marine Geology and Geophysics, Earth Sciences, Polar Programs, etc.

In addition to these NSF programs, the NSF Ocean Drilling Program (PD 14-5720) will provide support for small projects to be conducted during the expedition moratorium period to increase the scientific value of, and facilitate further research on, the expedition core, data, and associated samples. The expedition moratorium period begins with the co-chief approval of the expedition sampling plan and generally ends one-year following the post-expedition sampling party ( Refer here for specific moratorium dates for each expedition).

Examples of appropriate post-expedition work include, but are not limited to:

• XRF, CT, or other scans of entire or selected critical sections of core
• stratigraphic refinements for identified critical intervals
• refinement of shipboard measurements/analyses/descriptions as deemed necessary by the shipboard scientific party

These Ocean Drilling Program (PD 14-5720) post-expedition proposals should be submitted during the initial portion of the expedition moratorium period with the expectation that the work can be completed during the moratorium period.

Limited support will also be provided through the Ocean Drilling Program (PD 14-5720) for critical, expedition-specific shipboard or downhole instrumentation (not meant for large instrumentation projects like CORKS) and for data synthesis/reprocessing critical for expedition implementation. Proposals of this type may be submitted at any time prior to the expedition.

Investigators are encouraged to contact the program directors identified in this program description prior to submission of a proposal to the Ocean Drilling Program (PD 14-5720) to discuss the appropriateness of the proposal for this particular program.

It is expected that results generated from Ocean Drilling Program (PD 14-5720) awards will be made available to other shipboard participants upon completion and, once the moratorium is over, to the broader scientific community as required by the NSF-OCE Data and Sample Policy.

Additional support for United States scientists may be obtained via the U.S. Science Support Program. Funding opportunities from this NSF-sponsored program include, but are not limited to:

• planning activities, such as workshops on specific ocean-drilling scientific themes, regional areas, or topics
• support for United States scientists participating on drilling expeditions and JOIDES Resolution advisory panels
• educational programs

Advancing Sustainable Communities

Since 2002, we’ve been empowering local communities with sustainability solutions. Through nonprofit partnerships and sustainability grants, we’ve delivered projects promoting renewable energy, energy efficiency, resource conservation and environmental stewardship.

Mission

"Choose wisely. It's a small planet." That's how it all started back in 1997, when a crew of like-minded folks in Vermont set out on a mission: to use the power of consumer choice and help change the way power is made. Over 20 years later, we’re proud to be a carbon-neutral company that continues to keep sustainability at the heart of everything we do. Join us as we help make the planet a cleaner, greener place to be.

Sustainability Grants

If you’re a U.S.-based nonprofit looking to make a positive environmental impact and you want access to a network of sustainability experts, it’s time to plant seeds of sustainability in your community.

Eligible Sustainability Initiatives

In addition to supporting rooftop solar installation projects, we've expanded our mission to support other sustainability initiatives that include but aren't limited to:

• Clean Transportation
• Education and Awareness
• Energy Efficiency
• Renewable Energy
• Resource Conservation
• Sustainable Agriculture

We’re open to new, creative ideas from nonprofit organizations interested in utilizing and promoting sustainability initiatives.

Selection Process - Impact Measurement

We measure environmental, social and financial impacts:

• Environmental impact calculations consider how the project is more impactful for the planet than the alternative.
• Examples: CO2 prevented (renewable versus traditional generation methods), miles not driven, gallons of water conserved, green space created, pounds of waste diverted.
• Social impact calculations assess how the project will elicit change in the community.
• Examples: results of an email or newsletter story about the project, number of students impacted through curriculum, attendee numbers on sustainability tours.
• Financial impact calculations assess how the project will save your organization money, and how those savings can further support your mission.
• Example: a solar array would save your organization $2,000 per year, resulting in 100 more meals distributed to the homeless or 30 more children receiving free tuition.

Award Amounts

Donation amounts depend on a number of factors, including evaluation of the environmental, social, and financial impact of the donation. Past donations have ranged from $50,000 to $400,000.

Our Vision

We envision healthy lands, waters, native plants and animals supported with vibrant, thriving ecosystems throughout our beautiful state.

We believe great things happen when organizations and funders work together for the highest good.

We are a donor-advised fund comprised of a fund director, advisory committee, and fund administrator. Established in 2017 by G.P. “Buzz” Avery, in partnership with the Austin Community Foundation, we support nonprofit organizations whose primary mission is preserving natural habitats, especially those that are critically threatened.

The Environmental Fund of Texas: Tier 1 - Grassroots Funds & Classrooms Taking Action

Tier 1 grants are intended for grassroots organizations seeking funding for smaller-scale projects or start-up costs, or for teachers/schools to create on- campus native gardens used in learning, such as pocket prairies.

Funding Priorities

Public Action for the Environment 

We support projects that engage local communities in conservation action.

Projects are undertaken in collaboration with community volunteers, teachers and students, and partnering organizations.

These on-the-ground projects focus on priority areas such as:

Water

Protecting natural water sources—including rivers, aquifers, springs, estuaries, and wetlands—as well as their supporting watersheds.

Natural Areas

Protection, restoration, and stewardship of natural areas and native habitat.

Native wildlife

Protecting and sustaining native, at-risk wildlife.

Our Vision

We envision healthy lands, waters, native plants and animals supported with vibrant, thriving ecosystems throughout our beautiful state.

We believe great things happen when organizations and funders work together for the highest good.

We are a donor-advised fund comprised of a fund director, advisory committee, and fund administrator. Established in 2017 by G.P. “Buzz” Avery, in partnership with the Austin Community Foundation, we support nonprofit organizations whose primary mission is preserving natural habitats, especially those that are critically threatened.

