Three Things to Know About the Chisholm Trail Communities Foundation

For those not well-versed in the history of the Old West, the Chisholm Trail was a route used to move cattle from Texas ranches to Kansas railheads so they could be shipped to the east for higher profits. This historic and challenging trail has been subject of many a movie and song. It’s also in the name of a philanthropic foundation that serves Williamson County, Texas.

Here are the top things to know about the Chisholm Trail Communities Foundation (CTCF) and how it gives in the region.

CTCF Sees Itself as a Bridge

All over CTCF’s website you’ll see images of bridges, which serve as a metaphor for how this funder operates. CTCF’s goal is to act like a bridge that connects two “hills”—one being donors and community members and the other being nonprofit organizations.

CTCF offers various services to groups on both “hills.” Donor services involve providing individuals, families and businesses with a way to give now, give in the future or to build legacies for future generations through donor-advised funds. Services to nonprofits include awarding grants and helping nonprofits set up agency funds and donor-designated funds.

CTCF Has Been Growing

CTCF has been on the local grantmaking scene since the late 1990s, back when it was called the Georgetown Area Community Foundation. In 2018, donors gifted $2.3 million to CTCF, which in turn made $2.2 million in charitable distributions—a new record high. Last year, the community foundation moved $3.3 million from donors to nonprofit organizations in an even bigger year of giving.

Foundation assets made a major jump from 2016 to 2017 and have continued to grow since then. In recent years, CTCF has seen its donor-advised fund grant distributions increase by over 20 percent. This steady and increasing support is partially due to CTCF’s high retention rate, since many donors continue to give through CTCF year after year. The community foundation has also been pulling lots of new donors lately.

Accessible Grant Opportunities Are Limited

However, unlike some other community foundations in Texas, the number of easily accessible grant opportunities with open application periods is quite limited. There are currently no open grant opportunities posted on the CTCF grants page, only a recap of a prior arts and culture grant and the results of previous fast pitch grant opportunities.

Overall, most of the funds at CTCF are donor-advised funds, which usually do not accept unsolicited funding requests. Just a few examples include the David and Connie Clark Fund, the Barbara Marks Foundation and the Cleveland Family Charitable Fund. Examples of recent CTCF grantees include the Rock Ride on Center for Kids, Boys and Girls Club Georgetown and First Baptist Church of Round Rock.

A good way to keep up with future grant opportunities at CTCF is by subscribing to the foundation’s e-newsletter. Learn more in IP’s full profile in our Southwest funding guide: Chisholm Trail Communities Foundation: Grants for Texas.

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