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Dovetail Impact Foundation

Annual Giving
$12.1M
Grant Range
$10K - $0.1M
Decision Time
3mo

Dovetail Impact Foundation

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: $12,070,856 (2023)
  • Total Assets: $157.9 million
  • Number of Grants: 104 awards (2023)
  • Grant Range: $10,000 - $150,000 (Acceleration Portfolio); larger grants available through Scale Portfolios
  • Geographic Focus: Houston area (Harris, Fort Bend, and Montgomery counties) domestically; Sub-Saharan Africa, India, and Southeast Asia internationally
  • Application Type: Invitation only (Scale Portfolios); Annual open call (Acceleration Portfolio)

Contact Details

Address: 1111 N Post Oak Rd, Houston, TX 77055

Website: https://dovetailimpact.org

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/dovetail-impact-foundation

Introductory Inquiry Form: Available on website for organizations to introduce themselves

Overview

The Dovetail Impact Foundation (formerly the David Weekley Family Foundation) was established in 1990 using profits from David Weekley Homes, a homebuilding company founded by David Weekley in 1976. Over three decades, the foundation has expanded from its Houston roots to support 115 partner organizations operating across 35 countries. With assets of approximately $157.9 million and annual giving of over $12 million, Dovetail operates from a biblical framework centered on "Loving Our Neighbor" and the principle that "From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded" (Luke 12:48). The foundation is a Christian faith-based organization that supports both Christ-centered and secular organizations. Their overarching goal is poverty alleviation through strategic investments in education, health, justice, and livelihoods, emphasizing venture philanthropy that invests "time, treasure, and talent" in scaling organizations with high-leverage, scalable, and sustainable impact models.

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Domestic Portfolio (Texas)

  • Focus on Harris, Fort Bend, and Montgomery counties in Houston area, plus select U.S.-wide organizations
  • Three categories: Domestic Scale Partners (20+ organizations), Faith Formation Partners (17+ organizations), and Legacy Partners
  • Application by invitation only
  • Recent Houston grantees include YMCA of Greater Houston, Yellowstone Academy, United Way of Houston, New Hope Housing, Big Brothers Big Sisters Lone Star, Care Message, CommonLit, Dollar For, and Fast Forward

International Scale Portfolio (Africa, India, Southeast Asia)

  • For organizations with operating budgets of $500,000 - $5 million
  • Supports organizations early on their scaling journey with proven core interventions
  • Application by invitation only
  • 30+ current international partners including FEM, Jembi, Digital Green, and OpenMRS

International Acceleration Portfolio (Africa)

  • Annual grant range: $10,000 - $25,000 for smaller organizations
  • First-time scale grants: $50,000 - $150,000 for organizations ready to scale
  • For locally-led African nonprofits with budgets under $500,000
  • Requires minimum 2 years operational history and official Board of Directors/Trustees
  • Open annual application process (applications typically open April-May)
  • Includes intensive capacity-building services through partnerships with consultants (Mighty Ally, IDinsight, RaiseUp, Spring Impact)

Priority Areas

Core Focus Areas:

  • Education
  • Health
  • Justice
  • Livelihoods/Economic Mobility
  • Christian Faith Formation

Key Investment Principles:

  1. High Leverage: Accomplishing significant impact with limited resources
  2. Scalability: Potential to reach millions of people
  3. Sustainability: Models not wholly dependent on private philanthropy

Target Beneficiaries: The foundation focuses on "accelerating economic mobility and human flourishing" for people in under-resourced communities, with particular emphasis on poverty alleviation and serving people experiencing material poverty.

What They Don't Fund

The foundation typically does not fund:

  • Arts and culture
  • Disaster response
  • Endowments
  • Events (fundraisers, conferences, workshops)
  • Higher education
  • Individual assistance (tuition, emergency aid, scholarships)

Governance and Leadership

Executive Leadership:

  • David Weekley – Founder and Chairman. A renowned venture philanthropist who dedicates 50% of his income to philanthropy and applies business acumen to help organizations expand proven solutions. Passionate about helping entrepreneurial leaders develop high-performing organizations and moving from incremental to exponential impact.
  • Robin Bruce – President (since 2017). Former CEO of Acton School of Business and recipient of Texas Business Hall of Fame's 2010 Award for entrepreneurial achievement. Partners with "exemplary entrepreneurs confronting the greatest challenges of our day."
  • Philip Langford – Chief Operations Officer

Investment Directors:

  • Amit Antony Alex – Senior Investment Director (India-based)
  • Eliguard Dawson (Tanzania-based)
  • Naomi Kioi (Kenya-based)
  • Hillary Omala (Kenya-based)
  • Jason Pittman – Senior Investment Director (US-based)

Additional Staff:

  • Joy Gikandi – Acceleration Portfolio Manager (Kenya)
  • Bryan Bahizi – Sourcing Manager (Ghana)
  • Anna Koons – Knowledge and Learning Manager (US)
  • Courtney Eker Hardy – Senior Operations Associate (US)

Trustees: Bonnie S. Weekley and David M. Weekley serve as trustees and directors.