The Environmental Fund of Texas: Tier 2 -EFT Priority Projects

Tier 2 grants are for projects that address threats to natural environments in Texas—in our priority areas of water, natural areas, and native wildlife. This also includes projects that empower public engagement and action, and forge meaningful connections with nature. Most of the grants we fund are Tier 2 grants.Funding priorities​:

• Water:​
  • We support programs aimed at protecting natural water sources, including rivers, streams, lakes, aquifers, and springs, as well as their supporting watersheds.
    • Examples of programs include:
      • Native vegetation restoration in freshwater habitats, along riparian corridors, and in our bays and estuaries.
      • Creation of rain gardens and water conservation demonstration sites in visible areas that aim to reduce water consumption, provide habitat for wildlife and native plants, and educate the public on the value of green infrastructure.
      • Volunteer oyster gardening and reef monitoring project.
      • Landowner engagement focused on protection and sustainable management of groundwater resources.
• Natural areas:​
  • We support the protection and stewardship of ecologically-functional natural areas.
    • Examples of programs include:
      • Protection and restoration of imperiled and native ecosystems and habitats (e.g. Blackland
      • Prairie, Coastal estuaries, Post Oak Savannah).
      • Removal or reduction of invasive and/or non-native species in conjunction with replanting of native species and continued land/habitat management (e.g. brush removal, prescribed fire).
      • Outreach and technical guidance projects to promote land stewardship and restoration for the benefit of the environment and biodiversity.
      • Collaboration with local landowners and communities to develop compatible use plans and a common vision for natural and cultural landscapes.
• Native wildlife:​
  • We support programs which focus on protecting and sustaining native wildlife.
    • Examples of programs include:
      • Implementation of direct actions to help at-risk species and their habitats in Texas (e.g. habitat restoration, threat removal, communications for behavior change or actions needed).
      • Strategic engagement of local communities/audiences in the conservation of threatened and endangered species in Texas.
      • Technical guidance and resource projects for local landowners to conserve at-risk wildlife.
      • Monitoring of threatened or imperiled wildlife species for the purpose of land use planning that facilitates improved habitat quality/connectivity and that demonstrate a direct link to conservation action.
• Public Engagement:​
• We support projects that forge connections with nature and increase public action for the environment.
  • Examples of programs include:
    • Projects that engage volunteers and communities in on-the-ground action for wildlife and habitat.
    • Engaging students/community partners in the creation of pocket prairies/native gardens used in hands-on learning.
    • Field trip to a local natural area to learn about native wildlife and ecology and participate in a stewardship project (e.g. planting trees or wildlife flower seed).
    • Projects that engage local educators on local conservation issues and provide resources and training for how to incorporate in learning settings.
    • Community events that engages local families in a day of wildlife watching or citizen science and includes opportunities to learn how they can help local wildlife.

Our Vision

We envision healthy lands, waters, native plants and animals supported with vibrant, thriving ecosystems throughout our beautiful state.

We believe great things happen when organizations and funders work together for the highest good.

We are a donor-advised fund comprised of a fund director, advisory committee, and fund administrator. Established in 2017 by G.P. “Buzz” Avery, in partnership with the Austin Community Foundation, we support nonprofit organizations whose primary mission is preserving natural habitats, especially those that are critically threatened.

The Environmental Fund of Texas: Tier 3 - Collaborative Initiatives

For Tier 3 we look for organizations partnering with multiple stakeholders to accomplish something larger than an individual organization could do on its own.

Funding priorities​:

• Water: We support projects aimed at protecting natural water sources—including rivers, aquifers, springs, estuaries, and wetlands—as well as their supporting watersheds.
• Natural Areas: We support the protection, restoration, and stewardship of ecologically functional natural areas.
• Native Wildlife: We support projects that focus on protecting and sustaining native, at-risk wildlife.
• Classrooms Taking Action: We support projects that engage local classrooms, teachers, and students in conservation action. Examples of previously approved projects: Teacher/classroom-led efforts to create a school pocket prairie/native pollinator garden used in hands-on learning. Field trip to a local natural area to learn about native wildlife and ecology, and participate in a civic project (e.g., planting native wildflower seeds or native trees)

Our Vision

We envision healthy lands, waters, native plants and animals supported with vibrant, thriving ecosystems throughout our beautiful state.

We believe great things happen when organizations and funders work together for the highest good.

We are a donor-advised fund comprised of a fund director, advisory committee, and fund administrator. Established in 2017 by G.P. “Buzz” Avery, in partnership with the Austin Community Foundation, we support nonprofit organizations whose primary mission is preserving natural habitats, especially those that are critically threatened.

The Environmental Fund of Texas: Tier 4 - Multi-year Grants

Grants from Tiers 2 and 3 may extend up to 3-year commitments pending annual evaluation and reporting compliance. Please designate upon applying that your grant request is for Tier 4 funding no matter which Tier each years funding will fall within (2 or 3).

Funding priorities​:

• Water:​
  • We support programs aimed at protecting natural water sources, including rivers, streams, lakes, aquifers, and springs, as well as their supporting watersheds.
    • Examples of programs include:
      • Strategic and effective preservation of land and native habitats along key waterways
      • Removal of invasive aquatic species from freshwater systems
• Natural areas:​
  • We support the protection and stewardship of ecologically-functional natural areas.
    • Examples of programs include:
      • Protection and restoration of imperiled and native ecosystems and habitats
      • Removal or reduction of invasive, non-native species posing threats or harm to natural communities in conjunction with replanting of native species and continued management
      • Enhanced monitoring and enforcement of existing natural areas
      • Collaboration with local landowners and communities to develop compatible use plans and a common vision for natural and cultural landscapes
• Native wildlife:​
  • We support programs which focus on protecting and sustaining native wildlife.
    • Examples of programs include:
      • Implementation of direct actions to help at-risk species and their habitats in Texas (e.g.habitat restoration, threat removal, communications for behavior change or actions needed).
      • Strategic engagement of local communities/audiences in the conservation of threatened and endangered species in Texas.
      • Technical guidance and resource projects for local landowners to conserve at-risk wildlife.
      • Monitoring of threatened or imperiled wildlife species for the purpose of land use planning that facilitates improved habitat quality/connectivity and that demonstrate a direct link to conservation action.Environmental education and awareness:​
• • The Fund supports projects that raise public awareness of environmental issues, inform and engage citizens, and build a future generation of environmental activists.
  • Special attention is given to projects that provide, encourage and support interactive and hands-on experiences out in nature.
• Public Engagement
• We support projects that forge connections with nature and increase public action for the environment.
• Examples of previously approved projects: 
• Projects that engage volunteers and communities in on-the-ground action for wildlife and habitat.
• Engaging students/community partners in the creation of pocket prairies/native gardens used in hands-on learning.
• Field trip to a local natural area to learn about native wildlife and ecology and participate in a stewardship project (e.g. planting trees or wildlife flower seed).
• Projects that engage local educators on local conservation issues and provide resources and training for how to incorporate in learning settings.
• Community events that engages local families in a day of wildlife watching or citizen science and includes opportunities to learn how they can help local wildlife.

People Helping People

Founded in 2003, the United Heritage Charity Foundation was developed to support the many charitable projects in which United Heritage Credit Union participates. Since its inception, the Charity Foundation has distributed funds to numerous local charities including children’s organizations, cancer research, veterans and education initiatives. 

UHCF Donation Request

In order to ensure our support has the most direct impact and meaningful impact on our communities, the Charity Foundation has shifted our donation process to focus on organizations and groups based on what is happening throughout the year to actively address current needs. This partnership approach allows us to work side-by-side with them and tell more of the story behind each organization's impact. 

