← Back to US Funders Directory

Health Foundation Of East Texas

Annual Giving
$5.4M
Grant Range
$100K - $80.0M

Health Foundation Of East Texas

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $5.4 million (2024)
  • Total Assets: $173 million (2024)
  • Grant Range: Varies (historical grants from $100,000 to $80 million)
  • Geographic Focus: Smith County and surrounding Northeast Texas communities
  • Application Process: Rolling basis, no deadlines
  • EIN: 75-2695524

Contact Details

Address: 3301 Golden Rd Suite 411, Tyler, TX 75701

Phone: (903) 991-5040

Email: info@healthfoundationet.org

Website: https://healthfoundationet.org

Key Contact: Smittee Root, Executive Director

Overview

The Health Foundation of East Texas (formerly the East Texas Medical Center Foundation) was established in the 1940s as the East Texas Hospital Foundation, originally created to build community-supported medical infrastructure. The foundation supported the establishment of Medical Center Hospital (later ETMC Tyler), a regional blood bank, and a nursing school in 1951-1952. Following the 2018 sale of ETMC Regional Healthcare System to UT and Ardent Healthcare, the foundation converted to a private foundation with $173 million in assets. The foundation announced a transformative $80 million commitment in 2020 to establish the University of Texas Medical School in Tyler. Grant-making is estimated to resume in 2025 with a focused mission to improve health and quality of life in Tyler and surrounding East Texas communities, addressing the region's higher-than-average mortality rates for heart disease, cancer, stroke, and chronic respiratory diseases.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

The foundation has narrowed its focus to two strategic program areas as it prepares to resume grant-making in 2025:

  • Youth Mental Health: Supporting programs that improve the mental health and well-being of young people, with particular emphasis on behavioral health interventions for adolescents and training programs for behavioral health professionals
  • Access to Care: Funding initiatives that ensure individuals and families can access healthcare services, particularly for underserved and at-risk populations facing barriers such as limited primary care access, scarce behavioral health resources, and geographic challenges

Application Method: Rolling basis with no grant cycles or deadlines—organizations can initiate conversations at any time

Priority Areas

  • Behavioral health services and mental health support for youth
  • Programs helping young people learn, grow, and reach their full potential
  • Expanding availability of healthcare providers in underserved areas
  • Improving access to needed services in communities with geographic barriers
  • Initiatives addressing unique community health needs
  • Sustainable programs demonstrating measurable community impact
  • Medical education and healthcare workforce development

What They Don't Fund

  • Individuals
  • Strictly religious/sectarian causes or religious institutions
  • General operating funds
  • Budget deficits or debt retirement
  • Lobbying or election influence activities
  • Organizations classified as "private foundations" under Section 509(a) of the Internal Revenue Code

Governance and Leadership

Board of Directors

  • Paula Anthony, Ph.D. - President
  • Byron Hale - Secretary/Treasurer
  • Paul Detwiler, M.D. - Past President
  • Shannon Dacus - Director
  • Thomas Neuhoff - Director
  • Steve Roosth - Director
  • Fred Smith - Director
  • Elam Swann - Director (Founding Board Member and former Chair)
  • Tom Woldert - Director

Staff

  • Smittee Root - Executive Director
  • Christi Khalaf - Director of Community Collaborations

Leadership Quote: Board member Elam Swann stated regarding the medical school commitment: "Our goal was to help create a medical school so that East Texas remains home for our students," reflecting the foundation's commitment to retaining talent and improving regional healthcare infrastructure.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

The Health Foundation of East Texas operates on a rolling basis with no grant cycles or deadlines. Organizations can initiate conversations with the foundation at any time.

Initial Contact Process:

  1. Contact Smittee Root, Executive Director, at (903) 991-5040 or info@healthfoundationet.org
  2. The foundation welcomes early conversations to discuss alignment with their focus areas
  3. No formal application portal or deadline-driven process

Eligibility Requirements:

  • Must be designated by the IRS as a 501(c)(3) or 170(c) organization
  • Cannot be classified as a "private foundation" under Section 509(a)
  • Must serve Smith County and/or surrounding Northeast Texas communities

Decision Timeline

Specific decision timelines are not publicly documented. Given the rolling application process and the foundation's approach to strategic partnerships, timelines likely vary based on project scope and complexity.

Success Rates

Success rate data is not publicly available. The foundation emphasizes that all requests will be evaluated based on the demonstrated and proposed impact within communities.

Reapplication Policy

No specific reapplication restrictions are documented. Given the rolling application process with no deadlines, organizations can initiate conversations at any time.

Application Success Factors

Based on the foundation's documented priorities and recent grant-making history:

Alignment with Strategic Focus: The foundation has deliberately narrowed to two program areas—youth mental health and access to care. Applications must clearly demonstrate how they address one or both of these priorities in Northeast Texas.

Demonstrated Community Impact: The foundation explicitly states that proposals are evaluated "based on the impact each proposes and demonstrates within their communities." Applications should provide evidence of both potential future impact and track record of results.

Focus on Underserved Populations: The foundation is "particularly interested in services that focus on under-served and/or at-risk populations in ways that address the unique needs of their community." Successful applications will identify specific underserved groups and demonstrate understanding of their unique barriers.

Sustainability: The foundation believes communities are strongest "when they work together with non-profit organizations to develop sustainable programs and services that demonstrably improve the health and well-being of its citizens" (emphasis on sustainability indicates this is a priority).

Geographic Targeting: Proposals should focus on Smith County and surrounding Northeast Texas communities, with awareness of the region's specific health challenges including higher-than-average mortality rates and barriers like limited primary care access and geographic challenges.

Evidence of Recent Priorities: The foundation's $100,000 grant to East Texas Baptist University in 2020 for a Community Counseling Center exemplifies their priorities—it addressed mental health workforce shortages, provided no-cost services to underserved populations, and created sustainable community infrastructure. This grant demonstrates they value projects that both deliver direct services and build long-term capacity.

Strategic Partnerships: The foundation explicitly welcomes "strategic partners aligned with their vision" and uses language about "collaboration with East Texans." Applications should demonstrate how the organization will partner with the foundation and community.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • Rolling conversations trump formal applications: With no deadlines or cycles, the foundation values early dialogue. Contact Executive Director Smittee Root before developing a full proposal to ensure alignment.

  • Pick one lane clearly: Applications must squarely address either youth mental health OR access to care—the foundation has deliberately narrowed from broader health priorities to these two areas.

  • Northeast Texas geography is non-negotiable: The foundation focuses specifically on Smith County and surrounding communities; applicants outside this region are not eligible.

  • Demonstrate measurable impact, not just activities: The foundation's emphasis on proposals that "demonstrate" impact suggests they want data, outcomes, and evidence—not just program descriptions.

  • Think capacity-building, not quick fixes: The foundation's history (establishing hospitals, nursing schools, medical schools) and language about "sustainable programs" indicates preference for infrastructure and long-term solutions over short-term projects.

  • Address documented regional barriers: Applications gain credibility by acknowledging the foundation's stated challenges: higher mortality rates, limited primary care access, scarce behavioral health resources, and geographic barriers requiring travel for care.

  • Scale matters less than impact: The foundation has awarded grants ranging from $100,000 to $80 million—they appear flexible on grant size if the impact case is compelling.

References

← Back to US Funders Directory