Valley Baptist Legacy Foundation
At a glance
Key takeaways
- Valley Baptist Legacy Foundation funds health and well-being work in Cameron, Hidalgo, Starr and Willacy counties, with priorities including obesity and diabetes, access to care, mental health, ageing in place and dental health; eligible applicants are qualifying nonprofits serving residents of those counties who can demonstrate positive health effects there.
- Most grants are modest in size: across recent filings half of its 175 grants to organisations were about $56,500 or less, and about 8 in 10 fell between $11,500 and $400,000, so a request in that band is realistic, though Foundation Initiatives can start from $500,000 and one grant reached about $11,000,000.
- Match your request to the right programme: Responsive Grants (up to $50,000) can be applied for directly, with two annual cycles beginning in December and August and applications due in February and September; Collaborative Grants ($50,000–$500,000) and Foundation Initiatives (from $500,000) require a Letter of Intent by October, followed by an invited application due in February.
- Collaborative Grant applications are strengthened by letters of support from collaborators, and funding does not cover insurance premiums, endowments, individual support, event sponsorships, debt retirement, operational deficits, capital campaigns, or costs unrelated to the project such as grant-writer fees.
- With 48% of grant dollars in the latest filing going to organisations also funded in the two prior filings, there is a notable element of continuing relationships, but the stated application routes are open and should be followed for any approach.
Overview
Valley Baptist Legacy Foundation is a US private foundation based in Harlingen, TX.
What they fund
Profile derived from the foundation's IRS Form 990-PF filings (TY2024, TY2023, TY2022) and its website, with every statement checked against those sources. Sources read on 7 October 2026.
Priority Areas
The Foundation invests in initiatives to improve health and well-being in the Rio Grande Valley, using partnerships, medical education, research and programmes as catalysts. Its broad focus is healthy-lifestyle programmes that enhance the health and quality of life of South Texans. Stated priorities include obesity and diabetes, access to care, mental health, ageing in place and dental health. It supports efforts to educate people about weight management and diabetes, expand health-insurance coverage and remove barriers to care, provide screening and treatment through licensed behavioural-health providers for young people and adults, improve older adults’ access to healthcare and quality of life, and increase access to dental care. Eligible applicants are qualifying nonprofit organisations serving residents of Cameron, Hidalgo, Starr or Willacy counties and demonstrating positive health effects in the funding area. It prioritises proposals that reach many, foster collaboration, use resources effectively, can be replicated and have community support.
Themes
- Healthy lifestyles
- Obesity and diabetes
- Access to care
- Mental health
- Aging in place
- Dental health
Geographic Focus
Cameron County; Hidalgo County; Starr County; Willacy County.
What They Don't Fund
- Insurance premiums
- Endowments
- Individuals
- Event sponsorships
- Debt retirement
- Operational deficits
- Capital Campaigns
- Costs not directly related to your project, such as grant writer fees or unrelated administrative expenses
How to apply
Requests below $50,000 can skip the LOI and submit an application directly. Requests over $50,000 start with a Letter of Intent; applicants invited to submit a full proposal receive a code for the online application stage. Matching-fund enquiries should be directed to the Foundation.
Deadlines:
- Requests under $50,000 have two annual cycles, beginning in December and August, with applications due in February and September.
- Requests over $50,000 follow an annual cycle: LOIs are due in October, and applications are due in February.
Application success factors
- Repeat giving: In its TY2024 filing, 48% of its grant dollars to organisations went to organisations it had also funded in its TY2022 or TY2023 filing.
- Grant size: Across its TY2022, TY2023 and TY2024 filings, half of its 175 grants to organisations were about $56,500 or less.
What the foundation says:
- It prioritises proposals that impact many, foster collaboration, use resources effectively, showcase replicable programmes and receive community support.
- For Collaborative Grants, letters of support from collaborators strengthen applications.
- Grant recipients are expected to provide timely, comprehensive updates on project progress and impact; failure may affect future applications.
Where grants go
From grants to organisations in the foundation’s filings for tax years 2022–2024.
Grant dollars by state
5 other states: <1%
- The largest single recipient received 30% of grant dollars to organisations.
- In tax year 2024, 48% of grant dollars went to organisations Valley Baptist Legacy Foundation had funded in earlier filings.
- No grants were paid directly to organisations outside the US.
- <1% of grant dollars went to intermediaries that regrant to other organisations.
Grants
How much do they typically give?
Share of 55 grants in tax year 2024 by size
Median $56,400 (tax year 2024)
The largest grants to organisations in the foundation’s latest filing:
- UT Rio Grande Valley · Charitable$10,000,0002024 tax year
- Driscoll Children's Hospital Development Foundation · Charitable$6,250,0002024 tax year
- Moody Clinic · Charitable$1,252,4692024 tax year
- Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute · Charitable$700,0002024 tax year
- City of Rio Hondo · Hondo boat ramp$445,9092024 tax year
- Children's Bereavement Center of the Rio Grande Valley · Charitable$399,3112024 tax year
- IDEA Public Schools · Charitable$366,1592024 tax year
- It's Time Texas · Charitable$345,0562024 tax year
Grants to organisations listed in the foundation’s Form 990-PF filings. Grants to individuals are not shown.
Officers and directors
- Denise Almon CPA — Director
- Cynthia Brown PhD — Director
- Carlos Varela — Director
- Carlos Muniz CPA — Director
- Alicia Noyola Ed D — Director
- Adela Valdez MD — Director
- Kimberly Anderson — Finance Director
- Judy Quisenberry — Executive Director
- Stephanie Jackson DDS — Secretary
- Rebekah Batot — Chairperson
- Mariana Tumlinson — Director
- Jason Carter — Director
- James Castillo MD — Director
- Elsa Cardenas Hagan Ed D — Vice Chairperson
From the latest Form 990-PF filing
3 years of tax filings
| Year | Total expenses | Grants paid | Assets | Filing document |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 tax year | $11,363,602 | $15,252,085 | $397,099,740 | Filing for 2022 tax year |
| 2023 tax year | $26,165,574 | $17,993,429 | $429,107,497 | Filing for 2023 tax year |
| 2024 tax year | $40,452,682 | $23,735,244 | $453,330,670 | Filing for 2024 tax year |
Figures from the foundation’s IRS Form 990-PF filings. Assets are at fair market value at year end. The document icon links to each year’s filing on ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer.
Sources
Registers and filings
Other sources
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At a glance
Applying to Valley Baptist Legacy Foundation?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- (956) 335-3037
- rjames@vblf.org
- Harlingen, TX
- vblf.org
Applying to Valley Baptist Legacy Foundation?
Hinchilla drafts your answers around this funder's priorities, using your organisation's own documents.
No credit card required
Contact
- (956) 335-3037
- rjames@vblf.org
- Harlingen, TX
- vblf.org