Meadows Foundation
/OVERVIEW: The Meadows Foundation is a Texas-based private funder that addresses a range of needs to improve health and quality of life.
IP TAKE: This is a Texas-specific funder of capital support projects. There is a wide range of giving priorities here, but health organizations and arts and culture groups have received the biggest share of Meadows' support over the past decade.
PROFILE: Established in 1948, the Meadows Foundation is the private family of wealthy oilman Algur H. Meadows and his wife, Virginia Meadows. Algur co-founded the General American Oil Company in 1936, which became one of America’s largest and most successful independent oil production companies. The foundation aims to “assist people and institutions of Texas improve the quality and circumstances of life for themselves and future generations.” Grantmaking areas of interest are arts and culture, civic and public affairs, education, health, and human services.
Grants for Arts and Culture, Civic and Democracy, K-12 Education, Environment, Public Health and Access, and Community Development
In addition to these main focus areas, there are also giving initiatives that focus on the environment, public education and mental health. Recent giving has trended toward reducing crime and recidivism, animal welfare, and green building projects. Animal welfare grants are awarded to programs that build on the human-animal connection and emphasize the positive effects that animals can have on human health. Environment grants are focused on the growing population of Texas and how to plan for resources for the future. Public education grants are focused on closing the racial and ethnic gap in Texas state colleges and getting more local students into college. Over the years, the bulk of Meadows support has been in the form of program support, followed closely by capital support and general operating support. The foundation also prefers to support construction and renovation projects that use green building guidelines to reduce water and energy consumption.
Nonprofits can search for grants by year and geographic area on the foundation’s Grant Search page. Grantmaking is focused on the state of Texas. Within Texas, between one-third and one-half of the grants are usually distributed in the Dallas area.
Important Grant Details
Foundation grants often range from $10,000 to $100,000. The Meadows Foundation accepts grant proposals throughout the year, and there is no standard application form required. There are also no application deadlines to adhere to. Send grant-related email correspondence to webgrants3003@mfi.org, and direct general questions to the staff at 214-826-9431.
PEOPLE:
Search for staff contact info and bios in PeopleFinder (paid subscribers only).
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