How We Provide Support

The United Heritage Charity Foundation places priority on contributing to deserving organizations that make a difference in our local communities. To maximize our efforts, we support organizations that focus on improving the lives of individuals within Central and East Texas. 

To optimize our efforts, the Charity Foundation supports organizations whose focus includes one or more of a few specific areas outlined here:

• Education:
  • Focus Season: July - September
  • With a belief that our children remain our single greatest resource, the United Heritage Charity Foundation is a strong supporter of education initiatives for young people. By giving today’s youth every opportunity for success, our communities will grow and prosper.
• Family & Children:
  • Focus Season: July - September
  • The Charity Foundation believes that children are the key to our future and that family is the biggest influence in a child's life. Supporting these relationships whenever possible is very important.
• Healthcare:
  • Focus Season: April - June
  • Healthcare has been and will continue to be an important aspect of our culture. The Charity Foundation understands the impact that healthcare and medical research have on our communities.
• Human Services:
  • Focus Season: January - March
  • This area of focus incorporates a few very important initiatives such as assistance for the elderly, those with disabilities or mental health struggles, and many other community assistance programs.
• Military & Veteran Assistance:
  • Focus Season: October - December
  • The United Heritage Charity Foundation feels it is important to support our military and veterans in as many ways as possible to show our appreciation of their many sacrifices. This is also a nod to United Heritage Credit Union's history, as it originally started as a military credit union.

Texas Water Development Fund (DFund)

The DFund is a streamlined state loan program that provides financing for various types of infrastructure projects. This program enables the TWDB to fund projects with multiple purposes (e.g., water and wastewater) in one loan. Through Fiscal Year 2020, the program has committed approximately $2.7 billion for projects across Texas.

What can the program do for you?

The Water Development Fund (DFund) is a state funded loan program that does not receive federal subsidies and is not subject to federal crosscutters. The DFund enables the Board to fund multiple eligible components in one loan to our borrowers, e.g. an application for funding of water and wastewater components can be processed in a single loan.

Who can borrow?

Eligible applicants for the DFund include all political subdivisions of the state (at tax exempt rates) and nonprofit water supply corporations (at taxable rates). Political subdivisions include cities, counties, districts, and river authorities.

What types of projects can I use the loan funding for?

Financial assistance for water supply projects may include planning, design, and construction for:

• wells
• retail distribution and wholesale transmission lines
• system acquisitions
• pumping facilities
• storage reservoirs and tanks
• water treatment plants
• purchase of water rights

Financial assistance for wastewater projects may include planning, design, and construction for:

• sewer treatment plants
• collection systems
• system acquisitions
• nonpoint source pollution abatement
• development of new municipal solid waste disposal facilities

Financial assistance for flood control may include structural and nonstructural flood protection improvements such as:

• construction of storm water retention basins
• enlargement of stream channels
• modification or reconstruction of bridges
• acquisition of floodplain land for use in public open space
• relocation of residents of buildings removed from a floodplain
• public beach re-nourishment
• flood warning systems
• control of coastal erosion
• development of flood management plans

Are loans and grants offered?

Due to statutory limitations, only loans are offered through the DFund. The interest rate on a DFund loan varies depending on market conditions. The lending rate scales are set at approximately the TWDB's borrowing cost. The lending rates are intended to provide reasonable rates for TWDB customers while covering the TWDB's cost of funds and risk exposure. Current interest rates are available.

What project components can I receive funding to complete?

The pre-design funding option is available for most water supply, treatment, and wastewater projects and allows an eligible applicant to receive a loan commitment on the basis of preliminary engineering, environmental, economic, and social information. Funds for completing detailed planning, including environmental studies, are provided at closing, whereas funds for design, preparation of final plans and specifications, and construction are placed in escrow until needed.

If the pre-design funding option is not used, applicants seeking only construction phase funding must develop plans and specifications and have them approved by TWDB staff, obtain all necessary permits, and open bids prior to closing the loan.

How much funding is available?

The TWDB will sell bonds as needed to obtain proceeds for DFund which will be used to fund loans for our applicants.

When can I apply?

The first step in the application process is to schedule a pre-application conference with your Regional Project Implementation Team to discuss the project's eligibility. The purpose of the conference is to discuss the proposed project and receive any needed guidance and assistance. For tax-exempt borrowers, the applicant, the applicant's financial advisor, and the applicant's consulting engineer should attend this conference. Requesting a pre-application conference does not in any way obligate an applicant to continue the process.

About Us

The Foxwynd Foundation comprises dedicated members of the Bentley family residing across the United States. Across numerous years, the family's philanthropic endeavors have catalyzed significant change on both domestic and international fronts, reflecting their deep-rooted commitment to humanitarian causes. This longstanding legacy of giving underscored the imperative to establish a family foundation.

With a diverse and passionate board of members, interests range from supporting domestic violence shelters and children's aid organizations to advancing renewable energy initiatives and safeguarding endangered species.

Today, the Foxwynd Foundation is dedicated to serving as a beacon of hope for communities in need, enhancing access to essential pillars of human dignity and potential, including healthcare, housing, and sustainable environmental initiatives. While presently focused on domestic causes, the foundation aims to expand its impact and secure international funding opportunities by the conclusion of 2024.

Priorities

• Healthcare
  • We support programs dedicated to assisting domestic violence victims, abuse survivors, and the protection of women's rights.
• Environmental Projects
  • We prioritize funding projects with a clear, measurable impact rather than initiatives with broad or abstract objectives. For example, we are more inclined to support tangible activities such as tree planting over programs like conservation education. Additionally, our focus is on building partnerships with organizations that are nonpartisan and refrain from engaging in lobbying activities.
• Housing
  • We are committed to funding established programs that address critical needs, including supporting shelters, preventing homelessness—particularly among children through initiatives such as orphanages—providing or establishing housing facilities, offering housing assistance to prevent eviction, and creating employment opportunities for individuals in need.

The Impact Fund awards recoverable grants to legal services nonprofits, private attorneys, and small law firms who seek to confront economic, environmental, racial, and social injustice. Since our founding in 1992, the Impact Fund has made more than 800 recoverable grants totaling more than $10 million for impact litigation. We award grants four times per year, most within the range of US$10,000 to US$50,000.

