Houston Endowment
/OVERVIEW: Houston Endowment is focused on grantmaking in Texas’ Harris County and the contiguous counties of Brazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Liberty, Montgomery and Waller. Funding interests are arts and culture, education, the environment, and health and human services.
IP TAKE: This funder has refined and narrowed its funding areas in recent years, so contact a program officer to learn more about what the Houston Endowment is looking for in new grantees.
PROFILE: Established in 1937, the Houston Endowment is the foundation of Jessie H. and Mary Gibbs Jones, and it has given nearly $2 billion since its founding. Jesse Jones grew up on his family’s prosperous tobacco farm in Tennessee following the Civil War, and he moved to Dallas to work at his uncle’s lumberyard as an adult. After the Galveston hurricane of 1900, he began building small homes, office buildings, and Houston’s first skyscrapers. He became the city’s foremost developer, a prominent civic leader, a political chairman, a global defense manufacturer, and a philanthropist. The foundation seeks to advance “equity of opportunity for the people of greater Houston and enhances the vibrancy of our region.” Funding areas of interest include arts and parks, civic engagement, and public education.
Grants for K-12 and Higher Education
This funder’s three primary funding interest areas include Arts and Parks, Civic Engagement, and Public Education. The Public Education program works to “strengthen the pipeline of well-prepared and supported teachers [and] support initiatives that develop and sustain high quality schools that are accessible to all families.” It has supported YES Prep Public Schools with $2 million, over $5.5 million to Texas Southern University, and over $2 million to University of Texas at Austin. It has also supported Writers in the Schools and Harmony Public Schools.
Grants for Arts and Culture, and Community Development
The Arts and Parks initiative supports “efforts to maintain and strengthen […] local arts and cultural organizations” and “efforts toward enhancing community connectivity through greenspaces.” Previous grantees here include Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Main Street Theater, Alley Theatre, and Houston Arts Alliance. It also gave $2.5 million in 2021 to the Foundation for Jones Hall, home of the Houston Symphony, built and donated by the Houston Endowment in 1966.
Grants for Democracy and Civic Engagement
Civic Engagement works to maintain a “robust democracy, strong civic integration of immigrants, and independent local journalism.” Recent grantees in this space include $7.5 million to Houston Local News Initiative, $500,000 to Houston in Action, and $150,000 to Independence Heights Redevelopment Council.
Important Grant Details
Foundation grant amounts vary widely, and the funder does not have an online grants database to review. Foundation grants support improving the lives of people in the Greater Houston area, which is defined as Harris County and the contiguous counties of Brazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Liberty, Montgomery and Waller. The Houston Endowment makes various types of investments, including capacity-building support, capital improvements, general operating support, project support, public policy and engagement grants, and research grants.
The foundation accepts unsolicited grant proposals throughout the year. Nonprofits must submit proposals through an online grants management system and are encouraged to speak to a program officer to discuss the application timelines. Contact the staff with general questions at connect@houstonendowment.org or 713-238-8100.
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