2024 Community Impact Fund

The Community Impact Fund is the competitive grantmaking process of the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country, dedicated to supporting local nonprofit organizations. This fund aligns with the foundation's mission to strengthen the Texas Hill Country by investing in critical areas. It offers both general operating support for administrative and organizational needs, and program support for specific initiatives, with requests not exceeding $15,000. The fund targets residents within ten specific Texas Hill Country counties: Bandera, Blanco, Edwards, Gillespie, Kendall, Kerr, Kimble, Mason, Real, and Uvalde. The primary impact goal is to address key community needs and foster development across four focus areas: Arts & Culture, Basic Needs, Environment, and Youth Development, ultimately improving the quality of life for the region's diverse population. The Community Impact Fund's priorities are clearly defined within its four focus areas. In Arts & Culture, it supports organizations that present, produce, or provide arts programming, as well as those preserving the Hill Country's history and culture. Basic Needs addresses hunger, poverty, literacy, neglect, family violence, lack of medical care, homelessness, and the needs of seniors, veterans, individuals with disabilities or chronic illness, and animal welfare. The Environment focus supports stewardship and education, with priorities including nature education, conservation, land stewardship, wildlife protection, recycling, and maintaining dark skies. Youth Development aims to support children and youth from birth through age 21, fostering their growth and well-being. Expected outcomes and measurable results are integral to the fund's theory of change. For Arts & Culture, grantees will report on audience participation and demonstrate efforts to reach diverse audiences. Basic Needs grantees will track the number of unduplicated residents served and document collaborative efforts. Environment grantees will measure unduplicated residents served, acres or geographical areas affected, and economic and environmental impact where appropriate. Youth Development grantees will report on the number of unduplicated children and youth served, the quality of safe environments, and levels of youth interaction and engagement. These metrics ensure accountability and demonstrate the tangible impact of the grants, reinforcing the foundation's strategic priorities for community improvement.