Search Through Local Government Grants in Texas in the U.S.

American Electric Power Foundation

The AEP Foundation focuses on improving lives through education from early childhood through higher education in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) and by providing support to help meet basic needs such as emergency shelter, affordable housing and eliminating hunger.

The Foundation also supports organizations whose mission and/or programming is committed to positive social justice outcomes. Other Foundation support may be offered to protect the environment, promote healthcare and safety, and enrich life through art, music and cultural heritage.

Focus Areas

The following focus areas will be eligible for consideration by the Foundation:

• Improving lives through education from early childhood through higher education, with an emphasis in the areas of STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics).
• Providing basic human services in the areas of hunger and housing to assure that people have the necessities to build successful lives.
• Embracing change and equity through sustainable programs that move social justice forward.

Bring touring artists to your state

The Regional Touring Program (RTP) provides support for projects by organizations showcasing the work of artists from elsewhere in the M-AAA region.

• Organizations that book an artist listed on a state touring roster may be awarded up to 50 percent of the artist’s fee.
• Organizations that book an artist that lives in the region, but is not listed on a touring roster, may be awarded up to 25 percent of the artist’s fee.
• Organizations located in rural communities may receive an additional 10 percent of the artist’s fee.

Funding

• This grant will disburse matching funds of up to $5,000.
• Organizations may submit a maximum of three (3) applications and receive awards for up to three (3) different projects in a single fiscal year (July 1–June 30). Each applicant is eligible for an aggregate amount of $15,000 in a single fiscal year; and
• Similarly, an artist, ensemble, or scholar/educator can be the recipient of an aggregate of $15,000 through successful RTP grant applications submitted to M-AAA in a single fiscal year.

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.

Community Grants

The Community Foundation of Abilene (or "Foundation") is a public foundation committed to improving the quality of life in the Abilene area. In 1985, the Foundation was established with a permanent unrestricted endowment whose earnings benefit the local community through grants to charitable nonprofit organizations serving within Taylor County. These funds give the Foundation the flexibility to support the changing needs in our community through competitive community grant cycles, offered yearly each fall and spring.

Areas of Focus

• Animal Services
• Children and Youth
• Community Development
• Education
• Fine Arts and Culture
• Health and Mental Health
• Human and Social Services

Funding Guidelines

Grants through the community grant cycle are awarded from the unrestricted endowment and field of interest funds held at the Foundation. The Foundation maintains full discretion over all grantmaking decisions.

In regard to funding, the Foundation considers the following: operating expenses, special projects, innovative programs, capacity building, and capital requests.

Funding Amount

Requests should range from $5,000 to $35,000. Occasional capital requests of up to $50,000 may be considered.

Grants exceeding $20,000 are awarded infrequently.

Any request exceeding $35,000 requires an applicant interview with staff prior to application submittal

Texas Commission on the Arts (TCA) 

The mission of the Texas Commission on the Arts (TCA) is to advance our state economically and culturally by investing in a creative Texas. TCA supports a diverse and innovative arts community in Texas, throughout the nation and internationally by providing resources to enhance economic development, arts education, cultural tourism and artist sustainability initiatives.

Arts Respond Project

This competitive grant program provides project assistance grants on a short-term basis and may include administrative costs directly related to the project.

Projects must address ONE of the following priority areas:

EDUCATION

Intent: Projects that use art to promote innovations in K-12 public education.

Designed for projects that impact Pre-K-12 public school students during the school day. Projects must be aligned with the TEKS and conducted in conjunction with school officials. Projects may occur in a school setting or off-site (field trip). Before and after-school projects are not eligible.

HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES

Intent: Projects that use art to improve human health or functioning.

Designed for projects that focus on health related topics, serve specific populations, or occur in a health care or human service setting (hospital, clinic, senior activity center, women’s shelter, homeless shelter, etc).

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Intent: Projects that use art to diversify local economies, generate revenue, and attract visitors and investment.

Designed for projects that focus on job growth or cultural tourism (festivals, gallery walks, art fairs, etc).

PUBLIC SAFETY & CRIMINAL JUSTICE

Intent: Projects that use art to prevent delinquency and recidivism in youth and adults.

Designed for projects that focus on at-risk youth or incarcerated populations (after school program, juvenile detention center, adult prison, alternative learning center).

NATURAL RESOURCES & AGRICULTURE

Intent: Projects that use art to understand and/or improve the ecological and agricultural environment.

