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Moody Foundation

Annual Giving
$80.0M
Grant Range
$75K - $20.0M
Decision Time
7mo

Moody Foundation - Funder Overview

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $80-100 million
  • Total Assets: $2.2 billion
  • Decision Time: 6-12 months
  • Grant Range: $75,000 - $20,000,000+ (varies widely by program type)
  • Geographic Focus: Texas statewide (priority: Galveston, Austin, Dallas, and rural areas)
  • Application Method: Rolling basis via online portal

Contact Details

Address: 2302 Post Office St Suite 704, Galveston, TX 77550-1936

Phone: 409-797-1500

Email: [email protected]

Website: https://moodyf.org

Grants Portal: Applications submitted through online portal (first-time applicants must create account)

Overview

Founded in 1942 by William Lewis Moody Jr. and his wife Libbie Rice Shearn Moody, the Moody Foundation is one of Texas's largest philanthropic organizations with over $2.2 billion in assets. Since its founding, the Foundation has awarded over $2 billion in grants to thousands of Texas organizations. The Foundation awards over $80-100 million annually to meet its five percent minimum distribution requirement. In 2023, the Foundation announced a historic $1 billion commitment over 20 years to transform education in Texas by 2035 through the M-Pact Fund, focusing on early learning and postsecondary success. The Foundation is governed by three family trustees and maintains a broad grantmaking approach across education, social services and family well-being, health and wellness, and the arts. Most funding goes to Foundation-initiated projects including Moody Gardens, the Transitional Learning Center, the Moody Scholars Program, and the Generation Moody Education Initiative, with additional grants awarded through competitive application processes.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Traditional Grant Program (Rolling basis)

  • Grant amounts vary widely based on organization size, project scale, and relationship history
  • Recent awards range from $75,000 to $20,000,000
  • Supports general operating, program, and capital requests
  • Foundation prefers grants for specific programs or projects over general operating
  • Examples from 2024-2025:
    • University of Texas Medical Branch: $20,000,000 for Moody Brain Health Institute
    • Galveston Island Day School: $7,700,000 for Center Operations
    • Moody Gardens: $7,000,000 for Site Improvements
    • Waco Family Medicine Foundation: $2,500,000 for Building Family Medicine Campaign
    • Texas Health Resources Foundation: $1,500,000 for SANE Program Expansion
    • Southern Gateway Public Green Foundation: $1,000,000 for Southern Gateway Park
    • Trinity Episcopal Church: $1,000,000 for "A Light for the Ages"
    • Galveston ISD: $240,000 for Powerful Learning Initiative
    • First Presbyterian Church/The Stewpot: $200,000 for Children, Youth and Family Program expansion
    • Cristo Rey Dallas High School: $78,000 for Corporate Work Study Expansion

M-Pact Fund (Annual RFP process)

  • Part of $1 billion, 20-year education commitment
  • Two grant cycles per year
  • Focus on organizations serving significant populations (2024 cohort serves 2.9+ million people)
  • Strategic priorities: Early Learning (birth through grade 3) and Postsecondary Success
  • Includes fully funded annual convening for grantees
  • Next cycle applications open Spring 2025
  • 32 organizations funded in inaugural cycle

Priority Areas

Education

  • High-quality early childhood education and early literacy (birth through grade 3)
  • Postsecondary success and career readiness
  • Educational equity and access
  • Foundation-initiated programs: Moody Scholars Program, Generation Moody Education Initiative

Social Services and Family Well-Being

  • Family support services
  • Child welfare and foster care support
  • Food insecurity
  • Mental health resources
  • Children and youth programs

Health and Wellness

  • Brain health research and treatment
  • Family medicine and healthcare access
  • Sexual assault support services
  • Children's health programs

Arts and Culture

  • Performing arts facilities and programming (e.g., Moody Performance Hall)
  • Community arts access
  • Arts education

Geographic Priorities: Strong focus on Galveston projects, with significant giving in Austin and Dallas, and emphasis on rural areas with less access to philanthropic funding

What They Don't Fund

  • Private foundations that are not private operating foundations
  • Political organizations, political candidates, lobbyists, or related organizations
  • Organizations outside Texas or projects with funds expended outside Texas
  • Large-scale capital campaigns (these are typically trustee-initiated rather than applicant-driven)
  • General operating expenses without clear sustainability plans post-funding
  • Projects from organizations not registered to do business in Texas (if formed in another jurisdiction)

Governance and Leadership

The Moody Foundation is governed by three family trustees who review all operations and approve all grants at quarterly board meetings.

