Best Somervell County Grants for Nonprofits in Texas

Mission & Vision

Rochester Area Community Foundation, in partnership with generous philanthropists and community partners, works to improve the quality of life for people who live and work in the eight-county region through its leadership and strategic grantmaking.

Our Mission:

We are cultivating a thriving Greater Rochester region — powered by philanthropy, grounded in community, and sustained across generations.

Our Vision:

We envision a Greater Rochester region transformed by enduring philanthropy, where every person, neighborhood, and future generation can thrive.

Dr. Marlene Caroselli Excellence-in-Communication Scholarship

Purpose of Scholarship

To recognize those high school seniors who have consistently demonstrated excellence in both the spoken and written word and plan to pursue college and a career that requires excellence in communication.

Number and Size of Awards

Number of recipients and award amounts vary; award amount may be split between two or more recipients. Award paid in one lump sum in the Fall and divided equally between the Fall and Spring semesters. Average award $5,000; not to exceed the cost of tuition.

Donor Information

A former St. John Fisher College professor who understood and greatly admired the hard work and challenges of single-parent students created this scholarship to support their higher education endeavors and to improve their employability, their lives, and the lives of their children.

Mission & Vision

Rochester Area Community Foundation, in partnership with generous philanthropists and community partners, works to improve the quality of life for people who live and work in the eight-county region through its leadership and strategic grantmaking.

Our Mission:

We are cultivating a thriving Greater Rochester region — powered by philanthropy, grounded in community, and sustained across generations.

Our Vision:

We envision a Greater Rochester region transformed by enduring philanthropy, where every person, neighborhood, and future generation can thrive.

Gay R. Maney Reach for the Green Scholarship

Purpose of Scholarship

To provide assistance to graduating high school seniors residing in the City of Rochester who will be attending college.

Number and Size of Awards

One award of $10,000; divided into equal annual installments paid over four consecutive years of undergraduate study. Award may be split between two or more students and is paid in the Fall and divided equally between the Fall and Spring semesters. One-time scholarships may also be awarded and are paid in one lump sum. Minimum award $1,000.

Donor Information

This fund was established to provide scholarships to high school seniors who have participated in golf programs.

About

It is the mission of the Community Foundation of Whitley County to inspire philanthropy, enrich community, and serve donors by creating an enduring source of charitable assets.

Whitley County Retired Teachers’ Association Scholarship

Established by the Whitley County Retired Teachers’ Association to ensure students pursue the field of teaching, this scholarship is available to a graduating senior from any public high school in Whitley County who is planning to attend a 4-year college or university in pursuit of a Baccalaureate degree. 

Supporting Career Shifters

The Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) has authorized the use of one million dollars ($1,000,000) in Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) funds to develop career exploration initiatives serving participants who want to shift careers to a Targeted or High Demand Occupation.

Eligible Applicants under this Application are the Texas Local Workforce Development Boards. Applicants, that are not a Texas Local Workforce Development Board will be disqualified and will not be evaluated.

Recruits outstanding senior research faculty with distinguished professional careers and established cancer research programs to academic institutions in Texas.

Texas Education Agency

The Texas Education Agency is the state agency that oversees primary and secondary public education. It is headed by the commissioner of education. The Texas Education Agency improves outcomes for all public school students in the state by providing leadership, guidance, and support to school systems.

The Division of Governance Interventions supports TEA’s mission and vision by providing exceptional leadership, guidance, and support to school system leadership teams and governing boards. The division collaborates with external field support agents appointed by the TEA Commissioner of Education to build sustainable systems aligned to core TEA initiatives, so that the school system thrives after the release of agency intervention. 

Center for Strategic Compensation

Program Description

The 2026-2028 Center for Strategic Compensation (CSC) Grant will support School Systems in developing and implementing strategic compensation systems, talent systems support, and other related strategic planning while utilizing funds obtained through participation in the Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA) as well as local district dollars. The Center for Strategic Compensation aims to support School Systems in obtaining an Enhanced TIA district designation and provide support to Education Service Centers (ESCs) to develop capacity in supporting School Systems to develop and implement strategic compensation systems.

About Us

Texas A&M Forest Service provides statewide leadership and technical assistance to ensure trees, forests and related natural resources are sustained for the benefit of all. The agency supports the state’s incident response capability, protecting against wildfire and responding to a range of all-hazard incidents. 

DOD Firefighter Property Program

The U.S. Department of Defense Firefighter Property Program provides excess military property to emergency service providers, with ownership of the equipment passed from the federal government to the recipient. Fire departments and other emergency response providers in the state of Texas may apply for assistance under the FFP Program.

Departments that received a 2.5-ton cargo, 5-ton cargo, or a tractor style DoD FFP truck on or after Sept. 1, 2015 may be eligible for a slip-on unit grant to assist in converting the truck into a fire apparatus. The FFP slip-on unit program element reimbursement rate is set at 100% of the actual cost, not to exceed $45,000 in grant assistance. Receiving fire departments are responsible for other conversion costs required to bring the unit into service, which will serve as the department’s in-kind contribution.

Due to the high demand for vehicles and limited resources, there is not a standing inventory.

Texas Department of Agriculture

The Texas Legislature established the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) in 1907. The agency's key objectives are to promote production agriculture, consumer protection, economic development and healthy living. The agriculture commissioner oversees the agency and is elected every four years. The current commissioner, Sid Miller, was first elected in 2014 and began his third term serving Texas agriculture in January 2023.

TDA is a diversified state agency that provides value-added services through our regulatory and marketing and initiatives.

Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program for Rural Texas

The primary objective of the Community Development Block Grant program is to develop viable communities by providing decent housing and suitable living environments, and to expand economic opportunities principally for persons of low- to moderate-income.

The Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program for Rural Texas includes: Community Development Fund; Downtown Revitalization Program; Colonia Fund - Construction; Colonia Economically Distressed Areas Program; State Urgent Need (SUN) Fund.

Colonia Economically Distressed Areas Program Fund (CEDAP)

Colonia Funds

TxCDBG Colonia funds are available to eligible county applicants for projects in severely distressed unincorporated areas which meet the definition as a colonia:

• any identifiable unincorporated community within 150 miles of the United States-Mexico border, not including any standard metropolitan statistical area with a population exceeding 1,000,000;
• the community is determined to be a colonia on the basis of criteria including lack of potable water supply, lack of adequate sewage systems, and lack of decent, safe, and sanitary housing;
• the community was in existence as a colonia before the enactment of the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act (November 28, 1990).

Description

This fund provides assistance to colonia areas to connect to a water and sewer system improvement project funded by the Texas Water Development Board Economically Distressed Areas Program (TWDB EDAP) or federal or state funding with a similar purpose.

An application cannot be submitted until the construction of the TWDB EDAP-funded water or sewer system begins. The applicant should work closely with CDBG staff.

Projects supported through this CDBG-funded program must meet primary beneficiary requirements. All applicants must refer to the most recent CEDAP Application Guide for complete program details and information.