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T.L.L. Temple Foundation

Annual Giving
$19.7M
Grant Range
$2K - $1.0M
Decision Time
4mo

T.L.L. Temple Foundation

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $19.7 million (2023)
  • Assets: $455+ million
  • Success Rate: Not publicly disclosed
  • Decision Time: Quarterly board review (approximately 3-6 months from LOI to decision)
  • Grant Range: $2,000 - $1,000,000
  • Geographic Focus: 24 counties in rural East Texas and Miller County, Arkansas

Contact Details

T.L.L. Temple Foundation

Overview

The T.L.L. Temple Foundation was established in 1962 by Georgie Temple Munz in honor of her father, Thomas Lewis Latané Temple, founder of Southern Pine Lumber Company. With assets exceeding $455 million, the foundation has distributed more than $550 million since its founding, making 346 grants in 2022 alone. The foundation's mission is to "work alongside rural communities to build a thriving East Texas and to alleviate poverty, creating access and opportunities for all." Under new President and CEO Charlie Glover's leadership (appointed 2025), the foundation emphasizes risk-taking, learning, and being a strategic partner that adds value to local residents and businesses. The foundation serves 24 counties across rural East Texas and Miller County, Arkansas, prioritizing programs that address persistent poverty and support low-income and rural populations.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

The foundation accepts proposals in six program areas:

  • Education: Early childhood education, after-school programs, postsecondary preparation focused on breaking poverty cycles. Grants range from small project support to major initiatives.
  • Economic Opportunity: Regional capacity building, community development, small business support (including loans from $2,000-$100,000 through partners), and community revitalization projects.
  • Health: Improving healthcare access for underserved and uninsured residents, prevention and wellness initiatives. Recent grants: $67,000 (emergency equipment) to $1 million (food distribution infrastructure).
  • Human Services: Meeting basic needs including food access, shelter, and social services for vulnerable residents. Examples: $80,000 for Special Olympics programming.
  • Arts and Culture: Celebrating regional heritage and providing cultural access to underserved communities.
  • Environment and Conservation: Preservation of forest and wetland ecosystems, including management of Boggy Slough Conservation Area.

Application Method: Two-stage process with quarterly Letter of Inquiry (LOI) deadlines followed by invitation to full application.

Priority Areas

The foundation prioritizes:

  • Programs addressing causes and effects of persistent poverty
  • Support for low-income populations in rural communities
  • Organizations serving the 24-county service area
  • Projects that demonstrate direct benefit to rural East Texas residents
  • Holistic, resident-engaged community development strategies
  • Initiatives serving residents and communities that most lack access to opportunities

What They Don't Fund

  • Requests that do not benefit the 24-county service area (Anderson, Angelina, Bowie, Cass, Cherokee, Hardin, Harris, Houston, Jasper, Jefferson, Liberty, Nacogdoches, Newton, Orange, Panola, Polk, Rusk, Sabine, San Augustine, San Jacinto, Shelby, Trinity, Tyler counties in Texas and Miller County, Arkansas)
  • Capital projects or capital campaigns in Houston (except in rare cases)
  • Harris County organizations unless there is direct benefit to residents of rural counties
  • Grants exceeding 30% of a project or organizational budget (rarely)
  • Multi-year initial grants (one-year funding for initial grants)

Governance and Leadership

Leadership Team

Charlie Glover - President & CEO (Appointed 2025)

  • Former Vice President of Grants at Meadows Foundation
  • Brings deep philanthropic experience across education, environment, health, civic affairs, arts, and human services

Key Quotes from Charlie Glover:

  • "We need to think around ideas that move the needle. We need to get comfortable with taking risks. The Temple Foundation wants to be part of encouraging that."
  • "Our one big role is to be a learning organization. We want to take risks to be part of the solution."
  • "How the foundation can add impact and be the best partner that adds value to local residents and businesses is at the forefront of [my] mission."