Social Justice

The Impact Fund provides grants and legal support to assist in human and civil rights cases. We have helped to change dozens of laws and win cases to improve the rights of thousands. The cases we are funding allege that:

• In Texas and North Carolina, incarcerated people with mental health disabilities are forced to remain in jail despite being found not guilty and unable to proceed with a criminal trial.
• In Orange County, California there are currently 13 gang injunctions under effect, which disproportionately affect young men of color.
• In Chicago, Illinois, the city’s homeless shelter program is inaccessible to people with disabilities.
• In Springfield, Oregon, the city and its police department used excessive force against Black Lives Matter protesters.
• In West Virginia, the state fails to protect children in foster care from abuse and neglect. 
• In Montana, voter suppression laws disadvantage young adults and give priority to gun owners.
• In Gary, Indiana, a gun manufacturer negligently marketed and distributed its guns, leading to an epidemic of gun violence in the city. 
• In Vancouver, British Columbia, the police perpetuate systemic discrimination against Indigenous people through bureaucratic measures.

Environmental Justice

The Impact Fund provides grants to support local litigation for environmental justice. These grants are for cases aiming to help people or communities who are affected by environmental harm or who lack access to basic environmental needs, such as clean water, clean air, adequate waste treatment, and green spaces. The cases we are funding allege that:

• In Centreville, Illinois, the city’s failure to maintain its sewer system has caused raw sewage to flood peoples’ homes, endangering the property and health of a predominantly Black community.
• In Fresno County, California, the California Department of Transportation approved a highway expansion project that would increase air pollution and traffic in one of the state’s most environmentally burdened communities.
• In downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the proposed expansion of a highway would divide the region's Black, Asian, and Latine neighborhoods and cause pollution and ill health.
• In North Dakota, the five-month closure of a highway in response to the Dakota Access Pipeline protests disproportionately affected the livelihoods and health of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe members.
• In Ontario, Canada, mercury contamination of the English-Wabigoon river system causes catastrophic environmental and health impacts for the Grassy Narrows First Nation.
• In Sacramento, California, the county government and Sacramento Area Sewer District violated the Clean Water Act by discharging raw sewage into nearby rivers.
• In the Eastern Coachella Valley in California, 1,900 residents of the Oasis Mobile Home Park suffer from arsenic-laced drinking water, wastewater contamination, and overcharging for utilities.

Economic Justice

The Impact Fund provides financial and other forms of support to cases fighting for economic justice. From workers' rights to consumer protection for vulnerable populations, impact litigation is a powerful tool to hold corporationss and the government accountable. The cases we are funding allege that:

• In Brooklyn, New York, a prominent mortgage lender engaged in predatory practices, leaving homeowners of color at risk of losing their homes. 
• In Washington, live-in caregivers are unconstitutionally excluded from the state’s wage-and-hour protections.
• In Ravalli County, Montana, the county has created a “modern-day debtors’ prison” by incarcerating people unable to afford pre-trial fees. 
• In San Diego, California, vehicle ordinances target unhoused vehicle owners even when no adequate housing alternative exists.
• In New York, a federal immigration detention facility is violating minimum wage and forced labor laws by forcing detainees to work for just a dollar a day. 
• In Minneapolis, Minnesota, the city and county destroy the property of unhoused individuals and conduct forced evictions from public spaces. 
• In Miami, Florida, insurance companies discriminate against a nonprofit community development corporation renting to tenants with Section 8 rental subsidies.

T.L.L. Temple Foundation

The T.L.L. Temple Foundation works alongside rural communities to build a thriving East Texas and to alleviate poverty, creating access and opportunities for all.

Focus Areas

In support of its mission to build a thriving Deep East Texas and to alleviate poverty, the foundation makes grants in the areas of education, economic development and community revitalization, health, human services, arts and culture, and conservation and the environment. Central to the foundation’s work is the aim of breaking the cycle of poverty, and the foundation prioritizes support for residents and communities that most lack access to opportunities they need to succeed

Health

America’s Health Rankings, an independent health measure that combines more than 30 health-related metrics, ranks Texas 34th out of 50 states in resident health. Texans show comparatively high rates of obesity, physical inactivity, and diabetes. Disparities in health status–by race and ethnicity, geography and income–are also higher in Texas than in many states: Texas ranks 44th in the prevalence of health disparities in the nation.

Access to health care providers is also a challenge in Texas, particularly in rural areas of the state. This is partly a function of insurance coverage. According to the U.S. Census, Texas has the highest rate of uninsured residents in the nation: in 2016, 17.1% of Texas residents do not have health insurance coverage, compared to 9.4% nationally. It ranks second in lack of health insurance coverage for children: 9.5% of children in Texas have no health insurance, compared to 4.8% nationally. In our region, insured rates are even lower: in 2014, 21.3% of residents had no health insurance coverage, compared to 19.1% for the state in 2014. 

Given these challenges, our goal is simple: to improve the health of residents of Deep East Texas. The barriers of poverty, geographic isolation, and a lack of access to health care services make it particularly difficult for many residents in our region to improve and maintain their health. Yet poor health status often limits residents’ ability to get a high quality education, hold down a sustaining job, and stay out of poverty.

Education

Educational attainment is a significant challenge in our region. Based on U.S. Census data, Texas ranks 49th out of the 50 states for having the lowest percentage of adults with a high school diploma, with 18.5% of people 25 and older not having earned a high school degree or equivalent. According to the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board the problem is even more pronounced in our region. In the most recent 8th grade cohort available, there were 24,639 students in upper and southeast Texas counties we serve. Five years later, only 72.0% completed high school, meaning that almost 7,000 young people did not complete the most basic education.

The counties in our region lag even further behind when it comes to college completion: according to the U.S. Census’s 2015 American Community Survey, only 14.0% of people 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or higher, compared to 27.1% in Texas and 29.3% nationally. This is particularly problematic considering that many of the region’s fastest growing occupations require at least an associate’s degree, if not a four-year degree. 

Education has always been a top priority for the T.L.L. Temple Foundation because it is the most effective tool to break the cycle of poverty and build a thriving region. Addressing the region’s low rates of educational attainment—particularly for low-income students—is critical to improving outcomes in poverty, health and economic development. We aim to increase access to high quality educational opportunities for residents in Deep East Texas. We invest in programs that measurably improve education outcomes in the region, including: early childhood education, out-of-school-time programs, and programs dedicated to increasing postsecondary preparation, access and success. We also support efforts to ensure that Deep East Texans have the skills needed to obtain and retain high quality jobs.

Economic Development and Community Revitalization

The 24 counties in our service region have very high rates of unemployment: according to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2016, 52.9% of the population 16 and older was in the labor force, compared to 64.4% in Texas and 63.5% nationally. In the Deep East Texas Workforce Development Area, the unemployment rate was 7% in 2016. While this decreased from 10% in 2011, it is significantly higher than the state unemployment rate of 4.7% and the national unemployment rate of 4.9% during the same period.