Designed for projects that occur in rural counties (festivals, fairs, exhibitions, performances) or focus on natural resources (oil, water, green art, ecological issues).

Background

We look for proposals that offer creative, sustainable solutions that celebrate the abundance of gifts within and among a community.

We're focused on faith-based social impact programs and community programs and services to benefit those living in poverty. Social services, spiritual conditions, access to resources, improvement in conditions, and positive perspectives are the metrics we use to measure positive impact.

TMF Grants Ministry supports churches and other nonprofits whose work contributes to the world that God imagines. We believe in the abundance of God’s gifts and graces and take an asset-based approach to ministry.

Focus Areas

Together we have the power to fund change. We work in partnership with our grantees as they empower the work of the church and create the opportunity for meaningful, systemic change.

TMF grantees are advocates of hope, health, and belonging committed to measuring impact.

Grantees' innovation and commitment facilitate a brighter future for those they serve. TMF supports their strategic and imaginative efforts to foster a better quality of life for those in need.

TMF offers a competitive grant cycle and an invitation grant cycle each year for grant proposals that address two core areas of focus:

• Evangelism and faith-based with social impact
• Improving the conditions of those living in poverty

Key Criteria for Successful Applications

• Highlights the potential that may be seen if resources were available
• Outlines well-planned and efficient use of funds
• Identifies adequate local and extended support to sustain the project beyond the grant period
• Utilizes relevant collaborative partners and resource networks
• Includes sufficient volunteer leadership and staffing, where appropriate

Additional Organizational Criteria

In addition to determining basic eligibility, TMF considers the following as part of the due diligence process:

• Robust and stable leadership and governance
• Sound financial management
• Ability to achieve impact and help drive our vision and mission
• Recognition of the interconnected nature of challenges facing churches and communities
• Deep engagement with those whom the organization serves
• Demonstrate commitment to partner and collaborate to achieve impact
• Evidence that the proposed approach is likely to be effective and provide a significant opportunity to advance the field
• Commitment to defining clear goals and tracking results, learning and adapting, and sharing learnings with others

Typical Grant Award Size

Grant award amounts vary by request and are subject to funding available per year.

Number of Applications per Cycle

We allow one grant application from an organization per cycle. We encourage organizations to structure their application to reflect all the services and related costs for which they seek support.

Please see FAQs for additional guidelines.

Trust Overview

The Trust for Civic Life is a cross-ideological team of philanthropy and private sector funders making critical investments in the communities that will define the future of the country.

The Trust runs two grantmaking cycles every year:

• Civic Hub Grants and Civic Experiment Grants.

Through a community-led nomination process, local leaders help us identify and direct resources where they are needed most. This process leads to faster, more effective investments that can drive meaningful progress in our local communities.

Civic Experiment Grant

Civic Experiment Grant grants are for individuals and small organizations leading experimental new programs that get their community actively participating in shaping a community vision, identifying challenges, and working together to solve them.

Civic Experiment grant funding goes toward specific programs.

What we look for

The Trust for Civic Life funds a wide range of non-partisan entrepreneurs, programs, organizations and innovative digital leaders who play a key role in their local and regional civic ecosystems. Selection is informed by these key characteristics:

• Embedded in Community: Lives within the communities they serve.
• Rural Focus: Focuses on rural communities specifically in the Black Belt, Central Appalachia, Tribal Lands, Southwest Border, and communities in transition in the rural U.S.
• Community-Led Action: Leads or supports community members to identify problems and work toward solutions.
• Inclusive: Brings together the voices, views, experiences, and participation of the entire community.
• Community Champions: Identifies and celebrates the solutions, innovations, and programs doing great work.
• Bridge Builders: Builds and strengthens community networks by regranting, connecting people to resources, supporting new ideas, leveraging digital tools, and working across sectors.
• Long Lasting: Focuses on programs that create long-lasting civic infrastructure and a thriving community that all residents feel welcome to participate in.

Funding

• Grants Available: ~100
• Grant Amount: Up to $25,000

Texas Commission on the Arts (TCA) 

The mission of the Texas Commission on the Arts (TCA) is to advance our state economically and culturally by investing in a creative Texas. TCA supports a diverse and innovative arts community in Texas, throughout the nation and internationally by providing resources to enhance economic development, arts education, cultural tourism and artist sustainability initiatives.

