About

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Since 1937, we have been rooted in the success of Greater Houston.

Houston Endowment is a nonpartisan, private foundation that exists to serve the people of Greater Houston. We are inspired by the legacy of our founders, Jesse H. and Mary Gibbs Jones, and moved by the pressing needs of our community today.

The Joneses loved Houston and believed they owed their success to this city. They established Houston Endowment to ensure future generations benefit from a strong, vibrant region where the opportunity to thrive is available to all. With $2.5 billion in assets and $1 billion to deploy over the next 10 years, we promise to stay in step with the needs of our ever-evolving, ever-rising city.

Vision

We envision a vibrant region where all have the opportunity to thrive.

Mission

Our mission is to improve the quality of life for everyone in Greater Houston.

What We Do

Today we invest in strengthening public education, increasing civic engagement, enhancing the arts and cultural sector, and growing Houston’s greenspaces.

Our giving is guided by our commitment to learning and evaluation, which deepens our understanding of these areas and identifies what works. Additionally, we stand ready to address emerging opportunities and challenges with the potential to significantly advance our mission of improving the quality of life for everyone in Greater Houston. 

Working with our fellow Houstonians, we pursue bold goals, build partnerships from the ground up, and invest in innovative, evidence-based solutions to create meaningful change and expand opportunity for all who live here.

OUR APPROACH

We believe in the power of bringing people together to solve problems at their very root. We focus on areas where systemic barriers to opportunity exist, the time is right for change, and we can have the greatest impact.

We know that we alone cannot solve the issues we are addressing. We seek out evidence and expertise and foster collaboration. We listen to and learn from the distinct communities we serve and convene stakeholders — from other funders to on-the-ground nonprofits to civic and government leaders — to seed ideas and scale solutions. We act as a thought partner and build capacity for organizations to do their best work. And we adapt to the needs of our constantly changing region by continuously evaluating what works and what doesn’t.

Our Values

Our Commitment to Inclusion and Belonging

At Houston Endowment, we embrace a spirit of inclusivity to empower all of us to connect, contribute, and belong. We seek to maximize our team performance and our community impact by leveraging the power of different experiences, opinions, perspectives, and backgrounds, both within our organization and from our partners across the nonprofit, public, and private sectors. We seek to connect with and contribute to our community, to better understand the life experiences of individuals different from ourselves, and to work with others to help create a vibrant community where all people have the opportunity to thrive.

Fair Market Value of Assets

We maintain a long-term view with respect to Houston Endowment’s investments, seeking returns that enable us to maintain a relatively consistent level of program funding each year while continuing to preserve the value of the endowment.

Fair Market Value of Assets at Year End