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Austin Community Foundation

Annual Giving
$58.3M
Grant Range
$5K - $0.1M
Decision Time
2mo

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Austin Community Foundation

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $58,344,738 (2023)
  • Total Assets: Over $500 million
  • Grant Range: $5,000 - $100,000+
  • Geographic Focus: Central Texas (Travis, Burnet, Bastrop, Caldwell, Hays, and Williamson counties)
  • Application Method: Rolling and fixed deadlines (varies by programme)
  • Total Grants (2023): 751 awards

Contact Details

Overview

Founded in 1977, Austin Community Foundation (ACF) serves as the third largest charitable foundation in Central Texas, stewarding over $500 million in charitable assets. The foundation manages more than 700 charitable funds established by individual donors, corporations, and nonprofit agencies, distributing over $58 million annually through a combination of donor-advised funds and strategic grant programmes. Under CEO Mike Nellis's leadership, ACF has realigned its strategic focus to two primary impact areas: affordable housing and economic security, whilst continuing to support arts and culture, environmental sustainability, and animal welfare. The foundation operates on the principle that "Austin belongs to all of us and everyone deserves opportunity," emphasising equity, justice, and collaborative problem-solving to address the region's most pressing challenges.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programmes

Forever Austin Fund Grants

  • Amount: $5,000 - $50,000
  • Description: Annual competitive grant cycle supporting 75-100 organisations across multiple impact areas
  • Application: Fixed annual deadline (typically January)
  • Recent Awards: $2.3 million to 99 organisations
  • Focus Areas: Economic Mobility, Arts & Culture, Environmental Sustainability, Green Spaces, and Animal Welfare

Women's Fund Grants

  • Amount: Varies
  • Description: Supports economic mobility of women in Central Texas
  • Focus: Housing, childcare, education, and women's health
  • History: Over $3 million granted to 100+ nonprofits since 2004

Hispanic Impact Fund Grants

  • Amount: Varies (recent awards totalled $180,000 to six nonprofits)
  • Description: Advances economic mobility for Latino families in Central Texas
  • Focus: Early childhood education, health and wellness, job skills and entrepreneurship, and leadership development

Community Grants Programme

  • Status: Currently paused for programme reimagining
  • Description: Year-round grant opportunity for local nonprofits
  • Focus: Eight impact areas across community needs

The Black Fund

  • Amount: Varies
  • Description: Part of signature programmes supporting economic mobility
  • Focus: Advancing opportunities for Black Central Texans

Priority Areas

Primary Strategic Focus:

  • Affordable housing and permanent supportive housing (considered by leadership as "a critical precondition for almost all of the outcomes we want to see for our region")
  • Economic security and mobility

Additional Funding Areas:

  • Health and human services
  • Arts and culture
  • Environmental sustainability and conservation
  • Community development and service
  • Education and training
  • Recreation and green spaces
  • Animal welfare

Economic Mobility Themes:

  • Barriers to generational wealth
  • Career development
  • Housing stability
  • Small business support

Health and Humanities:

  • Improving health outcomes
  • Broadening access to arts and culture
  • Mental health services
  • Preventative healthcare

What They Don't Fund

Whilst specific exclusions were not detailed in available materials, grants are geographically restricted to Central Texas work (Travis, Burnet, Bastrop, Caldwell, Hays, and Williamson counties for Central Texas-specific opportunities). Organisations do not need to be physically located in Central Texas, but funded work must serve the region.

Governance and Leadership

Key Leadership

Mike Nellis, CEO

  • Leads the foundation's strategic direction with focus on equity and justice
  • Quote: "We believe Austin belongs to all of us and everyone deserves opportunity"
  • Quote: "We must use our position and voice to condemn racism and support justice"
  • Quote: "Affordable housing is a critical precondition for almost all of the outcomes we want to see for our region"
  • Approach: "I leverage resources and work collaboratively with a broad spectrum of stakeholders as a convener on issues and challenges facing Austin and the region"

Board of Governors

The foundation is governed by a Board of Governors consisting of 20 members representing diverse skills and experiences. Recent additions include:

  • Alex Brown: Retired supply chain executive, former Chief Procurement Officer for Globalfoundries
  • Rudy Colmenero: Partner with Austin law firm Vacek, Kiecke & Colmenero, LLP, specialising in federal taxation, estate planning, probate, and real estate
  • Ray Martinez: Deputy Commissioner for Academic Affairs and Workforce Education at Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
  • Geronimo Rodriguez: President of the Austin Independent School District Board of Trustees

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

All applications must be submitted through Austin Community Foundation's online grant portal (accessible via austincf.org). The portal allows organisations to:

  • View available grant opportunities
  • Save drafts and collaborate with colleagues
  • Track application status in real-time
  • Access award decisions and details
  • Complete required follow-up forms

Basic Eligibility Review: ACF staff conducts initial eligibility screening of all applications. Each grant opportunity has its own rubric and review committee that makes final funding decisions.

