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O'Donnell Foundation

Annual Giving
$33.5M
Grant Range
$1K - $30.0M

O'Donnell Foundation

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $33,526,386 (2023)
  • Assets: $142 million
  • Grant Range: $1,000 - $11,600,000
  • Median Grant: $1,000,000
  • Number of Grants: 9 annually (average)
  • Geographic Focus: Texas (particularly Dallas County and North Texas)
  • Application Method: Invitation only / No public application process

Contact Details

Address: 100 Crescent Court, Suite 880, Dallas, TX 75201

Leadership: William T. Solomon, Chairman, President and CEO

Note: The foundation does not accept unsolicited applications.

Overview

The O'Donnell Foundation was established in 1957 by Peter O'Donnell Jr., a securities investor, and his wife Edith Jones O'Donnell. Over more than 60 years, the foundation has invested over $1 billion in support of education, medicine, and the arts, almost entirely in Texas. Following Peter O'Donnell Jr.'s passing in October 2021 at age 97, the foundation continues his transformative legacy under the leadership of William T. Solomon. The foundation is known for providing a handful of organizations with ongoing support, often in the multimillion-dollar range, focusing on building model programs to enhance the quality of education. The foundation has been recognized as having facilitated the evolution of Texas' economy from one driven by oil and cattle to one in which knowledge fuels the rise of companies and institutions specializing in computer technologies, bioscience developments, and medical research.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

The O'Donnell Foundation supports four main areas through trustee-directed grantmaking:

Higher Education: Major multimillion-dollar investments to enhance postsecondary success

  • Recent example: $110 million total investment in Dallas County Promise initiative (2024-2025)
  • Dallas College Foundation: $20 million
  • University of North Texas at Dallas: $17 million
  • University of Texas at Dallas: $8 million
  • Southern Methodist University: $5-30 million (varies by initiative)

K-12 Education: Support for strengthening teacher corps and educational infrastructure

  • Recent example: $30 million to Commit Partnership for middle and high school advising across Dallas County school districts

Science and Engineering: Graduate-level education in engineering, science, and mathematics

  • University of Texas System: Over $135 million between 1983-2013
  • Created 32 million-dollar science and engineering chairs at UT Austin
  • Recent example: $30 million to SMU for O'Donnell Data Science and Research Computing Institute

Arts and Culture: Support for major arts institutions in Dallas

  • Dallas Symphony Association: $11.6 million
  • Dallas Opera: $1 million

Medicine and Biomedical Research: Support for medical institutions and research

  • UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas: $2.3 million (recent grant)

Priority Areas

  • Postsecondary success and degree completion for economically disadvantaged students
  • Advanced Placement programs (math, science, English, art)
  • Data science and digital innovation
  • Student support services including advising and scholarship programs
  • Workforce training and coordination with employers
  • Public institutions in Texas (majority of grants)

What They Don't Fund

The foundation does not accept unsolicited applications, and information about explicit exclusions is not publicly available. However, based on funding patterns:

  • Organizations outside of Texas (nearly all funding stays in-state)
  • Individual scholarships (supports institutional programs instead)
  • International projects
  • Organizations without established track records

Governance and Leadership

William T. Solomon serves as Chairman, President and CEO of the O'Donnell Foundation. He is also chairman of the Hoblitzelle Foundation and vice-chairman of Dallas Medical Resource. Solomon has been instrumental in directing the foundation's recent major investments in Dallas County education initiatives.

The foundation operates as a low-profile funder that does not publicly articulate detailed goals for its funding or disclose its full board composition. The foundation maintains its legacy commitment to Peter and Edith O'Donnell's original vision established in 1957, focusing on four key areas: science and engineering, medicine, the arts, and K-12 education improvement.

Legacy Leadership: Peter O'Donnell Jr. (1924-2021), founder, was described by UT System Chancellor James B. Milliken as "perhaps the most influential Texan of his generation," noting that few people have done as much to advance the state of Texas as a powerhouse for research and innovation. For years, most of the O'Donnells' gifts were anonymous, reflecting their preference for impact over recognition.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

This foundation does not have a public application process. The O'Donnell Foundation does not accept unsolicited applications or proposals. Grants are made at the discretion of the foundation's trustees, typically to organizations with which the foundation has pre-existing relationships or through strategic initiatives identified by foundation leadership.

All grants are trustee-initiated, with the foundation identifying organizations and causes that align with their mission and strategic priorities. The foundation appears to work through direct outreach to institutions rather than responding to incoming requests.