According to the Texas Workforce Commission, between 2012 and 2022, jobs are expected to increase by 13.1% in the Deep East Texas Workforce Development Area, compared to 21.3% for Texas, and 10.8% for the U.S. The fastest growing occupations correspond to the region’s aging population: home health and personal care aides, nursing, medical secretaries, and medical assistants. Most of these jobs require a two or four-year degree. 

We aim to improve economic opportunities and help develop and sustain thriving communities in the most economically challenged places in our service area. Vibrant communities and a robust regional economy are central to creating and sustaining a thriving Deep East Texas. We invest in efforts to transform disinvested communities into places with economic opportunities and equitable access to the essential community resources needed to help families thrive. Impact Lufkin, a foundation-initiated program, is an example of the foundation’s approach to holistic, resident-engaged community revitalization. Because engaged citizens are central to fostering strong communities, we also fund programs to increase civic participation. Finally, we invest in programs that strengthen the regional economy and improve economic opportunities for residents of Deep East Texas.

Human Services

Too many residents of Deep East Texas live in poverty. According to the U.S. Census, in 2015 in the 24 counties that we serve, 19.3% of residents live in poverty, compared to 15.9% of Texans and 13.5% of people in the U.S. The median household income (2010-2014) is 21% lower than the state of Texas, and 22% lower than the U.S. For these residents, poverty can become a vicious cycle, limiting access to the quality education, self-sustaining employment, and health care needed to rise above poverty.

The foundation works to ensure the most vulnerable residents in our service region have their basic needs met. By helping provide access to food, shelter, social services and other programs, we strive to make sure that there is a strong safety net to support the region’s low-income and vulnerable residents.

Arts and Culture

Arts and culture are critical for healthy communities and a thriving region. The foundation has long supported efforts to celebrate the region’s cultural heritage and document its important history. We will continue to help enrich the lives of Deep East Texans by investing in programs that provide access to artistic and cultural experiences.

Conservation and the Environment

Beginning with the first timber harvested in the second half of the nineteenth century, the Temple family has had a special bond with the forests, wetlands, and open spaces across our region. We believe that the health of our natural environment is closely connected to the health of our residents, our communities, and our region and so seek to protect our important natural resources.

The primary emphasis of the foundation’s conservation and environmental efforts is the Boggy Slough Conservation Area  - a Temple Foundation-managed program.

The aim of the Boggy Slough Conservation Area is to:

• serve as a model for conservation and land management;
• serve as a catalyst for creating a stewardship ethic and connection to nature in our communities; and
• bridge critical research gaps regarding the forest and bottomland ecosystems of the Neches River basin and the Southeast.

Type of Support

The foundation awards funding for multiple purposes, including: general operating support, project support, capital improvements, and organizational development and capacity building.

Size and Duration of Grants

The size and duration of grants is matched to the applicant’s scale of impact, need, capabilities and opportunities, and typically follow these guidelines:

• We provide one-year funding for initial grants
• We rarely make grants that exceed 30% of a project or organizational budget

Recreation Grants has been assisting hundreds of communities across Texas with their outdoor recreation needs since 1965 through our grant assistance and outreach programs. From the largest metropolis to the smallest rural community these programs help to build new parks, conserve natural resources, provide access to water bodies, develop educational programs for youth, and much more. Providing grants to communities across Texas helps build access to outdoor experiences and encourages a connection with nature that is vital for promoting conservation and good environmental stewardship among Texans young and old.

Through our programs we build long-term partnerships that assist TPWD in our mission to manage and conserve the natural and cultural resources of Texas and to provide hunting, fishing and outdoor recreation opportunities for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.

Recreational Trails Grants

TPWD administers the National Recreational Trails Fund in Texas under the approval of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). This federally funded program receives its funding from a portion of federal gas taxes paid on fuel used in non-highway recreational vehicles.

The reimbursable grants can be up to 80% of project cost with a maximum of $200,000 for non-motorized trail grants and a maximum award of $400,000 for motorized (off-highway vehicle) trail grants.

Funds can be spent on both motorized and non-motorized recreational trail projects such as:

• the construction of new recreational trails,
• to improve existing trails,
• to develop trailheads or trailside facilities, and
• to acquire trail corridors. 

Mission

The Mary Moody Northen Endowment is a charitable foundation which awards grants to support environmental, social service, educational and historical projects benefitting people and institutions in Virginia and Texas.

Galveston Community Impact Grants Goals

The Endowment Board of Directors has expressed its collective interest in considering grants that enable an organization to purchase equipment, furniture and fixtures, supplies and materials essential to the delivery of services and/or accomplishment of its mission. Additionally, the renovation of facilities and/or improvement of energy efficiency of facilities are of particular interest to the board. In all requests, the board is interested in specific details in order to be able to give full consideration to the request.

The Endowment’s Board has expressed interest in supporting specific programs within an organization’s operation. Any request for this kind of funding should include a detailed program budget.

The board will take into consideration whether a request leverages funds not otherwise available to the organization as well as cooperation with other organizations to serve shared clients.

Earl C. Sams Foundation

The Earl C. Sams Foundation, Inc. was originally organized under the laws of New York on December 9, 1946. The original assets of the Foundation consisted of forty thousand shares of common stock of J. C. Penney Company. The administration of the Foundation was originally conducted in New York, but after the death of Earl C. Sams on July 23, 1950, the administration was moved to Brownsville, Texas. Administration of the Foundation was subsequently moved to Corpus Christi, Texas; and the Foundation was converted into a Texas foundation by a series of legal steps, which were completed in June of 1988. Since its inception in 1946, the Foundation has given out over $48 million in grants.

The Foundation awards grants to a wide array of charities, primarily in the South Texas area, for many projects in various educational, medical, social, religious and environmental fields.

Grantmaking Guidelines

The Foundation makes grants to a wide array of charities, for many projects in various educational, medical, social, religious and environmental fields.

While the Foundation does periodically fund scholarships at various institutions, the institution, not the Foundation, determines the recipients of those scholarship funds.

The Laura Jane Musser Fund was established by the estate of Laura Jane Musser of Little Falls, Minnesota to continue the personal philanthropy, which she practiced in her lifetime.

Environmental Initiative Program

The Laura Jane Musser Fund assists public or not-for-profit entities to initiate or implement projects that enhance the ecological integrity of publicly owned open spaces, while encouraging compatible human activities. 

The Fund's goal is to promote public use of open space that improves a community's quality of life and public health, while also ensuring the protection of healthy, viable and sustainable ecosystems by protecting or restoring habitat for a diversity of plant and animal species.