The foundation maintains a geographically distributed team reflecting its global operational footprint.

Application Process & Timeline

How to Apply

For Domestic and International Scale Portfolios:

  • Applications are accepted by invitation only
  • Organizations may introduce themselves at any time through the foundation's website contact form
  • The foundation reviews all inquiries with sincere attention but does not accept unsolicited full proposals

For International Acceleration Portfolio (Africa only):

  • Annual open call application process
  • Two-round selection process:
    • Round One: Open to all eligible organizations meeting criteria
    • Round Two: Selected applicants submit additional information and participate in brief interviews
    • Final Stage: Finalist interviews followed by acceptance decisions

Decision Timeline

Acceleration Portfolio 2025 Timeline Example:

  • April 11 - May 12: Round One applications open
  • Late May: Round One decisions announced; Round Two notifications sent
  • Mid-to-late June: Finalist interviews conducted
  • Late July: 2025 cohort selected and notified

Overall Timeline: Approximately 2-3 months from initial application to final decision for Acceleration Portfolio.

Success Rates

Specific success rates are not publicly disclosed. The foundation notes that due to high application volume for the Acceleration Portfolio, they cannot provide individual feedback on declined applications, suggesting competitive selection processes.

Reapplication Policy

Information about reapplication policies for declined applications is not publicly specified. Organizations are encouraged to maintain contact through the introductory inquiry process.

Application Success Factors

Based on the foundation's stated priorities and approach, organizations should focus on:

Organizational Leadership Qualities the Foundation Seeks:

  • Vision and strategic thinking
  • Passionate commitment to mission
  • Strong operational management
  • Excellent board governance
  • Financial sustainability
  • Cultural intelligence
  • Coachability and ambitious vision (particularly for Scale Portfolio)
  • Demonstration of "servant leadership"

Impact Model Characteristics:

  • The foundation explicitly seeks organizations "seeking to grow geometrically in their impact while growing incrementally in their expenses"
  • Proven efficacy of core intervention (particularly for Scale Portfolio partners)
  • Potential for "break out" solutions with outsized impact
  • Models demonstrating high leverage, scalability, and sustainability
  • Organizations that "do the most with the least, always being respectful and encouraging to those they serve"

Strategic Capacity Building:

  • For Acceleration Portfolio, emphasize organizational leadership engagement in capacity-building
  • Demonstrate high-growth potential
  • Show readiness to benefit from technical assistance in areas like strategic planning, board development, financial planning, communications, and M&E

Alignment with Foundation Values:

  • Clear connection to poverty alleviation goals
  • Focus on promoting "human flourishing"
  • Work in priority sectors: education, health, justice, or livelihoods
  • For faith-based organizations, demonstrate Christ-centered approach; secular organizations are also supported

Geographic and Budget Fit:

  • Domestic applicants: Must serve Harris, Fort Bend, or Montgomery counties (or work U.S.-wide with exceptional impact)
  • Acceleration Portfolio: African organizations with budgets under $500,000 and minimum 2 years operational history
  • Scale Portfolio: Organizations with budgets $500,000 - $5 million in Africa, India, or Southeast Asia

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • Invitation-only for most portfolios: Only the African Acceleration Portfolio has an open call. For Domestic and Scale Portfolios, introduce your organization through their website and build a relationship before expecting grant consideration.

  • Venture philanthropy model: This is not traditional grantmaking. The foundation invests "time, treasure, and talent" and expects to actively engage with partners beyond check-writing. Emphasize your openness to technical assistance and partnership.

  • Exponential growth mindset: The foundation seeks organizations that can grow "geometrically in their impact while growing incrementally in their expenses." Demonstrate your scalability potential and path to reaching millions, not just incremental improvements.

  • Proven models seeking scale: Scale Portfolio partners should have proven their core intervention works and be ready for growth, not still piloting. Acceleration Portfolio applicants should show 2+ years of operational history and growth readiness.

  • Strategic capacity-building openness: Particularly for Acceleration Portfolio, show enthusiasm for receiving technical assistance and organizational strengthening. Highlight leadership engagement in learning and development.

  • Poverty alleviation focus: All programs must clearly connect to alleviating poverty through education, health, justice, or livelihoods. Articulate how your work creates economic mobility and human flourishing for materially poor populations.

  • Faith-friendly but inclusive: The foundation operates from a Christian framework but funds both faith-based and secular organizations. Be authentic about your organizational identity while demonstrating alignment with their poverty alleviation mission.

References

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