News

The path to the ballot box isn’t the same for all voters. Many encounter barriers and detours that make casting their ballots difficult, if not impossible. It’s a plight that diminishes the strength of our community and our representative democracy. Houston’s diversity is a powerful asset in bridging these barriers. As the most diverse city in the U.S., this region could be a leader in accessible voting practices. Our community’s wealth of perspectives can produce solutions creative enough for the toughest of problems. However, making voices heard entails another set of challenges.

We stand for the fundamental right of every eligible voter to cast their ballot.

We stand in solidarity with the Asian American Pacific Islander community and condemn anti-Asian racism and violence.

In June 2020, the Houston Endowment Board of Directors and staff issued a statement in solidarity with the Black community and committed to tangible actions toward becoming an anti-racist community.

Supported by lead grants from Houston Endowment and Kinder Foundation, SPARK, the Houston-based nonprofit organization that transforms public school playgrounds into community parks for out-of-school time use, has successfully introduced 25 new parks and updated, or ‘re-SPARKed,’ five at campuses across 12 independent school districts and three charter schools since 2016.

Houston Endowment announced this week that it has awarded a $10 million grant to the Buffalo Bayou Partnership to accelerate three key projects of a master plan for the bayou’s east sector that will spread the green space wealth.

America’s system of constitutional democracy has long been the envy of the world. Yet, this is an incredibly fragile time; each day seems to bring news that further divides and angers the American public.

For over 83 years, Houston Endowment has worked to advance equity of opportunity for the people of Greater Houston. We believe that in order to realize an equitable and vibrant city we should all participate in shaping our shared future.

The City of Pasadena announced on Tuesday, October 6th that the City Council has approved an innovative Healthy Parks Plan for its park system.

On Monday, the United States Census Bureau announced a shortened timeframe for the 2020 Census. This curtailment will almost certainly result in an inaccurate census count, which is bad news for our region.

Yesterday, Mayor Sylvester Turner announced the City of Houston plans to relocate the Dowling and Spirit of Confederacy statues, which are currently both located in two City of Houston parks.

We stand with Black people everywhere who are feeling grief, outrage, and deep pain about George Floyd’s murder and the continuing pattern of violence and racism toward Black people throughout the country. Houston Endowment condemns his killing and we condemn the racism and structural inequities underlying this violence. We stand in solidarity with Black communities and all who are fighting to eradicate racial injustice.

Today, the Greater Houston Area Arts Relief Fund received its largest gift to date since its creation in early April. The Houston Endowment pledged $100,000 to provide financial support to artists and other arts professionals who have lost basic needs security due to COVID-19.

Collaborative for Children and Workforce Solutions, in partnership with the City of Houston and Harris County, has launched a resource dedicated to helping essential workers find quality child care during the COVID-19 pandemic. The easy-to-use portal launched today at 8 a.m. 

Recognizing the dire economic hardships created by the COVID-19 pandemic for many of our community’s most vulnerable families and individuals, United Way of Greater Houston and the Greater Houston Community Foundation have joined forces to establish the Greater Houston COVID-19 Recovery Fund to help those in critical need. All monies raised will be used to help with immediate basic needs.

We understand how stressful this time is for everyone, especially for our partners who are serving those most in need. We also know that this everchanging situation may impact the manner in which you are doing your work.

SPARK, a Houston-based non-profit organization that helps public schools develop their playgrounds into community parks, today announced its commitment to 30 additional park projects, supported by grants of $2.5 million each from Houston Endowment and Kinder Foundation.

Leading philanthropy Houston Endowment and competition organizers Malcolm Reading Consultants (MRC) today [February 26 2020] released the full set of competition imagery — including all four shortlisted design concepts — for the Houston Endowment Headquarters International Design Competition.

Douglas L. Foshee began a two-year term as chair of the Houston Endowment Board of Directors January 1, 2020. He has served as a director since 2010.