Cultural Districts Designation Program

Intent: To designate special zones in cities and Texas communities that harness the power of cultural resources to stimulate economic development and community vitality.

As authorized by H.B. 2208 of the 79th Legislature, the Texas Commission on the Arts (TCA) can designate cultural districts in cities across Texas. Cultural districts are special zones that harness the power of cultural resources to stimulate economic development and community revitalization. These districts can become focal points for generating businesses, attracting tourists, stimulating cultural development and fostering civic pride.

Cultural districts can be part of creative placemaking or placekeeping efforts. It’s important to remember that TCA cultural district designation is most likely to be awarded to a district that is already defined in terms of leadership, geographic boundaries, branding, and current assets.

Goals of cultural districts

TCA recognizes that a thriving creative sector is a powerful economic development asset. Cultural district development is one strategy that helps a community boost their economies while realizing other cultural and civic benefits. The outcomes of cultural districts extend beyond the arts and benefit all members of a community. Goals may include:

• Attracting artists and cultural enterprises to the community. Artists, cultural institutions and creative enterprises all contribute to a community’s economic potential. Not only do they generate direct economic activity, but artists and creative entrepreneurs infuse communities with energy and innovation.
• Encouraging business and job development. Cultural districts can create a hub of economic activity that contributes to the community being an appealing place to live, visit and conduct business. A thriving cultural scene helps an area to prosper when consumers drawn to cultural attractions patronize other nearby businesses. This can result in the creation of new economic opportunities and jobs.
• Addressing specific needs of a community. Cultural districts are a highly adaptable economic development approach that allows a community to make use of unique conditions, assets and opportunities.
• Establishing tourism destinations. Cultural districts are marketable tourism assets that highlight the distinct identity of a community and encourage in-state, out-of-state, and international visitors.
• Preserving and reusing historic buildings. Some cultural districts are very involved in historic preservation. Adaptive reuse and rehabilitation of older buildings through preservation tax credits can result in structural and façade improvements. These rehabilitated buildings provide opportunities for affordable artist live/work space and new homes for cultural organizations.
• Enhancing property values. Successful districts combine improvements to public spaces (such as parks, waterfronts and pedestrian corridors) along with property development. The redevelopment of abandoned properties, historic sites, and recruiting businesses to occupy vacant spaces can contribute to reduced vacancy rates and enhanced property values.
• Fostering local cultural development. The establishment of a cultural district provides a focal point for celebrating and strengthening a community’s cultural identity. Cultural districts highlight existing cultural amenities and work to recruit and establish new artists, cultural industries and organizations.

About

The Preservation Leadership Forum of the National Trust for Historic Preservation is a network of preservation leaders — professionals, students, volunteers, activists, experts — who share the latest ideas, information, and advice, and have access to in-depth preservation resources and training.

Southwest Intervention Fund

Grants from the National Trust’s Southwest Intervention Fund are intended to further preservation efforts of the traditional cultures of the Southwest region, exclusively in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, West Texas (West Texas is defined as the area west of US Route 281 from the Oklahoma border to San Antonio proper and north of US Route 90 from San Antonio proper to Del Rio) and Utah. The Fund provides support for preservation planning efforts and enables prompt responses to emergency threats or opportunities in the eligible states. Local partners, nonprofit organizations and government agencies that have strategic opportunities to save sites or help jumpstart preservation projects are eligible for the fund’s small, catalytic grants. Grants generally range from $2,500 to $10,000.

The Fund can support assistance for a single prehistoric or historic place or actions affecting an entire state or part of a state, or several states, so long as all of the states are among the five designated states. Actions aimed at direct intervention to save historic and cultural sites and at capacity building are eligible.

The decision to pursue project funding through the Southwest Intervention Fund must be made in consultation with the National Trust grants office. Please contact us if you would like to discuss your project.  

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas

For more than 95 years, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas (BCBSTX) has forged alliances with private and public organizations to honor our commitment to improve the health of all Texans. Our charitable contributions allow us to connect with not just our customers, but also community partners, local leaders and policymakers interested in making Texas a healthier state. Through these partnerships, BCBSTX seeks to support sustainable, measurable programs and impactful organizations that strengthen and enrich Texas communities.

