Austin Community Foundation Awards $1.5 Million to 53 Nonprofits in Central Texas

by Larissa Davila | Dec 14, 2023 | Grants

AUSTIN, Texas (Dec. 14, 2023) – Austin Community Foundation (ACF) announced today $1.5 million in grant funding to organizations working to improve the economic mobility of Central Texans. The Foundation’s three strategic programs—The Black Fund, Hispanic Impact Fund, and Women’s Fund—each awarded $500,000 in unrestricted, general operating support to a total of 53 local nonprofits. This is the highest amount of funding awarded from ACF’s Community Impact programs. 

“Austin Community Foundation’s strategic programs are data-driven and community-led, ensuring our efforts are not only well-informed but also deeply connected to the realities of the people we seek to serve,” said Elizabeth Peña, Director of Community Impact, Austin Community Foundation. “Through this grants process, we’re committed to equitable, transparent, and trust-based giving—building real opportunities for everyone who calls Central Texas home.”   

The Black Fund granted to 25 Black-led and Black-serving nonprofits working to support the growth, economic mobility and wellness of Black people across five impact areas: 

• Arts, culture and preservation 
• Education 
• Health and wellness 
• Power building, organizing and advocacy 
• Wealth building 

The Hispanic Impact Fund granted to 16 Latino-led and Latino-serving nonprofits working to support the economic mobility and advancement of Hispanic Central Texans across four impact areas: 

• Early childhood education
• Health and wellness
• Job skills and entrepreneurship
• Leadership development 

The Women’s Fund granted to 15 nonprofits working to support the economic mobility of women and children in Central Texas across five impact areas: 

• Childcare
• Education
• Housing
• Unplanned pregnancy prevention
• Women’s health

The Black Fund, Hispanic Impact Fund and Women’s Fund operate as collective giving networks led by community members who share responsibility for the vision, fundraising, and grantmaking. Approximately 175 individuals, including people with lived experience, participated in the grant selection process and thoughtfully vetted more than 255 applications.  

A priority of the 2023 grants cycle was to provide a streamlined process by offering nonprofits the ability to apply to all three funds through one single grant application. Among the nonprofits applying for funding, 30% of organizations were first-time applicants and 38% applied to multiple funds. Among the organizations selected for funding, 62% are led by individuals who identify as Black, Indigenous, or People of Color (BIPOC). 

Special thanks to Google, PIMCO, Q2 Holdings, Inc., and St. David’s Foundation for generously supporting ACF’s economic mobility work.  

Learn more about the Foundation’s programs at austincf.org. 

Full list of 2023 grant partners:  

The Black Fund

Austin Legal Access – $40,000*
Building Promise USA – $40,000*
Delivering Unto You – $40,000
Origin Studio House – $40,000*
Round Rock Black Parents Association – $40,000* 
Alliance for African American Health in Central Texas – $25,000 
Ladders for Leaders – $25,000 
The Bakari Foundation – $25,000
The Giving Rose Foundation ATX – $25,000 
Tomorrow’s Promise Foundation – $25,000 
Black Girl Ventures – $15,000
Black Men’s Health Clinic – $15,000
Code2College – $15,000 
Little Bit of Good – $15,000 
P.E.A.C.E. Program – $15,000 
RE-CLAIM – $15,000 
Real Queens Fix Each Other’s Crowns – $15,000 
SCD Enrichment Program – $15,000
Torch Literary Arts – $15,000 
We Can Now – $15,000 
Ballet Afrique – $5,000 
Frofessionals – $5,000 
Hungry Hill Foundation – $5,000 
Huston-Tillotson University – $5,000 
Black Professional Alliance – $5,000 

Hispanic Impact Fund

Amhiga Hispana – $50,000*
AVANCE – Austin – $50,000*
Luz de Atabey Midwifery Project – $50,000*  
Todos Juntos Learning Center – $50,000* 
Austin Achieve Public Schools – $35,000*  
Economic Growth Business Incubator – $35,000* 
Explore Austin – $35,000* 
Manos de Cristo – $35,000* 
Austin Urban Technology Movement – $20,000 
Breakthrough Central Texas – $20,000 
El Buen Samaritano – $20,000 
Literacy First – $20,000 
Mariposa Family Learning Center – $20,000 
People’s Community Clinic – $20,000 
Seedling – $20,000 
Workers Defense Project – $20,000 

The Women’s Fund 

Any Baby Can of Austin – $55,000*
Empowering Women Out of Prison – $55,000* 
LifeWorks – $55,000* 
Lilith Fund – $55,000* 
Todos Juntos Learning Center – $55,000*  
Asian Family Support Services of Austin – $30,000 
AVANCE – Austin – $30,000  
Center for Survivors of Torture – $30,000  
Jeremiah Program – $30,000 
Lirios Pediatrics – $30,000 
Andy Roddick Foundation – $15,000 
Healthy Futures of Texas – $15,000 
Ladies Let’s Talk – $15,000 
People’s Community Clinic – $15,000
Saint Louise House – $15,000  

*asterisk denotes an organization receiving funding over two years 

###

About Austin Community Foundation
Austin Community Foundation mobilizes ideas and resources to strengthen Central Texas. The Foundation is focused on advancing economic mobility and affordable housing, and it uses varied tools – data, convening and philanthropic dollars – to implement this strategy. In 2022, the Foundation granted nearly $53 million to the community, mostly through donor advised funds. Founded in 1977, the Foundation is the third largest charitable Foundation in Central Texas with $447 million in total assets under management. Learn more at austincf.org.