Hillcrest Foundation

OVERVIEW: The Hillcrest Foundation supports education, health, and human services in the Dallas area and throughout North Texas.

IP TAKE:  Come to this funder for capital support requests because it often funds construction and equipment costs in the Dallas area.

PROFILE: Established in 1958, the Hillcrest Foundation is the foundation of Mrs. W.W. Caruth Sr. and supports charitable causes in Texas. Caruth was part of a pioneer family that settled in the Dallas area in the mid-1800s. The family bought and developed several farms and ranches here. As Dallas grew into a major metropolitan area, they developed these into successful real estate properties. Caruth was interested in advancing education, promoting health, and relieving poverty, and these are the foundation’s grantmaking interests still today.

Grants for Education, Public Health and Access, and Community Development

The Hillcrest Foundation regularly awards grants to relieve poverty, advance education, promote health, support higher education, and support health and hospitals. The foundation gives priority to grant requests involving construction and improvements of buildings. The funder does not consider requests for general operating support. Also, Hillcrest prefers to make grant requests to meet challenge or matching funds as often as possible. It gives to various social services causes, such as programs for youth and children, drug abuse, rehabilitation, and housing. Past grants have gone towards building a residence hall at Paul Quinn College, to Ability Connection Texas for equipment replacement, to the Admiral Nimitz Foundation for a capital campaign and renovations, and to Advocates for Community Transformation for a legal advocacy program.

A majority of grants stay within Dallas County and are one year in duration. At least 90 percent of grant funds go to groups in North Texas, especially in the Dallas area. After receiving a Hillcrest Foundation grant, grantees must wait two years before submitting another application for funding. Grantees that receive a multiyear grant must wait two years after the close of the grant cycle before reapplying. Declined requests require grant seekers to wait one year before reapplying.

Important Grant Details

Foundation grants range from $10,000 to $300,000 for the occasional multi-year grant. The average Hillcrest Foundation grant is about $35,000.

This foundation accepts unsolicited grant requests from nonprofits. It is managed by Bank of America and does not have full-time staff of its own. Hillcrest has three annual deadlines for grants: February 28, July 31, and November 30. The best way to inquire about applying for a grant is to email the Bank of America/US Trust Texas office at tx.philanthropic@ustrust.com.

PEOPLE:

Search for staff contact info and bios in PeopleFinder (paid subscribers only).