BCBSTX supports community, business and provider organizations that share our mission and align with our priorities. We accept requests for sponsorships and grants from organizations that are located within Texas and have at least one of the following designations:

• Defined as a non-profit under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Service Code
• Government, civic and cultural organizations

Blue Impact Grants

As a company, investing in our communities is just as important as providing our members with the health insurance they deserve. We want to be known as a leader in community health and wellness, at the forefront of advancing holistic care, addressing health equity, and supporting the needs of under-championed populations in all communities.

We have aligned our community investments into five newly redesigned strategic pillars to help better support its umbrella mission of expanding access to care. The new community support pillars more directly target the social determinants of health (SDOH). The new pillars are:

• Economic Opportunity and Stability
  • Addressing issues such as poverty, removing barriers to employment, providing good jobs, and upskilling.
• Nutrition
  • Supporting efforts to decrease hunger and increase access to nutritional food.
• Neighborhood and Built Environment
  • Focusing on affordable healthy housing, access to transportation, and access to physical activity.
• Locally Defined Health Solutions
  • Addressing hyperlocal health and human service needs.
• Optimal Health Outcomes
  • Helping close gaps in care, specifically around six priority areas: immunizations; diabetes care; cardiovascular care; behavioral health; early detection cancer screening and maternal & infant health.

Trust Overview

The Trust for Civic Life is a cross-ideological team of philanthropy and private sector funders making critical investments in the communities that will define the future of the country.

The Trust runs two grantmaking cycles every year:

• Civic Hub Grants and Civic Experiment Grants.

Through a community-led nomination process, local leaders help us identify and direct resources where they are needed most. This process leads to faster, more effective investments that can drive meaningful progress in our local communities.

Civic Hub Grant

Civic Hub grants are for organizations that play an important role in bringing people together across different communities and sectors to create shared vision, solutions and distribute resources. We welcome you to nominate organizations that align with our Civic Hub grant focus and criteria. Civic Hubs are locally embedded groups that rally community members together around a shared vision, create the capacity and opportunities for people to gather and collaborate, and distribute resources where they are needed most.

​​Our Civic Hub grants will focus strongly on our priority regions (Black Belt, Central Appalachia, Southern Border, and Tribal Lands), with a portfolio target of ~75% from these regions and ~25% from other rural communities in transition

What we look for

The Trust for Civic Life funds a wide range of non-partisan entrepreneurs, programs, organizations and innovative digital leaders who play a key role in their local and regional civic ecosystems. Selection is informed by these key characteristics:

• Embedded in Community: Lives within the communities they serve.
• Rural Focus: Focuses on rural communities specifically in the Black Belt, Central Appalachia, Tribal Lands, Southwest Border, and communities in transition in the rural U.S.
• Community-Led Action: Leads or supports community members to identify problems and work toward solutions.
• Inclusive: Brings together the voices, views, experiences, and participation of the entire community.
• Community Champions: Identifies and celebrates the solutions, innovations, and programs doing great work.
• Bridge Builders: Builds and strengthens community networks by regranting, connecting people to resources, supporting new ideas, leveraging digital tools, and working across sectors.
• Long Lasting: Focuses on programs that create long-lasting civic infrastructure and a thriving community that all residents feel welcome to participate in.

Funding

• Grants Available: 20-25
• Grant Amount: $250,000-$500,000

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.

Intercultural Harmony Grant

The LAURA JANE MUSSER FUND would like to promote mutual understanding and cooperation between groups and citizens of different cultural backgrounds within defined geographical areas through collaborative, cross-cultural exchange projects. Projects must be intercultural and demonstrate intercultural exchange, rather than focused on just one culture.

Priority is Placed on Projects that . . .

Include  members of various cultural communities working together on projects with common goals

Build positive relationships across cultural lines

Engender intercultural harmony, tolerance, understanding, and respect

Enhance intercultural communication, rather than cultural isolation, while at the same time honoring the unique qualities of each culture

Projects must demonstrate:

• Need in the community for the intercultural exchange project
• Grassroots endorsement by participants across cultural lines, as well as their active participation in planning and implementation of the project
• The ability of the organization to address the challenges of working across the cultural barriers identified by the project
• Tangible benefits in the larger community

Available Funds

Planning (up to $5,000) 

These funds may support costs like: consultant or staff time, meeting costs, mailings, secretarial support, refreshments, local travel, childcare, etc.