The Laura Jane Musser Fund encourages the use of a community-based approach with broad and active local stakeholder participation in both planning and implementation stages of projects concerning the environmental preservation and sustainable use of public open spaces. It has been our experience that projects designed through this process have a greater chance of acceptance and lasting success.

The Musser Fund is likely to make a total of 5 to 7 grants in the Environmental Initiative this year. This is a very competitive granting initiative.

Funds will be available for: 

• Planning (UP to $8,000)
• Implementation (Up to $35,000)

Planning Grant Requests: Planning grant applications must demonstrate commitment to a broad-based, active community process for the design and use of local publicly-owned open spaces.

Note - The planning stage is optional and not a required phase prior to applying for or receiving an implementation grant. If an organization receives a planning grant from the Musser Fund, this in no way implies a commitment on the part of the Musser Fund to provide the organization with any subsequent implementation grant. 

Implementation Grant Requests:  Implementation grant applications must demonstrate clear evidence of local community active participation and support.

Forever Austin Fund

About this grant opportunity

The Forever Austin Fund is a permanent community resource that enables ACF to invest in Austin’s most pressing needs and greatest opportunities. The Forever Austin Fund supports the giving of a collection of field-of-interest funds, unrestricted funds, and donor advised funds at the Foundation. The ACF team manages grantmaking from these funds, thoughtfully balancing the intent of each fund with the evolving needs of Central Texas.

Funding areas

Every year, ACF will make Forever Austin Fund grants to address both urgent and systemic needs in Central Texas. The issues prioritized in Forever Austin Fund grantmaking will shift over time to reflect the evolving needs of our region and the interests of our legacy donors. In 2025, the grants will focus on the following areas:

Economic Mobility: Ensuring paths to economic mobility for Central Texans is a critical strategy in ACF’s focus on closing the opportunity gap. By partnering with and funding organizations that tackle immediate and systemic economic challenges, we aim to eliminate wealth disparities and create lasting change. Grants in this category will focus on four key areas:

Health and Humanities: The future of our region is inextricably linked to the health of our people and the growth of our creative community. Grants in this category will focus on:

Nurturing Our Region: Preserving and protecting our rich ecosystem ensures generations of Central Texans can live and thrive. Grants in this category will focus on:

Funding amounts

Through the Forever Austin Fund grant cycle, we anticipate awarding 50-75 grants between $5,000 – $50,000 each. Award amounts will be determined by application scores, donor priorities, and individual endowment budgets. Grants may be approved for full or partial funding of the requested amount, which cannot exceed 30% of the organization’s budget.

Additional information per funding area:

• Economic Mobility: 20-30 grants, up to $1,250,000
• Health and Humanities: 15-20 grants up to $550,000
• Nurturing Our Region: 10-15 grants up to $200,000

History

Emma Elizabeth Barnsley was born on December 10, 1926 in Crane County, Texas and grew up in the areas of Crane, Midland, and Odessa, Texas. She moved to New York City as a young woman where she spent most of her adult life. Ms. Barnsley had a deep love for animals of all kinds. It is because of this passion she established the Emma Barnsley Foundation for the purposes of the prevention of cruelty to animals and the study, care, protection, and preservation of animals, both domestic and wild, and their environment. Ms. Barnsley passed away on August 1, 2007 in New York.

Mission

The mission of the Emma Barnsley Foundation is to promote the prevention of cruelty to animals and for the study, care, protection, and preservation of animals, both domestic and wild, and their environment.

Giving

The Emma Barnsley Foundation awards grants exclusively for charitable, scientific, and educational purposes as follows:

• To aid and assist in the prevention of cruelty to animals, both domestic and wild.

• To aid and assist in the care, protection and preservation of animals, both domestic and wild, and the environment in which such wild animals may live.

• To provide scholarships for deserving young men and women to assist them in the study of veterinary medicine at any institution of higher learning in the state of Texas.

• To assist institutions of higher learning in the state of Texas in the operation and maintenance of courses of study in veterinary medicine and in the study of animals and animal life.

• To assist in research projects involving ecological, environmental, and wildlife studies, provided no funds shall be given to any organization utilizing animals for research or experimental purposes if such animals are in any way harmed, mutilated, intentionally inflicted with disease or any substance causing disease, or if such animals are killed in the course of such research.

Research & Education Grant

Southern SARE is requesting pre-proposals for either Systems Research Projects or for Education Projects and Activities that address issues of sustainable agriculture of current and potential importance to the region and the nation.

Maximum funding amount for Systems Research Projects is $400,000, and maximum funding amount for Education Projects and Activities is $50,000. Pre-proposals with smaller funding requests are welcomed and encouraged.

Southern SARE accepts proposals from applicants in the Southern region: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Proposed projects must focus on Southern SARE’s program objectives in developing sustainable agriculture systems or moving existing farming systems toward sustainability, as defined by the Congress in the 1990 Farm Bill. Under that law, “the term sustainable agriculture means an integrated system of plant and animal production practices having a site-specific application that will, over the long term:

• Satisfy human food and fiber needs;
• Enhance environmental quality and the natural resource base upon which the agricultural economy depends;
• Make the most efficient use of nonrenewable resources and on-farm resources and integrate, where appropriate, natural biological cycles and controls;
• Sustain the economic viability of farm operations; and
• Enhance the quality of life for farmers and society as a whole.”

Education

Early Childhood Development & Education

The Powell Foundation seeks to ensure that all children benefit from high-quality early environments and services that foster their healthy development, foundational skill-building, school readiness, and lifelong success.

Our Early Childhood investments are focused in the following areas:

• High-quality providers & educators
• Supportive caregivers
• High-capacity sector

We invest in organizations who champion efforts to:

• Develop, sustain, and scale the availability of high-quality early childhood programs for infants, toddlers, and young children.
• Train and build the capacity of early childhood educators and providers.
• Strengthen the knowledge and capability of parents and other caregivers to nurture and guide their children’s early development and learning.
• Improve the coordination and reach of the intersecting systems impacting early childhood.

Quality Public K-12 Schools

The Powell Foundation believes that all students should receive a high-quality public K-12 education through access to effective schools, curriculum, programming, and support services that ensure they graduate from high school prepared for post-secondary success.

Our Quality Public K-12 Schools investments are focused in the following areas:

• Excellent educators
• Student supports
• Quality schools & school models

We invest in organizations who champion efforts to:

• Strengthen preparation, pathways, training, and development for teachers, school leaders, and district leaders.
• Ensure students receive high-quality, evidence-based academic instruction, programming, and supports.
• Promote the positive development of non-cognitive skills, social-emotional learning, and positive school climate and culture.
• Scale and expand access to high-quality district and public charter school models that strengthen educational outcomes for all students.