Getting on Their Radar

Based on the foundation's grantmaking patterns, organizations that have received O'Donnell Foundation support typically share these characteristics:

Institutional profile: Major educational institutions, cultural organizations, or established nonprofits in Texas, particularly those with significant scale and impact potential. Recent beneficiaries have been large public universities, community colleges, and prominent arts institutions in Dallas.

Strategic alignment: Organizations working on initiatives that align with the foundation's focus on building "model programs" that can demonstrate systemic impact. The Dallas County Promise initiative, which received $110 million, exemplifies the foundation's interest in comprehensive, multi-institutional efforts that address educational inequity at scale.

Dallas County presence: Strong preference for organizations operating in Dallas County or with significant impact in North Texas, though the foundation has supported institutions throughout Texas.

Leadership connections: William T. Solomon's role as CEO of the O'Donnell Foundation as well as chairman of the Hoblitzelle Foundation and vice-chairman of Dallas Medical Resource suggests that board-level connections within the Dallas philanthropic and institutional community may be relevant.

Decision Timeline

Not applicable—the foundation does not accept applications. Grant decisions are made internally by trustees based on their strategic priorities and timing.

Success Rates

Not applicable—no public application process exists.

Reapplication Policy

Not applicable—the foundation does not accept applications. However, the foundation demonstrates a pattern of providing multi-year, ongoing support to selected organizations, suggesting that once a relationship is established, continued support may be available for successful initiatives.

Application Success Factors

Since the O'Donnell Foundation does not accept applications, traditional success factors do not apply. However, analysis of recent grantmaking reveals key characteristics of initiatives that receive O'Donnell Foundation support:

Scale and systemic impact: The foundation favors comprehensive initiatives that address problems at scale. The Dallas County Promise investment of $110 million represents "one of the largest philanthropic investments to grow postsecondary success in the history of the region," demonstrating the foundation's appetite for transformative, large-scale efforts rather than incremental programs.

Focus on economically disadvantaged students: Recent major investments have explicitly targeted economic mobility and support for high-need students. The Dallas College Promise scholarship program, which benefitted nearly 27,000 students since 2018 and saw enrollment surge by 42% since 2023, exemplifies the foundation's commitment to expanding access for underserved populations.

"Model programs" approach: Consistent with the foundation's stated mission of "building model programs to enhance the quality of education," funded initiatives tend to be replicable, evidence-based approaches that can serve as blueprints for broader adoption. The foundation appears interested in demonstration projects that can inform future practice.

Multi-institutional collaboration: The Dallas County Promise initiative involved multiple institutions (Dallas College, UNT Dallas, UT Dallas, SMU) working in coordination with Commit Partnership for backbone support. This suggests the foundation values collaborative approaches over siloed institutional efforts.

Challenge grants and matching structures: The Dallas College Foundation grant included a $6.25 million challenge grant component, indicating the foundation uses matching mechanisms to leverage additional resources and demonstrate broader community support.

Data and measurement: The Dallas County Promise investment included specific funding for "data and other backbone supports," suggesting the foundation values rigorous evaluation and data-driven decision making.

Long-term commitments: Recent major gifts have been described as "multi-year investments," indicating the foundation thinks in terms of sustained support rather than one-time grants. The foundation has demonstrated a pattern of providing "ongoing support" to a select group of organizations.

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • No public application process exists: The O'Donnell Foundation operates exclusively through trustee-initiated grants. Traditional grant writing and applications will not be accepted or reviewed.

  • Relationship-based grantmaking: Support flows to organizations with which the foundation has pre-existing relationships or through strategic initiatives identified by foundation leadership, particularly CEO William T. Solomon.

  • Focus on transformative scale: Recent grants demonstrate the foundation's interest in multimillion-dollar investments that can achieve systemic change rather than incremental improvements. The median grant is $1 million, with the largest recent grant reaching $30 million.

  • Texas-centric, Dallas County priority: Virtually all funding remains in Texas, with particularly strong emphasis on Dallas County and North Texas institutions. Geographic focus is a defining characteristic of the foundation's strategy.

  • Multi-year, sustained partnerships: Rather than funding many organizations, the foundation provides "a handful of organizations with ongoing support, often in the multimillion-dollar range," suggesting deep, sustained partnerships with select institutions.

  • Sector reputation matters: Recent beneficiaries include flagship educational institutions (UT Dallas, UT Southwestern, SMU, Dallas College) and premier cultural organizations (Dallas Symphony, Dallas Opera), indicating the foundation partners with established, high-credibility institutions.

  • Legacy continues under new leadership: While Peter O'Donnell Jr. passed away in 2021, the foundation's commitment to education, science, medicine, and the arts in Texas continues under William T. Solomon's leadership, with major new investments announced in 2024-2025.

References

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