Implementation (up to $25,000)

These funds are available to implement collaborative cross-cultural exchange projects. The projects should result in a tangible outcome within at least the first 18 months. Projects will be eligible for either planning or implementation funds during any one grant period

Outcomes

Outcomes should include:

• A demonstration of intercultural exchange between cultures
• Increased comfort in interaction between the groups and individual citizens addressed by the project
• Harmonious shared use of public space and community facilities
• Continued cooperation by the participants or communities addressed by the project

Intercultural Harmony projects can be carried out in a number of areas, including (but not limited to):

• Community service
• Youth activities
• The arts

What the program will cover

• New programs or projects within their first three years
• The planning or implementation phase of a project

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.

Legends & Lore Marker Grant Program

This program commemorates folktales, legends and folklife as an important part of every community’s cultural heritage.

Does your community have a great piece of folklore that should be shared? Legends & Lore is designed to promote cultural tourism and commemorate legends and folklore as part of our heritage.

Generally speaking, folklore is the stories, customs, traditions, and expressive arts and crafts that are passed on from one person to another, often from generation to generation. Folklore is the knowledge that people share as members of a group or community. Our shared identities and sense of belonging are the result of shared traditions, stories, customs, and activities.

Legends & Folklore Guidelines

Successful Legends & Lore marker applications typically fall within three main categories:

Folktale- Fictional stories passed down about people or events not proven to have existed. (e.g. Thirteen Curves, Champy, Headless Horseman, Tramping Ground)

Legends- Stories passed down that are popularly regarded as historical although not verifiable. (e.g. John Henry, Grancer’s Ghost, Betsy’s Ride, Natty Bumppo, “Natty Bumppo”)

Folklife- Traditions such as music, skills, crafts, and events passed along within a community. Often involving real people that can be verified with primary sources. (e.g. “Goose Day,” The Arborglyphs, Dennis McGee, Herbs & Healing, Folk Singer)

Subjects which are not successful include:

• Historical events lacking a folkloric aspect
• Purely literary creations
• Personal/family folklore which does not extend to the greater community

Texas Commission on the Arts (TCA) 

The mission of the Texas Commission on the Arts (TCA) is to advance our state economically and culturally by investing in a creative Texas. TCA supports a richly varied and innovative arts community in Texas, throughout the nation and internationally by providing resources to enhance economic development, arts education, cultural tourism and artist sustainability initiatives.

Arts Respond - Cultural District Project

Intent: Projects that use the arts to diversify local economies, generate revenue, and attract visitors and investment.

This program is designed for projects that focus on significant cultural tourism projects. These projects should serve at least one of the following:

• High quality arts programming that will attract a significant number of visitors from 50 miles or more outside the community (i.e., blockbuster art exhibitions, national or regional premieres, major festivals)
• Enhancements to the cultural district to make it more accessible, attractive, cohesive-looking, and safe for visitors
• Improved signage and wayfinding for the district
• Promotion of the district; this may include the district’s website, branding, and marketing
• Organizational support for the management and operations of the district (TCA Cultural District only)

Funding

• Minimum Request: $3,000
• Maximum Request: 50% of project budget, not to exceed $250,000

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.

Helen Sparks was born in Fort Worth, Texas, but went to college in the east. After graduation she returned to Fort Worth where she worked with the Fort Worth Little Theater. A cultured woman, she was interested in local artists and supported them by commissioning works. She also enjoyed literature and needlepoint. The Helen Gertrude Sparks Charitable Trust, which made its first distributions in 1971, was created to benefit charitable organizations focused on:

• The elderly, those who are disabled in any way
• Children who are disabled, orphaned or disadvantaged
• The arts, including performing and nonperforming arts
• Education

This foundation makes approximately 2-3 awards each year and grants are typically between $5,000 and $15,000.

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.

Preserve Route 66 Grant Fund

The most enduring highway in our public consciousness, Route 66 represents a unique moment in history that continues to define the nation’s identity: the rise of the automobile and its implications of freedom, mobility, and a quintessential American story. Grants from this fund will help preserve and enhance historic places on or connected to Route 66 for future generations.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Preserve Route 66 Grant Fund provides financial support to public agencies, tribal governments or nonprofit organizations to preserve and interpret historic places along the Route 66 corridor. The National Trust has a special interest in illuminating the narratives of communities whose places and stories have been historically underrepresented, which may include communities and neighborhoods along the Route 66 corridor associated with People of Color (including but not limited to indigenous peoples, Latinx, Black Americans and others), women, immigrants, LGBTQIA communities, veterans, and economically distressed communities.

