Greater Houston Community Foundation is proud to partner with individuals and families, advisors, businesses, and foundations to guide them in integrating their philanthropic initiatives with clearly articulated strategies and defined strategic outcomes. We look forward to hearing your questions, listening to your philanthropic inspirations or challenges, and joining with you in your hopes to create a greater impact.
How Greater Houston Community Foundation Can Support Your Philanthropic Initiatives
At Greater Houston Community Foundation, we exist to work with our donors by turning their philanthropic dreams and goals into effective giving strategies resulting in lasting impact. How do we do this? By offering a broad range of customized services, designed to support you throughout your philanthropic journey.
Wondering if strategic philanthropy is right for you? Ask yourself the following questions.
- Have you connected your values, ideals, and passions with how you invest your philanthropic resources?
- Do you want to go beyond simply granting money to worthwhile causes?
- Do you need support in finding and investing in high-achieving, high impact organizations?
- Are you using the most advantageous charitable vehicles and tools to achieve your philanthropic goals?
- Are you interested in learning more about philanthropy and the many ways to put your philanthropic resources to work so they make the greatest impact?
By partnering with the Foundation, our team guides you through key questions, unique to your circumstances, to create a personal and customized philanthropic approach for your giving – all in the name of moving toward your desired impact.
Board Governance and Philanthropic Administration
Our services include everything from monitoring or refreshing Board compliance items to setting board meeting dates, times, and locations. Our team works with the foundation’s leadership to keep your organization compliant with regulations as well as prepare meeting agendas, board reports and materials, and taking minutes during the meeting. We help you keep your focus where it matters most – on making a difference.
Your Partner for Multiple Charitable Vehicles
Greater Houston Community Foundation works with a variety of charitable vehicles, allowing us to provide tailored solutions to each of our donors. Whether you are looking for a tax-advantaged, easy way to give to the causes most important to you or you would like to set up a scholarship to help your employees take the next step in their academic career, our team of philanthropy experts is here to steward you in deciding which giving vehicle is most advantageous for your philanthropic goals.
A few of our giving options include:
- Donor Advised Funds
- Designated Funds
- Field of Interest Fund
- Planned Gifts
- Private Foundations
- Supporting Organizations
- Scholarship Funds
Strategic Grantmaking
When done strategically, recommending grants is a powerful way to create long-lasting impact in your community. Through our strategic philanthropy services, Greater Houston Community Foundation can guide you in recommending grants that deliver maximum benefits to support and expand your mission. From assisting you in defining a focused goal to evaluating grant results, we handle all aspects of the grant making process from start to finish.
Strategic Design and Focus
Greater Houston Community Foundation works with you to identify key areas of impact, focus your giving strategies, and research current trends in your areas of interest by facilitating strategic planning sessions with your foundation board. Throughout these sessions, we will work together to define or refine your desired future state via your mission, vision, values, and grant guidelines — enabling your foundation to create a relevant and lasting impact in your community.
Accounting and Tax Preparation
At Greater Houston Community Foundation, our team is equipped to handle your foundation or philanthropic accounting matters including the stewardship of funds, managing day-to-day operations, working with your existing accountants and advisors, preparing financial reports, and coordinating annual audits. Above all, we’re here to help ensure that your dollars are being utilized for positive change within our community.
Customized Consulting
As your philanthropic partner, Greater Houston Community Foundation offers comprehensive, strategic input aimed at shepherding your ideas, moving them from creation to impact. Our team works with you where you are – to either assess your current concepts or strategies or to create and develop your unique mission and focus areas. We can even engage to implement and manage your initiatives, working to strengthen your efforts for lasting success.
Our Philanthropic Partners
We are proud of the impact our donors have made in our communities. Here are a few of our philanthropic partners:
Houston Social Justice and Economic Equity Fund
Guided by dedicated business, civic, and sector thought leaders in our community, the Houston Social Justice and Economic Equity Fund is committed to taking actions that encourage transformational change through the investment of resources in organizations and initiatives that empower and uplift the Black community.
Houston Social Justice and Economic Equity Fund’s back office and grant administration is operated by Greater Houston Community Foundation with oversight from an Executive Board of Directors, with the ultimate goal of becoming its own 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.
Your Shot Texas/Texas Equitable Vaccine Uptake Fund
Created by Episcopal Health Foundation, Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc., and The Meadows Foundation and administered by Greater Houston Community Foundation, Your Shot Texas provides grant dollars to community-based and grassroots organizations with existing relationships to priority communities, including people of color and under-resourced rural and urban communities.
The pooled fund prioritizes focus on communities that are outside of the healthcare system and are best reached by trusted messengers to address any remaining hesitancy about the vaccine. These communities may face various barriers that make accessing the vaccine difficult.
Houston Emerging Charter School Fund
The Houston Emerging Charter School Fund engages in early-stage philanthropy focused on accelerating the impact of emerging charter school networks in Greater Houston, increasing equitable access to capital for promising new charter school founders, and re-igniting a community of philanthropic supporters, angel investors, champions, and board members to help grow the next generation of exceptional charter schools.
The Houston Charter Seed Fund is led by an Advisory Committee that collectively brings decades of experience in charter school leadership and philanthropy and is administered by Greater Houston Community Foundation.