Post-secondary Pathways to Success

The Powell Foundation seeks to ensure that all students are prepared for, can access, and complete a post-secondary program that leads to meaningful employment opportunities.

Our Post-Secondary Pathways to Success investments are focused in the following areas:

• Post-secondary access and success
• Post-secondary readiness
• Policies and systems

We invest in organizations who champion efforts to:

• Increase access to and participation in advanced coursework, career awareness programming, and college and career entrance exams.
• Strengthen post-secondary advising and counseling and provide replicable and scalable tools to improve access.
• Bolster the academic preparedness of students to pursue post-secondary pathways; increase student proficiency in non-cognitive and affective skills critical to post-secondary success.
• Strengthen post-secondary persistence, certificate/degree completion, and career attainment.
• Support policies that increase post-secondary access, persistence, and success.

Aligned Cradle-to-Career Education System

The Powell Foundation supports efforts to coordinate and connect people, programs, systems, and policies and collective efforts to create a seamless and integrated educational pathway for children and youth.

Our Aligned Cradle-to-Career Education System investments are focused in the following area:

• Effective tools, policies, and systems

We invest in organizations who champion efforts to:

• Promote continuity across the education system, supporting students at pivotal transition points and accelerating high-impact practices.
• Convene and build a coalition of advocates in support of a sustained and scaled cradle-to-career continuum.
• Invest stakeholders in an aligned vision for strengthening and better connecting early childhood, K-12, and post-secondary.
• Democratize access to user-friendly data and the creation of tools to track and monitor outcomes for students across the full continuum.

Supportive Communities

The Arts

The Powell Foundation works to promote vibrant communities by expanding equitable access to educational experiences in the arts and encouraging public engagement with diverse arts and culture.

Our Arts investments are focused in the following areas:

• Arts education
• Public arts and culture access

We invest in organizations who champion efforts to:

• Provide arts education and cultural experiences to K-12 students, particularly those attending schools in “arts deserts”.
• Provide training on teaching and learning techniques that integrate the arts.
• Expand the community’s access to and engagement in the arts.
• Increase diversity and representation in the arts, with a lens towards historically marginalized groups.

Conservation

The Powell Foundation seeks to foster environmental benefits for current and future generations by connecting people to nature, building environmental stewardship, and addressing critical problems in the local environment.

Our Conservation investments are focused in the following areas:

• Conservation & Environmental education
• Connecting people to nature
• Environmental protection

We invest in organizations who champion efforts to:

• Create high-quality conservation and environmental science learning experiences for children and youth.
• Foster an appreciation and understanding of nature, the natural environment, and environmental stewardship, particularly among children and youth.
• Increase equitable access to public parks and urban greenspaces to support community wellbeing.
• Address critical environmental issues and efforts focused on protecting, preserving, and improving natural resources impacting our geographies through the support of programs, initiatives, and advocacy efforts.

Human Services

The Powell Foundation seeks to foster community wellbeing by empowering children, families, and individuals with the resources and supports they need to flourish.

Our Human Services investments are focused in the following areas:

• Stabilization & empowerment
• Emotional wellbeing

We invest in organizations who champion efforts to:

• Address food security and hunger alleviation at scale for children, youth, families, and other vulnerable populations.
• Provide housing, wrap-around services, and skill-building programs for homeless and housing insecure individuals, including transition-age youth.
• Promote emotional wellbeing of children and youth in crisis by providing mental/behavioral health interventions and supports.
• Coordinate and build the capacity of school systems to use evidence-based practices to promote students’ mental and behavioral health, including prevention, identification, and treatment efforts.

Apache Corporation Tree Grant Program

Trees are an invaluable natural resource. They beautify our neighborhoods, provide habitats for wildlife, and help to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. The Apache Corporation Tree Grant Program focuses on large-scale conservation, protection of habitats for wildlife and native species, as well as the restoration and enhancement of public greenspaces. This award-winning environmental stewardship initiative is helping Apache leave a lasting positive impact for current and future generations in the areas where we live and work.

Since 2005, the Apache Corporation Tree Grant Program has provided more than 5 million trees to over 1,000 nonprofit charitable partners and government agencies in the U.S. We donate trees to a wide variety of organizations, including cities, counties, schools, parks, universities, youth associations, wildlife refuges and charitable service groups. In addition to the development and improvement of public parks and greenspaces, community partners often request trees to support a broad range of conservation efforts, including preservation of natural habitats and reforestation.

Over the past thirty years, The Rachael and Ben F Vaughan Foundation has awarded grants in the areas of animal rights, education, environmental preservation, poverty reduction, and religious iniatives. The Board of Trustees is committed to unique, well-defined, and easily assessed projects. The Board of Trustees prefers to support local projects, although it will accept applications from out of State. 

The Foundation invites organizations to submit a Grant Request Application that describes a specific project in one of the above areas. Grant requests may range between $2,000 and $20,000. The implementation of the project should require no more than twelve months. While the Foundation’s grants largely support work in Texas, it has no geographic limit as the location of the recipient or the project. However, no matter the location, the Foundation encourages grant requests for programs that serve local residents, do not duplicate the efforts of other organizations, minimize administrative fees and will continue to produce benefits after the official date of completion.

Background

Every community faces unique barriers that require collaborative solutions to thrive. The Dow Promise Program supports educational and economic challenges Black youth and adults face in the United States by addressing community-identified needs and advancing equitable opportunities. Through grants of up to $10,000 towards social, economic or environmental initiatives, Dow Promise not only fosters a thriving community, but a shared future.

Since 2000, this annual competitive program has committed to uplifting communities in which Dow operates by supporting their needs and investing in positive social change for long-term success.

The Montgomery County Community Foundation

The Montgomery County Community Foundation was established to create and build a permanent fund to provide for the present and future well-being of our community. To this end, the Foundation works to encourage philanthropy by offering local donors simplicity and flexibility in carrying out their charitable wishes while creating an enduring legacy. We strive to be the hub where local donors, nonprofits and community needs meet. A board of private citizens, who represent the diverse interests of Montgomery County, governs the Foundation.

Grants

Donor Advised Funds

A donor advised fund gives donors the opportunity to actively participate in the philanthropic process by reviewing grant requests and recommending charitable organizations/programs to receive grants. Donors enjoy the benefits of recommending grants that fulfill their charitable wishes, without the expense and obligation of administration. The Foundation’s Board of Directors is legally responsible for approving all grants.

