Houston Endowment supports initiatives that enable public school and college leaders to fulfill their core leadership responsibility of assuring equal opportunity for success among all groups of students. The foundation invests in three focus areas, each characterized by a desired outcome. Grant seekers should select one of the following areas as the primary focus of their application:

Governance: Public education and community college governing boards value student achievement above all else and implement an institutional policy accordingly.

Public Education Leadership: District and school leaders attract and retain teaching talent and deploy district and school resources (human and financial capital) toward the goal of high academic achievement, particularly among at-risk student populations.

Highly Qualified Teachers: District policies and practices result in highly qualified teachers in every classroom, with a particular emphasis on eliminating the structural inequities confronting at-risk student populations.