Grants made from the Preserve Route 66 Fund will generally range from $2,500 to $10,000.

The Laura Jane Musser Fund wants to encourage collaborative and participatory efforts among citizens in rural communities that will help to strengthen their towns and regions in a number of civic areas including, but not limited to, economic development, business preservation, arts and humanities, public space improvements, and education.

Priority is placed on projects that: 

• Bring together a broad range of community members and institutions
• Provide the opportunity for diverse community members to work together
• Contain measurable short term outcomes within the first 12 to 18 months
• Include community members actively in all phases of the process 
• Work toward an outcome of positive change within their community

Projects must demonstrate:

• Support from a diverse cross-section of community members and institutions
• Matching financial and/or in-kind support from the local community
• Significant volunteer participation
• Reasonable plans to complete the project within 18 months or less

Funds will be available for: 

• Planning (up to $5,000) - These funds may support costs like: consultant or staff time, meeting costs, mailings, secretarial support, refreshments, local travel, childcare, etc.
• Note - this 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.
• But organizations that receive a planning grant may apply for subsequent implementation support after their planning activities are completed.      
• Implementation (Up to $25,000) - These funds are available to implement community based rural projects that originate in, have been planned by, and involve diverse people from the local community.
• Capital campaigns will not be supported.
• The projects should result in a tangible outcome within at least the first 18 months.
• Projects will be eligible for either planning or implementation funds during any one grant period.

What the Program will Cover:

• New programs or projects within their first three years
• A planning, and/or implementation phase

About

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department's mission is 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.

Community Outdoor Outreach Program (CO-OP) Grant

The Community Outdoor Outreach Program (CO-OP) grant provides funding to tax-exempt organizations for programming that engages under-served populations in TPWD mission-oriented outdoor recreation, conservation and environmental education activities.

The success of this program lies in the partnerships created between TPWD and grass-roots organizations who have already established a relationship with these identified targeted audiences; females, physically/mentally challenged, ethnic minorities, low income and youth.

What We Fund

CO-OP provides grants to tax- exempt organizations ranging from $5,000 to $100,000. This is a reimbursement grant program. Recipients must purchase eligible items and submit proper documentation before being reimbursed.

Foundation Purpose

The purpose of the Foundation is to operate exclusively for charitable purposes within the meaning of section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (the “Code”), and to transact such other business as may be permitted corporations exempt from tax under section 501(c)(3) of the Code and incorporated under the Texas Non-profit Corporation Act. Within such purposes, but without other limitation, such charitable purposes shall include to aid, provide, further, assist and make contributions, gifts, grants, or other forms of financial assistance exclusively to charitable corporations, organizations or associations organized and operating within the United States in the categories of civic, cultural and religion; education, literature, and science; hospitals; medical, medical research and mental health; rehabilitation and welfare; youth activities; and community funds.

Grant Categories

The Foundation awards contributions, gifts and grants in the following categories:

• Civic, Cultural and Religion
•  Education, Literature and Science
•  Hospitals
•  Medical, Medical Research and Mental Health
•  Rehabilitation and Welfare
•  Youth Activities

The total amount of money awarded to all charitable organizations for any given year is governed by, but not necessarily limited to, that minimum required by the Internal Revenue Service Code.

Fund for Veterans' Assistance (FVA)

Every year, the Commission encourages eligible charitable organizations, local government agencies, and Veteran Service Organizations with veteran-specific programs and services to apply for grant funding during the application window. All applications must be timely submitted electronically through the Grants Portal (Fluxx). 

General Assistance (GA) Grants

The General Assistance (GA) Grant Program includes service categories that collectively support veterans, dependents, and surviving spouses who live in Texas.

The Service Categories are:

Financial Assistance

Financial assistance that is temporary in nature, such as childcare, transportation assistance, or one-time utility or rental payments. Services are intended to provide financial relief to beneficiaries who can demonstrate financial need.

Supportive Services

Services, projects and activities that provide longer-term support for veterans and their families to enable stability and promote veteran family integration with the community.

Homeless Veterans Support

Supportive Services to address acute and chronic conditions underlying the veteran’s homeless status. Services include shelter programs, transitional housing (HUD/VASH), temporary housing, rapid re-housing programs, longer-term financial support for rent, utility payments & essential needs, social programs, meal services and food pantry, assistive technology, and other qualifying resources identified through case management.