The Annie & Irvin Hoffman Memorial Fund provides grants to nonprofit organizations based in Montgomery County with a special interest in programs for the elderly and children.

The Dan H. & Martha Foster Madeley Heritage Fund was set up to provide grants to Montgomery County nonprofit agencies for researching, collecting, preserving and sharing the histories of the people of Montgomery County, Texas.

The David and Jill Sharp Vaughan Family Fund was set up to meet the benevolent needs of our county and its citizens including, but not limited to, animal welfare.

The George and Emily Fath Fund For Human Needs provides financial assistance for the neediest families in Montgomery County with special consideration given to people who have sudden unexpected needs due to sickness, injury, disability, death in the family or natural disasters. The spirit of Matthew 25:31-46 will serve as a guide.

The Margaret and Foster Madeley Family Fund was set up to help create and foster secure environments and programs in which people are able to experience their potential to thrive.

The Metcalf Family Endowment Fund provides grants to benefit the people of Montgomery County.

The Rick and Rosalind Dauzat Endowment was established to provide grants for the arts and culture, education, and human services.

Field of Interest Funds

Through field of interest funds, donors support a particular interest area such as the arts, children and youth, health and wellness, neediest families or senior citizens. Use of the fund is restricted to the donor’s designated causes, but flexibility remains to meet changing community needs.

As a long time supporter of the Community Foundation, Mr. Brooks left a legacy of to build the future of Montgomery County.  He was especially concerned about children, the youth and senior adults. 

Dale Buckalew Crane’s children, Donnie, Debbie, Deann and Denny, established this fund to honor and remember their mother. Family was the most important thing in Dale’s life. This fund focuses on organizations that provide financial assistance to the children, youth and the elderly of Montgomery County.

Aaron and Dianna Dushkin were community and business leaders in Conroe, with a furniture store on the Courthouse Square.  They helped establish several nonprofits which helped community residents.  Dianna and her children have established this fund to benefit projects that support and encourage the creative arts and literacy in the Montgomery County area.

The Elise Mae & Edward Everett Taylor Fund was created through the Taylor’s will to provide financial assistance to the neediest individuals in Montgomery County, with a special interest in programs that provide services to meet the needs of elderly citizens in the community.

The Jeffrey Kass, MD Dog Rescue & Animal Welfare Fund was created primarily to support dog rescue, including fostering, veterinarian care, transportation, and the adoption process. The Fund also provides assistance to organizations that deal with injured, abandoned or abused animals.

The Jeffrey Kass, MD Elderly Assistance Fund was created to provide support for the indigent elderly in need. All seniors are entitled to proper nutrition, medical care, medications, transportation assistance and companionship. Organizations that are assisting the indigent elderly in any or all of these areas are eligible for grants under this fund.

Arts and culture are a vibrant part of Montgomery County life. This fund honors the spirit of the Montgomery County Performing Arts Society closed its doors and will support performing and visual arts and cultural activities.

Support the environment and ecology initiatives.  Grants will be available once the fund is fully funded.

Created in honor of MCCF’s 2007 – 2017 Executive Director Shannon Kidd’s huge heart, this fund supports programs focused on securing and sustaining the physical, mental, emotional and/or spiritual well-being of children who have been abused and neglected. The spirit of James 1:27 will serve as a guide: Religion the God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

Support physical and mental health care needs including prevention and education.  Grants will be available from this fund once it reaches full funding status.

Support services, programs, and initiatives for Veterans.

Support services, programs, and initiatives for youth and children. Grants will be available from this fund once it reaches full funding status.

To further adult literacy in Montgomery County.

The Susie and Jack Brouse Family Fund was established to provide financial assistance for the neediest families in Montgomery County, Texas, in the spirit of Matthew 25:31-46.

The Woodlands Medical Center Foundation Fund was established for the purpose of providing health care and wellness assistance and education, including shelter and medical or psychological screening, treatment, or counseling in the South Montgomery County/The Woodlands area, through funding of capital improvements.

The Vernon Randolph Yeakely Endowment Fund was established through Mr. Yeakley’s will to provide funding for homeless, hungry and needy people in Montgomery County.

The Vernon Randolph Yeakley Fund for Animal Welfare was established through Mr. Yeakley’s will to provide a perpetual source or funds to promote the humane treatment of animals through community education and supporting responsible pet/animal ownership.

Unrestricted Funds

Donors establishing or adding to unrestricted funds recognize that our community’s needs and opportunities change over time. These funds provide flexible resources needed to support innovative responses to address the community’s most pressing needs. The Foundation’s Distribution Committee and Board of Directors oversee the use of these funds, directing them to projects that most significantly contribute to the welfare of residents of Montgomery County.

The Don A. Buckalew Family Fund was established by Don A. Buckalew, a recognized leader and businessman in Montgomery County, and his family to meet the current and emerging needs of Montgomery County residents.

The Frankie Alexander Benevolent Fund was established by the Montgomery County Community Foundation Board of Directors as a general Unrestricted Fund to accept contributions in memory or honor of individuals.

Formerly know as the Jason & Marti Mann Family Fund, the Family Legacy Partners Endowment Fund was established to meet the current and emerging needs of Montgomery County residents.

Land Conservation

Grants are awarded annually for the preservation of North Texas area ranchland and open-space land utilized for agricultural purposes, wildlife or botanical resources. In addition, the fund supports programs providing education about the importance of protection of land and natural resources.

Focus

Agencies that promote conservation and environmental stewardship, and the preservation of open space in North Texas.

• Projects that directly contribute to the conservation of native Texas species and habitats (e.g. urban green spaces, parks, community gardens, landscaped medians and parkways, prairie restoration, etc.)
• Programs providing education regarding the importance of protection of the land and natural resources.
• Preservation of North Texas area land utilized for agricultural purposes, wildlife, or botanical resources.
• Organizations that help build on existing conservation efforts while strengthening the whole operation.
• Grants for educational programming will be awarded up to $7,500 per organization.
• Grants for conservation & environment projects will be awarded up to $25,000 per organization

 T.J. and LaVerne Plunkett Foundation Grant

Lifelong residents of Rusk County, T.J. and LaVerne Plunkett loved their community and were committed to improving lives throughout the region. Organizations applying to the T.J. and LaVerne Plunkett Foundation Grant at East Texas Communities Foundation must align with the conservative, Christian values exemplified by T.J. and LaVerne Plunkett and their family. Such values include integrity, honesty, stewardship, and respect for all life.

Requests for support in the areas of arts and culture, education and job training, health and human services, Christian ministries, children and youth programs, animal welfare, or environmental concerns are welcome. Requests should not to exceed $10,000.