FOUNDATION NAME TOTAL ANNUAL GIVING
Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation $131,041,279
Communities Foundation of Texas, Inc. $114,590,637
Greater Houston Community Foundation $105,114,803
The Michael and Susan Dell Foundation $67,666,635
The Moody Foundation $64,294,944
Houston Endowment, Inc. $62,666,212
ExxonMobil Foundation $61,465,109
The Brown Foundation, Inc. $59,583,533
The Dallas Foundation $56,652,482
Amon G. Carter Foundation $30,836,551
Valero Energy Foundation $26,073,777
San Antonio Area Foundation $24,816,472
The Robert A. Welch Foundation $23,411,861
The Shell Oil Company Foundation $23,198,789
O’Donnell Foundation $22,863,227
The Burnett Foundation $22,008,605
Austin Community Foundation $20,775,281
The Meadows Foundation, Inc. $20,143,454
Harold Simmons Foundation, Inc. $18,504,715
T.L.L. Temple Foundation $15,204,809
Albert and Bessie Mae Kronkosky Charitable Foundation $14,966,107
Texas Instruments (TI) Foundation $12,395,317
The Cullen Foundation $12,311,000
Robert and Janice McNair Foundation $12,310,604
The USAA Foundation, Inc. $11,906,550
Sid W. Richardson Foundation $11,843,286
John G. & Marie Stella Kenedy Memorial Foundation $11,137,654
St. Luke’s Episcopal Health Charities $11,030,134
Dr. Bob and Jean Smith Foundation $11,015,007
Robert J. Kleberg Jr. and Helen C. Kleberg Foundation $10,912,935
The Elkins Foundation $10,580,000
Albert and Margaret Alkek Foundation $10,400,000
The George Foundation $10,214,946
The Wortham Foundation, Inc. $10,144,500
John P. McGovern Foundation $9,874,260
The Fondren Foundation $9,544,878
Ed Rachal Foundation $9,321,508
William Stamps Farish Fund $9,298,500
Abell-Hanger Foundation $8,615,433
The CH Foundation, Inc. $8,508,667

Get
Foundation Grants & Funding for Nonprofits

Nonprofits need money to pursue their missions—to help children and families, to help the homeless, to prevent drug addiction, to help addicts recover, to protect clean air and water, and much more! Foundation grant funding for nonprofits is certainly one part of the answer to that question. Private foundations are established to pursue charitable purposes, and their missions and interests are as varied as the interests of nonprofit organizations. Perhaps the most critical step in winning foundation grants for your nonprofit is to identify funders who share your interests and who will be committed to your organization’s mission. Foundations don’t award grants to just any nonprofit. They award grants to nonprofits that will support their own mission.
To work effectively with foundations, there’s lots you need to know. Here are a few tips to get you started.
Before you apply to a foundation for nonprofit funding, make sure you understand the interests of the funder. Research what grants that funder has made to other nonprofits, in what amounts, and for what purposes. If your organization is not a good fit with a foundation’s interests, do not apply to that foundation. It’s a waste of everyone’s time and energy.
Follow the foundation’s instructions for contacting its staff members, and for submitting a letter of interest or a full funding application. Dot every “i” and cross every “t.” If you don’t follow instructions, your nonprofit is unlikely to get a grant.
Once you are sure a foundation is a good fit with the work of your organization, reach out to staff members when possible and work to establish a relationship of openness and trust. Remember, you are working to build a partnership with a foundation that will benefit your organization’s constituents while also helping the foundation carry out its own mission. Always be honest and professional, and always keep your beneficiaries at the forefront of all discussions.
Before submitting an application to a foundation, be sure you know what you’re talking about. Have your facts and figures in order. Make sure your argument is logical, that you propose measurable results, that your program approach is explained in detail, and that your budget is reasonable and accurate.
When considering how to write a winning grant proposal to a foundation, remember that one grant template or sample grant proposal will not work for every funder. You may be able to find a sample proposal or grant proposal template about the issue you’ll be tackling, but using a template for writing a grant proposal can be dangerous. First, many foundations have specific formats you must follow. Second, the varied interests and approaches of different foundations dictate that you write a grant proposal that is specific to each foundation. One size does not fit all.
The best model for writing a foundation grant proposal is The Grantsmanship Center’s format. That model defines the various types of information that every foundation grant application should contain and is the standard in the field of grant proposal writing. By defining the types of information a grant proposal must contain, The Grantsmanship Center Model will guide you through writing a grant proposal for each foundation funder, and help you win foundation funding by ensuring that your request is logical and thorough.
To win grants for community projects, grants to support your nonprofit’s work, and grants to solve pressing problems or seize important opportunities, it’s important to educate yourself before reaching out to foundations. The best way to start is by participating in one of The Grantsmanship Center’s workshops on writing grant proposals. The Center offers both a 2-day grant proposal writing seminar called Essential Grant Skills and a 5-day grant proposal writing class, the Grantsmanship Training Program, to help nonprofits win foundation funding.