Because of the vast size of public and higher education, Houston Endowment’s approach  is to focus its resources on a relatively small number of opportunities that have the potential to impact student achievement on a regional scale. In addition to the restrictions described in the Application Guidelines, the foundation generally does not support the following activities as part of its Education program:

• Recurring operating costs
• Private elementary and secondary schools
• Scholarships outside of the Jesse H. and Mary Gibbs Jones Scholars Program Click here for more information
• Endowments
• The following activities unless they are a component of a larger student success initiative:
  • Projects of limited scale
  • Facility and capital projects
  • Teacher/faculty professional development
  • Curriculum development

Because of Houston Endowment's focused approach within the Education program,  the following types of grant applications are most typical:

• Project Support
• Innovative Approaches
• Public Policy and Engagement
• Research

 Grants are made less frequently in response to the following types of grant applications:

• General Operating Support
• Capital Improvement
• Capacity Building