Frances Moody-Dahlberg - Chairman and Executive Director

  • Serving as Executive Director since 1998
  • SMU alumna and university trustee
  • Great-granddaughter of founders William Lewis Moody Jr. and Libbie Rice Shearn Moody
  • Sister of Ross Moody
  • Champion of women's and children's issues and the arts
  • Quote: "I don't know if my great-grandparents could have possibly imagined the enormous good their generosity would accomplish, but I do know for certain that today the Moody Foundation continues to be led by their philanthropic vision and guided by their founding mission, to be of benefit to present and future Texans."
  • On collaboration: "To address the challenges we face and to seize the opportunities ahead of us, we need to bring experts from different fields together and support their work. Collaboration inspires new perspectives and dynamic partnerships."
  • On diversity and community: "All of our grants, from large to small, express our sense that coming together as a community honors the diversity, enables the unity and uplifts the hopeful spirit that is Texas."

Ross Moody - Trustee

  • Serving as trustee since 1986
  • BBA in Finance from University of Texas at Austin
  • MBA from Harvard University
  • Great-grandson of founders

Elizabeth "Elle" Moody - Trustee

  • Daughter of Ross Moody
  • Represents fourth generation of Moody family stewardship

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

Traditional Grant Program:

  1. Submit Initial Inquiry: All inquiries submitted via online Grants Portal at moodyf.org

    • First-time applicants (or existing grantees submitting new proposals) must create account in portal
    • Complete brief eligibility quiz
    • Provide organization overview and project description
    • Include estimated total budget and amount requested
    • Important: Only one inquiry per organization considered at any given time
    • Can note priority project if wishing to submit multiple concepts for review

  2. Grants Team Review: Staff analyzes inquiries for alignment with Foundation priorities (education, social services and family well-being, health and wellness, arts)

  3. Invitation to Full Application: If inquiry receives further consideration, grants team sends full application

  4. Compliance Review: Staff conducts detailed compliance review of submitted applications

  5. Trustee Consideration: Eligible applications presented to three-member board of trustees at quarterly meetings (four meetings per year)

  6. Decision Notification: Applicants notified in writing of decision

M-Pact Fund:

  • Annual Request for Proposals (RFP) process
  • Two grant cycles per year
  • Applications open through Foundation website when RFP announced
  • Separate application process from traditional grants
  • Next cycle opens Spring 2025

Decision Timeline

Traditional Grants:

  • Allow up to 6 months for initial inquiry review
  • Full process from inquiry to funding decision commonly takes up to 12 months
  • Applications accepted year-round on rolling basis
  • Trustee meetings held quarterly (4 times per year)

M-Pact Fund:

  • Annual cycles with specific RFP periods
  • Two cohorts awarded per year

Success Rates

The Foundation does not publicly disclose acceptance rates or success statistics. Given that the Foundation awards $80-100 million annually to meet distribution requirements and receives inquiries year-round, competition is significant but the Foundation funds organizations "of all sizes—from large-scale institutions to small community-based groups."

Reapplication Policy

Organizations notified in writing if inquiries not selected for further consideration. The Foundation states: "Grants are considered individually and no grant award should be construed as a precedent for subsequent gifts."

Key restriction: Organizations are only allowed one active grant at a time unless an exception has been discussed with Foundation staff. This means organizations cannot have multiple simultaneous funded projects without explicit approval.

No explicit waiting period documented for reapplication after unsuccessful inquiry, but given the 6-12 month review timeline, organizations should consider timing carefully.

