Boone Family Foundation

Quick Stats

• Annual Giving: $6,151,666 (2023)
• Grant Range: $1,000 - $300,000
• Average Grant: $125,544
• Total Assets: $12.9 million
• Geographic Focus: Primarily North Texas, with select partnerships in Austin, Washington DC, and Denver
• Grant Volume: 49 grants awarded in 2023

Contact Details

Website: www.theboonefamilyfoundation.org
Phone: (512) 657-8631
Email: [email protected]
Address: PO Box 1789, Addison, TX 75001-1789

Overview

The Boone Family Foundation sunsetted as of March 2026 and is no longer issuing new grant invitations.

The Boone Family Foundation was established in 2007 by Garrett and Cecilia Boone and their three adult children, following the sale of The Container Store (co-founded by Garrett Boone) to private equity. With approximately $12.9 million in assets and annual giving around $5-8 million in recent years, the foundation strived to be part of creating a world where every person has access to high-quality public education, pathways to economic opportunity, and restorative green spaces. The foundation positioned itself as a social justice grantmaker and innovator in philanthropy, working to make communities more equitable. Led by President and CEO Aimee Boone Cunningham since its inception, the foundation actively worked to become an anti-racist funder while centring diversity, equity, and inclusion in all funding decisions. The foundation prioritised multi-year funding relationships and supported both start-up and established organisations.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programmes

The foundation offered multiple forms of financial support, including:

• Programme and Project Support: $1,000 - $300,000
• General Operating Support: Multi-year grants available
• Capital Support: For infrastructure and facility needs
• Endowment Funds: For long-term sustainability
• Multi-Year Gifts: Prioritised funding approach

Application Method: Invitation only - the foundation did not accept unsolicited applications. Selected non-profits were invited to apply through an online grants system based on North Texas common grant questions.

Priority Areas

Advancing Equity for Women and Girls

• Build potential among low-income populations
• Gender and economic equity initiatives
• Reproductive health and rights
• Giving women and girls a voice in their communities
• Leadership development programmes

Improving Educational Outcomes for Children in Public Schools

• Early education programmes
• Human capital development
• Literacy initiatives
• School choice programmes
• Life skills and socio-emotional learning
• Character building programmes

Promoting Environmental Stewardship

• Improving air and water quality
• Creating and enhancing accessible green spaces
• Sustainable environmental practices
• Urban conservation projects

The foundation also gave additional consideration to urgent and emergent community and humanitarian needs.

What They Don't Fund

• Unsolicited grant applications
• Individuals
• Non-501(c)(3) organisations
• Organisations primarily promoting a specific religious ideology
• Projects outside their three focus areas

Governance and Leadership

Chairman and Director: Garrett Boone
Co-founder of The Container Store, Garrett has a longstanding commitment to environmental sustainability. He co-founded Texas Business for Clean Air (TBCA) Foundation in 2006 and has done extensive restorative work in the woods and waterways along the Elm Fork of the Trinity River in Dallas. His environmental advocacy was featured in the Robert Redford documentary "Fighting Goliath: Texas Coal Wars."

Board Leadership: Cecilia Boone
Cecilia began fighting for gender equity while working for IBM and has chaired numerous organisations including the Dallas Women's Foundation, Planned Parenthood of North Texas, Girls Inc. of Metropolitan Dallas, and served as former chair of Planned Parenthood Federation of America. She also chaired Annie's List, a Texas political action committee that recruits and finances Democratic female candidates.

President and CEO: Aimee Boone Cunningham
Aimee led the foundation in charting its mission across all three focus areas. She is a highly experienced principal in the progressive movement with significant fundraising, strategic planning, and management expertise. She received the 2022 Viola's House Hero Award and the 2023 Texas Women's Foundation's Maura Award for Women Helping Women. She is the only compensated board member with an annual salary of $261,000. Alongside her foundation role, Aimee served as Vice President of Development for Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas (2011–2012) and as Board Chair of Planned Parenthood Federation of America (2019–2021). She also founded Planned Parenthood Texas Votes. She lives in Austin, Texas with her husband Ed Cunningham and their four children.

Foundation Structure: The foundation is a family foundation comprising Garrett and Cecilia Boone and their three adult children, operating as an independent non-profit private foundation.

Application Process & Timeline

The Boone Family Foundation sunsetted as of March 2026 and is no longer issuing new grant invitations. The information below is preserved for historical reference.

How to Apply

The Boone Family Foundation only made contributions to preselected charitable organisations and did not accept unsolicited requests for funds. The foundation invited selected non-profits to apply for grants through an online grants system based on the North Texas common grant questions.

Grants were awarded through trustee discretion, with the family and board identifying organisations aligned with their strategic priorities. The foundation focused on building long-term relationships with grantees and prioritised multi-year funding commitments.

Getting on Their Radar

Board Member Networks: The foundation's grantmaking focused particularly on areas where board directors had personal interests and connections. Building relationships within the North Texas non-profit community, especially in women's rights, education reform, and environmental sectors, may have increased visibility.

