Houston Endowment
Contact information:
600 Travis, Suite 6400
Houston, TX 77002-3003
Phone: 713-238-8100
Fax: 713-238-8101
Email: info@houstonendowment.org
Website: http://www.houstonendowment.org/
Type of foundation: Independent foundation
Types of grants: Annual, capital, conferences/seminars, curriculum development, endowment, equipment, fellowships and scholarships, general/operating support, program, research.
Description: The Foundation was created by Jesse Jones (and others) in 1937. Jones made his fortune in construction and development, including Houston's first skyscrapers. He served as director general of military relief for the American Red Cross during World War I and then accompanied President Woodrow Wilson to the Paris Peace Conference. He later became chair of the Reconstruction Finance Corporation under President Franklin Roosevelt and then U.S. Secretary of Commerce.
The Foundation makes grants in the areas of:
- Arts, with emphasis on sustaining and improving small to midsize arts organizations; building audiences for large arts organizations; supporting a vibrant arts community and providing arts experiences for young people.
- Education, focusing on increasing student success; cultivating educational leaders and teachers; enhancing early childhood education; promoting college attendance and increasing family involvement in education.
- Environment, focusing on improving air quality, enhancing parks and protecting the natural environment.
- Health, improving access to health care, preventing illness, and improving behavioral health.
- Human Services, focusing on reducing abuse, supporting youth, enriching life for the elderly and helping the homeless.
- Neighborhood Development.
- Other Community Enhancement Programs, including improving literacy, advancing workforce development, historic preservation and supporting the health of animals.
Sample grants:
- $150,000 to Association for Community Broadcasting, Houston, TX for Houston's public television and radio stations (2006).
- $100,000 to WGBH Educational Foundation, Boston, MA toward production of 'Battle After War,' film examining systemic denial of Latino civil rights in Southwest challenged by returning World War II GIs (2008).
- $100,000 to Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, TX for Sam Houston Memorial Museum film and educational project (2007).
- $30,000 to Association for Community Broadcasting, Houston, TX for repairs and equipment for digital recording studio in Jones Hall (2008).
- $10,000 to KERA/KDTN, Dallas, TX for production expenses of statewide voter education program (2008).
Fit for public broadcasting: Public media appears to be a good fit for the Foundation's focus on community development, arts and education. The Foundation has made 36 grants for radio/television projects over the past seven years, totaling $1.8 million.
Eligibility: The Foundation provides funds to organizations that serve Harris County and contiguous counties. Some support goes to organizations elsewhere in Texas and, occasionally, to organizations outside of Texas. No support for religious organizations for religious purposes or organizations that are the responsibility of the government. No grants to individuals (except for scholarships); or generally for fundraising activities including galas, grantmaking organizations or charities operated by service clubs, testimonial dinners or advertising. No loans.
Deadline: None
How to apply: Interested applicants should first review the guidelines [PDF]. Applicants serving Harris County and contiguous counties should submit a full proposal. Applicants serving other locations should first submit a two-page letter of inquiry. Proposal materials that are bound or inserted in protective sleeves are discouraged. Grant applications are not accepted by e-mail. For organizations that have received a multi-year grant, the Foundation prefers to receive applications only after all payments of that grant have been made. The Foundation prefers not to consider applications from an organization more frequently than once every twelve months, whether a previous application was approved or denied. The Foundation also prefers not to consider second requests for a capital project for which a grant was previously made.
Giving range: The average gift for radio/television is approximately $51,000. The Foundation has made gifts as high as $10 million.
Assets: $1,262,470,870 (2008)
Total giving: $76,630,364 (2008)