Application Success Factors

Foundation-Specific Guidance

From the Foundation's FAQ and Application Materials:

  1. Sustainability is Critical: Foundation advises applicants to identify "additional funding sources and/or how the project or capital will be sustainable post-Moody funding." General operating requests especially must demonstrate "how operations will be sustained post-funding."

  2. Apply Broadly: Foundation explicitly recommends: "It is a good idea to submit applications to multiple sources of funding to improve your overall chances of success." This signals competitive environment and realistic expectations about approval rates.

  3. Choose Your Priority: Can submit up to three project concepts for consideration, but "note your organization's highest-priority project" as only one inquiry per organization is considered at a time.

  4. Skip the Pre-Meeting: Foundation "typically" does not meet with first-time applicants before initial inquiry submission. Submit inquiry first through portal.

  5. Review Past Grants: Foundation recommends reviewing their Annual Report for data on past grants and their grants database for examples of recently funded organizations and projects to understand funding patterns and appropriate request amounts.

  6. Size Doesn't Matter (Within Reason): Foundation explicitly states they fund "organizations of all sizes—from large-scale institutions...to small community-based groups," so small organizations should not self-select out.

  7. Texas Focus is Non-Negotiable: All grant funds must be expended within Texas. Organizations formed outside Texas must be registered with Texas Secretary of State.

  8. Alignment with Current Priorities: Applications must clearly align with education, social services and family well-being, health and wellness, or arts. Foundation analyzes inquiries specifically for this alignment.

What Recent Grants Reveal

  • Education grants dominate: Consistent with $1 billion, 20-year education commitment
  • Wide range accepted: Recent grants span $75,000 to $20,000,000, showing Foundation considers projects of all scales
  • Capital projects welcomed: Despite FAQ noting preference for program grants, many capital grants awarded (hospitals, parks, facilities)
  • Multi-year commitments: Large operational grants (e.g., $7.7M for Moody Early Childhood Center operations) show Foundation makes sustained investments
  • Geographic diversity: While Galveston receives significant funding, Foundation awards grants across Texas including Dallas, Austin, Richardson, Arlington, Waco
  • Specific program focus: Most successful grants target specific, measurable outcomes rather than general operations

Language and Approach

Frances Moody-Dahlberg emphasizes:

  • Collaboration: "Collaboration inspires new perspectives and dynamic partnerships"
  • Community and diversity: "Coming together as a community honors the diversity, enables the unity and uplifts the hopeful spirit that is Texas"
  • Legacy and Texas focus: Continuing founders' mission "to be of benefit to present and future Texans"
  • Transformational impact: Using terms like "transform education" and "building hope"

Applications should reflect collaborative approach, clear Texas benefit, and transformational potential.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  1. Plan for a long timeline: With 6-12 month typical turnaround, start application process well in advance of funding need and have bridge funding identified.

  2. Demonstrate sustainability: Foundation explicitly wants to know how projects continue after grant ends. Include specific plans for ongoing funding sources or operational sustainability.

  3. Align clearly with one of four priorities: Education, social services/family well-being, health/wellness, or arts. If your work doesn't fit clearly, reconsider applying.

  4. Study recent grant awards: Foundation provides searchable grants database—use it to understand typical award sizes for organizations similar to yours and successful project types.

  5. Geographic positioning matters: If serving Galveston, Austin, Dallas, or rural Texas, highlight this prominently. If in other Texas locations, emphasize statewide impact or underserved community status.

  6. One shot at a time: With only one active grant allowed per organization and one inquiry considered at a time, be strategic about when and what you apply for. Submit your highest-priority project.

  7. For education projects, consider M-Pact Fund: If working in early learning (birth-grade 3) or postsecondary success, the annual M-Pact RFP may offer better fit than traditional grants, especially if serving large populations.

  8. Apply to multiple funders simultaneously: Foundation explicitly encourages this, signaling they understand their competitive process and won't penalize organizations for seeking diverse funding.

References

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