Best Harris County Grants for Nonprofits in Texas

Welcome to the Greater Houston Community Foundation Scholarship Application Site!   

The Greater Houston Community Foundation (GHCF) administers a variety of unique scholarship funds that grant over $5.7 million annually to college students. The scholarship funds have been established by thoughtful and generous donors and each has a unique set of eligibility criteria and award structure.

Scholarship Application Info:  

Greater Houston Community Foundation administers over 60 different scholarship programs, each with differing eligibility requirements. Eligibility for some scholarships may be dependent on employment, course of study, high school, or college. 

Bratcher Family Foundation Scholarship

This is a renewable scholarship, meaning recipients can renew the award for multiple years funding if they meet the GPA and enrollment requirements and complete the renewal application for each academic year they plan to be enrolled.

About the Scholarship Award

• One (1) new scholarship awarded annually. Scholarship award amounts and renewal durations vary by degree type:
  • 4-year degree at a college/university - $6,000 per academic year
    • Renewable for up to four (4) years of funding maximum ($24,000 in total), as long as the student meets renewal requirements
• 2-year degree at a trade school/community college - $4,000 per academic year
  • Renewable for up to two (2) years of funding maximum ($8,000 in total), as long as the student meets renewal requirements

What can the scholarship be used for?

• The scholarship will be mailed directly to the student's college to be used towards tuition, required academic fees, and/or book expenses. 
• Scholarship funding cannot be distributed directly to the student. Funding cannot be used for room and board, rent, meal plans, parking passes, or other similar living expenses.

Are there any requirements I must meet if I'm selected as a scholarship recipient?

• Recipients must attend an accredited university, community college, or trade school in the United States.
• Recipients must enroll in at least 12 credit hours for both the fall and spring semesters (or be enrolled full-time according to your school if it is on a different system).
• Recipients must submit college enrollment information online through GHCF Scholar the summer before the academic year begins. This information is required in order for the scholarship check to be mailed to the student's college. Instructions will be included in the student's award letter.
• Recipients must meet certain criteria in order to receive subsequent annual awards (i.e., renewals): maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.75, be enrolled in at least 12 credit hours per semester, and complete the renewal application for each academic year they planned to be enrolled.

Bright Minds Scholarship

The Bright Minds Scholarship, in conjunction with the Salem Five Charitable Foundation, supports academic excellence and community leadership across Essex and Middlesex counties. We recognize that the journey to a four-year degree requires significant dedication—and significant resources.

To support that journey, we provide a scholarship award designed to make a real-world impact on the cost of higher education.

The Award

• 5 Scholars Selected Annually: Each year, we name five exceptional students as Bright Minds Scholars.
• Up to $20,000 total: Awarded as $5,000 annually over four years of undergraduate study.
• Maintain good academic standing to receive support throughout your entire bachelor's degree program.

The Salem Five Charitable Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization. Scholarship awards are granted without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or disability. Final selection of scholarship recipients is at the sole discretion of the Salem Five Executive Committee in partnership with the Phillips Scholarship Fund.

Texas Coastal Management Program Grant Application

The Commissioner of the Texas General Land Office is soliciting applications for projects that address environmental concerns and promote economic development within the Texas coastal zone. The Coastal Management Program (CMP) Grant Cycle 32 involves a competitive application process for applicants applying for either NOAA-funded or Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act (GOMESA) funded projects.

CMP NOAA Projects

The CMP awards two types of NOAA CZMA funds- §306 administrative funding and §306A coastal resource improvement program funding, with conditions.

CZMA §306 Administrative Funds

§306 projects do not involve land acquisition, construction, or any earth-moving activities. These projects involve data collection, planning, surveys, mapping, aerial photography, or research. §306 projects MUST directly implement a funding priority listed in the Funding Priorities section. During application review, CMP Review Team members will be required to confirm the exact agency goal or initiative the project will contribute to and explain how data collected during a proposed §306 data collection project will be used.

Texas Coastal Management Program Grant Application

The Commissioner of the Texas General Land Office is soliciting applications for projects that address environmental concerns and promote economic development within the Texas coastal zone. The Coastal Management Program (CMP) Grant Cycle 32 involves a competitive application process for applicants applying for either NOAA-funded or Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act (GOMESA) funded projects.

CMP NOAA Projects

The CMP awards two types of NOAA CZMA funds- §306 administrative funding and §306A coastal resource improvement program funding, with conditions.

CZMA §306A Coastal Resource Improvement Program Funds

§306A projects involve land acquisition, small-scale construction, or small-scale earth moving activities.

Due to NOAA’s prescribed 18-month project timeline and the number of environmental clearances construction with NOAA funds requires, CMP only funds the following types of §306A projects:

• Engineering, design, and permitting for future construction projects
• Small-scale construction of fully permitted projects, i.e. shovel ready
• Land acquisition

pavilions, picnic areas, trail building, restrooms and rinse stations, small-scale land acquisition, and small-dune walkover retrofitting and enhancement

Texas Coastal Management Program Grant Application

The Commissioner of the Texas General Land Office is soliciting applications for projects that address environmental concerns and promote economic development within the Texas coastal zone. The Coastal Management Program (CMP) Grant Cycle 32 involves a competitive application process for applicants applying for either NOAA-funded or Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act (GOMESA) funded projects.

CMP NOAA Projects

The CMP awards two types of NOAA CZMA funds- §306 administrative funding and §306A coastal resource improvement program funding, with conditions.

CMP GOMESA Projects

These projects are funded entirely with GOMESA money and are meant to address large-scale and construction-based coastal issues. CMP GOMESA projects focused on earth-moving construction, restoration, preservation, or land acquisition will be prioritized. CMP GOMESA can fund public access projects that provide physical conveyance and access to the beach environment or protect and preserve beach and dune habitat. Projects can include dune walkovers, parking areas, restrooms, rinse stations, trailsystems and non-commercial piers.

Access to these structures should be free and open to the public. Structures and activities not directly related to preserving habitat or physically conveying public access, such as buildings, playgrounds, or other similar enhancements, are not eligible for funding. Demolition projects (i.e. removal of existing parking lots, structures, facilities) are not permitted unless the structures are prohibiting public access, are on the public beach easement, or represent a contamination/pollution threat to coastal natural resources. Commercial pier, commercial marina, and wastewater treatment plant construction are not eligible. CMP GOMESA projects can focus on non-construction/earth-moving activities but, in these situations, the work proposed should be large-scale and regional in nature. Most non-construction work will be funded with NOAA money.

Beginning this year, construction/earth-moving CMP GOMESA projects should be submitted in phases instead of in their entirety. This change will ensure timely completion of project goals without the need for contract time extensions and to accommodate extended permitting timelines often seen with coastal construction projects. Construction/earth-moving CMP GOMESA projects should be applied for in accordance with the following phases, as applicable:

• Phase 1 – feasibility study, alternatives analysis, preliminary design
• Phase 2 – permitting and final design
• Phase 3 – construction, closeout
• Phase 4 – monitoring, as needed