Effie and Wofford Cain Foundation

OVERVIEW: The Effie and Wofford Cain Foundation primarily funds grantmaking related to medical and scientific research, human services, religious causes, and arts and culture.

IP TAKE: The foundation lacks transparency, which limits information available on its grantmaking priorities and activities. It does not accept unsolicited proposals or requests for funding and does not provide a clear way for grantseekers to get in touch to discuss support. Additionally, it primarily stays with its established funding interests.

OVERVIEW: Incorporated in 1952, the Effie and Wofford Cain Foundation was founded by the late Dallas oilman Wofford Cain and his wife, Effie Marie.  The foundation does not maintain a website, which limits information available on its grantmaking priorities and activities. According to tax filings, the Effie and Wofford Cain Foundation primarily funds grantmaking related to medical and scientific research, human services, religious causes, and arts and culture.

Grants for Science Research and Higher Education

The foundation’s medical and scientific work prioritizes universities and medical schools in Texas including UT Southwestern Medical Center, the Cain/Denius Comprehensive Center in Mobility Research, as well as funding clinical research in areas such as multiple sclerosis, spinal-cord injury and stroke. It also funds human services, cultural, and other local causes in Texas.

Past grantees have included Hospice Austin, First Presbyterian Church, and East Texas Arboretum & Botanical Society. The foundation gave over $3 million to the University of Texas at Austin in 2018.

Important Grant Details

Grants range from $1,500 to $2.7 million. In a recent fiscal year, the foundation gave away around $6 million.

The foundation primarily gives in Texas. It does not accept unsolicited proposals. There are no submission deadlines.

CONTACT:

Lynn Fowler, Executive Director
Cain Foundation
4131 Spicewood Springs Rd., Ste. A-1
Austin, TX 78759