Geographic Proximity: While the foundation had some national partnerships, it primarily funded North Texas organisations. Organisations operating in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, Austin, and surrounding regions were more likely to be considered.

Alignment with Leadership Values: Given the family's deep involvement in specific causes—Cecilia's leadership in Planned Parenthood and women's organisations, Garrett's environmental conservation work—organisations working in these exact areas with a social justice lens had better positioning.

Membership in Philanthropy Southwest: The foundation was a member of Philanthropy Southwest, suggesting engagement with the regional philanthropic community through this network may have provided connection points.

Application Success Factors

Social Justice and Systems Change Focus: The foundation explicitly stated it aimed to "seek lasting, long-term systems change by supporting organisations and causes that want to be change agents." Proposals needed to clearly articulate how programmes drove systemic change rather than just providing services.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Centred: The foundation actively worked to become an anti-racist funder and centred DEI in all decisions. Organisations needed to demonstrate strong DEI commitments and practices throughout their work and governance.

Evidence of Impact in Three Focus Areas: Organisations needed to align precisely with at least one of the three priority areas: advancing equity for women and girls, improving educational outcomes for children in public schools, or promoting environmental stewardship.

Capacity for Multi-Year Partnerships: The foundation prioritised multi-year funding relationships. Organisations needed to demonstrate sustainability plans and capacity for long-term partnership.

Both Start-Up and Established Organisations Welcomed: The foundation explicitly supported organisations at different stages, funding both start-up initiatives and established organisations. However, all needed to demonstrate sound governance and financial management.

Progressive Values Alignment: Given the family's involvement with progressive causes (Planned Parenthood, Annie's List, reproductive rights), organisations needed to align with progressive social values, particularly regarding women's rights, social justice, and equity.

Recent Grant Recipients Include: The Family Place, Planned Parenthood, Dallas Women's Foundation, Teach for America, Reading Partners, Teaching Trust, Klyde Warren Park, Brighter Bites, Abide Women's Health Services ($500,000 grant in 2022), Environmental Defense Fund, National Arbor Day Foundation, and One Tree Planted.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

• Foundation has sunsetted: The Boone Family Foundation sunsetted as of March 2026 and is no longer issuing new grant invitations. The information below is preserved for historical reference.

• Invitation-only model: This foundation did not accept unsolicited applications; it focused on building long-term relationships within North Texas philanthropic and non-profit networks.

• Multi-year commitment priority: The foundation explicitly prioritised multi-year funding relationships over one-time grants, favouring long-term partnerships over single project funding.

• Social justice lens is non-negotiable: Every funding decision centred on equity, anti-racism, and systemic change; service delivery alone without addressing root causes would not align with their mission.

• Family foundation dynamics: With Garrett, Cecilia, and their three adult children comprising the board, personal interests and relationships mattered significantly—the foundation funded where directors had passion and connections.

• Progressive values alignment essential: Given leadership roles in Planned Parenthood, Annie's List, and reproductive rights advocacy, organisations needed to align with progressive social values, particularly on women's rights and equity issues.

• Geographic focus with exceptions: While primarily focused on North Texas, the foundation funded select national partnerships, particularly in Austin, Washington DC, and Denver, suggesting strategic expansion areas.

• DEI infrastructure required: Organisations needed to demonstrate robust diversity, equity, and inclusion practices throughout governance, staffing, and programming—not just in mission statements.

References

• The Boone Family Foundation official website: www.theboonefamilyfoundation.org (Accessed January 2026)
• Inside Philanthropy, "Boone Family Foundation": https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/find-a-grant-places/texas-grants/boone-family-foundation (Accessed January 2026)
• ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer, Boone Family Foundation (EIN 26-1407294): https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/261407294 (Accessed January 2026)
• Dallas News, "Texan of the Year finalist: Philanthropist Cecilia Boone" (December 2016): https://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/editorials/2016/12/13/texan-of-the-year-finalist-philanthropist-cecilia-boone/ (Accessed January 2026)
• Dallas News, "'A place in heaven': How Container Store's co-founder helped save NW Dallas' stretch of the Trinity River" (September 2019): https://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/commentary/2019/09/27/a-place-in-heaven-how-container-store-s-co-founder-helped-save-nw-dallas-stretch-of-the-trinity-river/ (Accessed January 2026)
• National Center for Family Philanthropy, Aimee Boone Cunningham profile: https://www.ncfp.org/people/aimee-boone-cunningham (Accessed January 2026)
• Philanthropy Southwest member profile: https://www.philanthropysouthwest.org/redhen/org/1414 (Accessed January 2026)
• Instrumentl 990 Report: https://www.instrumentl.com/990-report/boone-family-foundation (Accessed January 2026)
• Grantable.co Foundation Profile: https://www.grantable.co/search/funders/profile/boone-family-foundation-us-foundation-261407294 (Accessed January 2026)