Douglas B. Marshall, Jr. Family Foundation
/OVERVIEW: Based in Houston Texas, the Douglas B. Marshall Family Foundation works to support education programs in developing countries around the world. Generally, Marshall focuses its funding attention on improving educational outcomes overall, but it does so by taking a more holistic rather than myopic approach.
IP TAKE: Marshall seeks organizations that can demonstrate long-term sustainability and scalability, even if their operations are small at the time the foundation extends an invitation to apply for a grant. Although this funder focuses on education and research, the foundation also supports related, human costs – such as food, shelter, clothing, or medicine – since, without these, education and research are impossible. As a result, grantseekers that can prove their project relates to pursuing education or research may be able to secure funding through this foundation. The foundation offers both project-specific and core support to its grantees.
This is not an accessible funder or a particularly responsive one.
PROFILE: Based in Houston, Texas, the Douglas B. Marshall, Jr. Family Foundation may be better known for its grantmaking within the Lone Star State than its international giving. However, this funder expects “the vast majority” of its grants to fund projects in developing countries. Its mission is to “support education and research on all levels.” For the foundation, this means supporting “cutting-edge research at universities, laboratories, and other such institutions,” but also includes support for “basic education, especially in areas of literacy, numeracy, and science.”
Grants for Education and Global Development
The foundation is dedicated to supporting education and related research projects “on all levels.” To that end, Marshall supports organizations with projects that improve educational outcomes. However, the foundation also requires those projects to be evidence-based, cost-effective, and to demonstrate long-term scalability. The foundation also funds “projects that contribute to developing the evidence base on what works to improve educational outcomes, including: applied research; development of new monitoring and evaluation methodologies; and measurement of educational outcomes at a large (national or state-wide) scale.”
Marshall recognizes that in order to improve educational outcomes in some of the poorest countries in the world, more has to be done than simply getting kids, teachers, and teaching supplies into the classroom. It looks to the root causes as to why kids are not going to school and actively supports organizations that are seeking out solutions.
Additionally, it supports local and grassroots groups that are affecting positive educational outcomes on a community level. However, Marshall is keen on backing organizations that demonstrate the ability to achieve high-impact at a low cost and those that show promise to sustainably scale in the future. Finally, the foundation always seeks projects that have the evidence to back their promise of improving educational outcomes.
Important Grant Details:
Grant amounts from the Marshall Family Foundation vary from $5,000 to $425,000. The foundation does not award many grants annually, so grantseekers should expect competition. Marshall looks to partner with organizations that have “a committed and effective leadership” that it can back for multi-year projects, although most initial grants will be for a single year. To learn more about the types of organizations the foundation supports, read its grantees page.
The foundation does not accept unsolicited letters of inquiry, and while it does have established deadlines, those are only shared with those that have been extended an official invitation to apply.
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