John Calahan - Director of Operations

Program Officers

  • Dr. Sylvia A. Leal - Senior Program Officer, Education & Economic Mobility
  • Kevin Lambing, CMSgt (ret), USAF - Senior Program Officer, Health Services
  • Melanie Colclough - Senior Program Officer, Human Services and Arts & Culture
  • Dr. Betsy Mijares - Program Officer, Education & Economic Mobility

Board of Trustees

Leadership:

  • W. Temple Webber III - Chair
  • Hannah Temple - Vice-Chair
  • H.J. (Jay) Shands III - Secretary-Treasurer

Board Members:

  • Dr. James Henry Russell
  • Jack C. Sweeny
  • Charlotte Temple
  • Ellen Temple
  • David F. Webber
  • Kathy Zelazny
  • Susie Temple
  • Owen Temple

The board is composed of Temple family members and community leaders, reflecting the foundation's family foundation structure and deep ties to East Texas.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

The foundation uses a two-stage application process:

  1. Letter of Inquiry (LOI) - Submit through online portal at tlltf.givingdata.com
  2. Full Grant Application - Invited applicants only proceed to this stage

LOI Deadlines for 2026:

  • October 10, 2025 (for January 2026 board meeting)
  • January 16, 2026 (for April 2026 board meeting)
  • April 17, 2026 (for July 2026 board meeting)
  • July 17, 2026 (for October 2026 board meeting)

Contact for Application Questions: Tami Musick, Grants Manager

Decision Timeline

The foundation's board reviews proposals quarterly (January, April, July, October meetings). While specific timelines from LOI to final decision are not publicly disclosed, applicants can expect approximately 3-6 months from LOI submission to board decision, depending on the review cycle.

Success Rates

The foundation made 346 grants in 2022 with annual giving of approximately $19.7 million. Specific success rates or the percentage of applications funded are not publicly disclosed. However, with substantial annual giving distributed across hundreds of grants, the foundation appears to have a relatively active grantmaking program.

Reapplication Policy

The foundation's specific reapplication policy for declined applicants is not publicly disclosed. Applicants should contact Tami Musick at tmusick@tlltf.org or (936) 634-3900 to inquire about resubmission guidelines.

Application Success Factors

Based on the foundation's stated priorities and recent grant awards, successful applications demonstrate:

  1. Geographic Alignment: Clear, direct benefit to residents of the 24-county service area. Organizations based in Harris County must demonstrate how their work directly benefits rural county residents.

  2. Focus on Poverty Alleviation: The foundation explicitly prioritizes "programs addressing causes and effects of persistent poverty" and work with "low-income populations and rural communities."

  3. Right-Sized Requests: Grants "rarely exceed 30% of a project or organizational budget," suggesting applicants should request amounts proportionate to their organization's scale.

  4. Strategic Impact: Given leadership's emphasis on "ideas that move the needle" and being willing to "take risks," applications should articulate clear, measurable outcomes rather than simply maintaining existing services.

  5. Community Engagement: The foundation values "holistic, resident-engaged strategies," particularly for economic development and community revitalization work.

  6. Organizational Capacity: Grant sizes are matched to "applicant scale and impact capacity," suggesting the foundation assesses whether organizations can effectively manage and execute proposed projects.

Recent Funded Projects as Examples:

  • Houston Food Bank: $1 million for construction of 15,000 sq ft food distribution center serving Liberty, Trinity, and San Jacinto counties
  • Communities Unlimited and PeopleFund: $1.15 million for ROC-ET Initiative providing small business loans and technical assistance
  • Lufkin Fire Department: $67,000 for advanced life-saving equipment
  • Special Olympics Texas - Area 7: $80,000 for general programming in Lufkin area
  • Early literacy grants for three East Texas education partners
  • 12 school districts: $377,000 total for learning recovery in reading and math

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  1. Geographic eligibility is non-negotiable: Ensure your project directly benefits residents of the 24-county service area. Harris County organizations face additional scrutiny and must demonstrate clear rural impact.

  2. Emphasize poverty alleviation: Frame your work in terms of addressing causes or effects of persistent poverty, particularly for low-income and rural populations.

  3. Start with the LOI: The two-stage process means your Letter of Inquiry must be compelling enough to earn an invitation to submit a full application. Plan ahead for quarterly deadlines.

  4. Request proportionate amounts: With grants rarely exceeding 30% of budgets, avoid over-requesting. Initial grants are for one year, though presumably multi-year funding may be available for proven partners.

  5. Demonstrate impact and innovation: Under Charlie Glover's leadership, the foundation seeks partners who will "move the needle" and values being a "learning organization" that takes calculated risks.

  6. Engage Tami Musick early: The Grants Manager is available for questions about the application process. Use this resource to ensure your LOI aligns with current priorities.

  7. Show community engagement: For economic development and community revitalization projects, demonstrate how residents are actively engaged in strategy and implementation, not just beneficiaries.

References

All sources accessed December 2024.

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