Skill-Based Training Support

Resources that support veterans to obtain skills to prepare for, secure, and maintain employment.

Pro Bono Legal Services

Includes legal aid, legal clinics, and other legal services for civil courts provided at no cost to veterans, active duty members of the United States Armed Forces, and members of the state military forces. Does not include criminal defense; justice-involved veterans may be eligible for grant-funded Veterans Treatment Courts instead.

Referral Services

Provide information and referrals to additional sources of veteran and veteran family support.

Transportation Programs & Services

Organizational transportation fleet services for veteran beneficiaries in their local area, county, or region. These services may provide transportation to/from medical, dental, and mental health appointments, and transportation in support of basic needs (grocery stores, 24-hour care, community meetings, voting, court appearances, and tax offices).

Veteran Small Business Support

Services to stabilize or grow a veteran’s 100% veteran-owned business for the purpose of maintaining self-employment. Includes entrepreneurship and small-business training programs no longer than 5 months in duration for veteran entrepreneurs; tools, equipment, and software or other related business products valued under $2,000; referral to small business financial lenders; and other small-business related services. Veteran small business support beneficiaries must be operating the business as a 100% veteran-owned business as verified by the Texas Veterans Commission. Does not include direct financial support of the veteran-owned business, cash, or cash equivalents.

Fund for Veterans' Assistance (FVA)

Every year, the Commission encourages eligible charitable organizations, local government agencies, and Veteran Service Organizations with veteran-specific programs and services to apply for grant funding during the application window. All applications must be timely submitted electronically through the Grants Portal (Fluxx). 

Veterans Mental Health (VMH) Grants

The Veterans Mental Health (VMH) Grant Program provides counseling and treatment to veterans and their families with grant funding. Services address diagnosed conditions in order to improve their quality of life, relationships, outlook, and successful integration with their communities.

The VMH Service Categories include:

Clinical Counseling

Services and treatment that include evidence-based practices (EBP) for diagnosed conditions or co-occurring conditions are provided by a Texas Licensed Mental Health Professional (LMHP). Supported conditions include but are not limited to trauma and stress-related disorders, anxiety disorders; mood disorders; suicidal thoughts and behaviors; substance use disorders; Concerns related to identity; adjustment disorders; and marriage/family/relationship concerns.

Peer-Support Services

Services provided by a Certified Peer Support Specialist that is based upon the premise that an individual with a “lived experience,” in this case military service, is uniquely able to contribute to the rehabilitation and recovery of those needing services. Services are provided to veterans and their families in a non-clinical environment by trained/certified individuals. Services may include but are not limited to the operation of Peer Networking centers, retreats, field trips, off-sites, seminars, and or similar gatherings.

TVC encourages Peer-Support Grant Applicants to also consider joining the TVC’s Veterans Mental Health Department’s Military Veteran Peer Network (MVPN)!

Service Dog Programs

This pilot program is for organizations accredited by Assistance Dogs International (ADI) to provide trained service dogs to veterans diagnosed with trauma-based disorders.

Organization Grants Awarded Yearly

The Fund for Veterans’ Assistance administers the Commission’s Veterans Mental Health grants to local governments, non-profits, and veterans service organizations. The Fund (or FVA) does not award funding directly to individuals or families.

TVC Offers Mental Health Provider Training

TVC Veterans Mental Health Department (VMHD) provides training programs to licensed clinicians and any mental health professionals with training and technical assistance aimed at promoting military cultural competency.

All training is free with CEU’s upon completion of the course. See the registration request form and training descriptions at Providers – VMHD

Texas Commission on the Arts (TCA) 

The mission of the Texas Commission on the Arts (TCA) is to advance our state economically and culturally by investing in a creative Texas. TCA supports a diverse and innovative arts community in Texas, throughout the nation and internationally by providing resources to enhance economic development, arts education, cultural tourism and artist sustainability initiatives.

Arts Create Grants

Intent: To advance the creative economy of Texas by investing in arts organizations.

This program provides multi-year operational support. Applicants write their grant for a one year period, and if funded, will provide an update for the second year. Depending on the availability of funds, the organization's award amount will be the same for two fiscal years. New organizations may only apply in odd numbered years.

Arts Create 5

This category is intended to support Government Local Arts Agencies and Local Arts Agencies. Requests of up to 25% of the organization's last completed year's cash operating budget may be considered.