Communications: Most communications are sent via email from the grant portal system (administrator@grantinterface.com). Applicants can check request status at any time by logging into the portal.

Geographic Eligibility: Organisations do not need to be located in Central Texas, but funding requests for Central Texas-specific opportunities must apply only to work done in Travis, Burnet, Bastrop, Caldwell, Hays, and Williamson counties.

Multiple Applications: Grant opportunities are managed independently, so participation in one programme does not bar eligibility for other ACF grants or funding opportunities.

Decision Timeline

Forever Austin Fund (Annual Cycle):

  • Application Deadline: Typically late January
  • Follow-up Deadline: Typically early February
  • Final Decision Date: Typically early March
  • Total Timeline: Approximately 6 weeks from application to decision

Scholarships:

  • Application Deadline: Typically late March
  • Award Notifications: Typically mid-May
  • Total Timeline: Approximately 7 weeks

Other Programmes: Timelines vary by specific grant opportunity; check individual programme guidelines in the grant portal.

Success Rates

Whilst specific success rates are not publicly published, ACF's Forever Austin Fund awarded grants to 99 organisations, and the foundation anticipates awarding 75-100 grants annually through this programme. In 2023, ACF made 751 total grant awards across all programmes, demonstrating significant capacity for funding multiple organisations.

For scholarships, since 2008, ACF has distributed nearly $9.9 million to 5,209 students across more than 60 different scholarship opportunities.

Reapplication Policy

Organisations that received Forever Austin Fund grants are eligible to reapply in subsequent years, indicating that successful grantees may reapply. The foundation offers office hours specifically reserved for organisations that did not receive grants, suggesting unsuccessful applicants receive support and are encouraged to consider reapplication. Grant opportunities are managed independently, so participation or non-participation in one programme does not affect eligibility for other ACF funding opportunities. Specific waiting periods or restrictions for unsuccessful applicants to reapply were not publicly documented.

Application Success Factors

Based on guidance from the Austin Community Foundation, successful applications demonstrate:

Authenticity and Personal Connection ACF emphasises that "there will be real people reading your application, so make sure you are being authentic." Reviewers want to understand the genuine story behind your organisation and its work.

Clear Alignment with Strategic Priorities With CEO Mike Nellis's strategic realignment toward affordable housing and economic security, applications should clearly articulate how projects address these priorities or other funded impact areas (arts and culture, environmental sustainability, animal welfare).

Strong Narrative Beyond Numbers ACF advises using narrative sections as "an opportunity to tell reviewers more about yourself. Share things you would like them to know that can't be seen through your GPA or transcripts" (from scholarship guidance, but applicable to all applications).

Regional Impact Demonstrated commitment to serving Central Texas communities, particularly Travis, Burnet, Bastrop, Caldwell, Hays, and Williamson counties.

Equity and Justice Focus Given leadership's emphasis on condemning racism and supporting justice, applications that address disparities and advance equity for underserved populations appear to align with foundation values.

Specific Recent Funding Examples:

Economic Mobility recipients (Forever Austin Fund):

  • Projects tackling barriers to generational wealth
  • Career development programmes
  • Housing stability initiatives
  • Small business support

Health and Humanities recipients:

  • Austin Speech Labs: $25,114 for "Communicating After A Stroke: Affordable Speech and Cognitive Therapy for Stroke Survivors In Need"
  • Out Youth Austin: $30,000 for "Safeguarding + Expanding LGBTQIA+ Youth Mental Health Care"
  • Any Baby Can: $80,000 for "Early Intervention, Therapy, and Case Management Services"

Arts & Culture recipients:

  • Austin Film Society: $25,000 for AFS Creative Careers
  • Austin Opera: $10,000 for Bella Noche de Música
  • Armstrong Community Music School: $5,000 for Bilingual Music Education for Immigrant and Refugee Families

Follow-Up Requirements Most grant programmes require a grant agreement and final report, both managed through the grant portal. Requirements vary between opportunities, so review specific programme guidelines carefully.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • Start with the portal: Familiarise yourself with ACF's online grant portal early—all applications, communications, and follow-up occur through this system
  • Align with strategic priorities: Emphasise connections to affordable housing, economic security, and equity/justice themes that CEO Mike Nellis has prioritised
  • Geographic specificity matters: Clearly demonstrate how your project serves Central Texas communities within the six-county service area
  • Show authentic impact: Use narrative sections to tell genuine stories that go beyond statistics—ACF values authentic connection and real community impact
  • Consider multiple opportunities: Don't limit yourself to one programme; ACF manages opportunities independently, and organisations can pursue multiple funding streams
  • Leverage support resources: Take advantage of office hours and contact grants@austincf.org with questions—ACF specifically offers support to organisations, including those not funded previously
  • Think beyond traditional nonprofits: ACF awards grants ranging from $1,000 to over $100,000, supporting both emerging community partners and well-established service providers

References

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