Best Cameron County Grants for Nonprofits in Texas

Information for Grantseekers

The Legacy Foundation invests in and serves as a catalyst for ideas, partnerships, medical education, research and programs that improve the health and quality of life in the Rio Grande Valley. The Foundation defines health as a state of complete physical, mental, spiritual and social well-being.

Types of Grants

Collaborative Grants:

• $50,000 to $500,000
• Fosters partnerships for larger-scale projects.
• Letters of Support from collaborators strengthen applications.

Foundation Initiatives:

• $500,000 +
• For strategic projects aligning with our goals, such as capital grants or seed funding.

About Us

The Elk County Community Foundation was started in the late 1990’s by a group of business and civic leaders, with the support of the Stackpole-Hall Foundation, who recognized the need for creating a perpetual funding stream to support Elk County—now and in the future. The Foundation was incorporated in 2000 and a year later was classified as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

The Foundation provides donors with a simple but powerful and highly personal approach to achieving their philanthropic goals while enhancing the quality of life for the people of Elk County.

The Community Foundation makes it easy for individuals, businesses, and organizations to establish a scholarship fund. Your fund can be created in as little as one meeting, with a short fund agreement, and a single gift. Or your fund can be set up with an initial gift that is added to in the future. We manage all the administrative details of your fund for you.

By establishing a uniquely-named scholarship, you have the ability to designate eligibility requirements including education level, the field of study, geographic area, etc. Many scholarships are established to honor parents, a family member, or someone who influenced your life.

Most scholarship funds at the Foundation are permanent endowments, with the annual earnings used to provide the scholarships

Tyler Bender EMS Scholarship Fund

Tyler Bender recently graduated from the Center for Emergency Medicine, and he felt compelled to give back by starting this scholarship to encourage other individuals to consider the EMS field. There is a constant demand for well-trained and qualified EMS professionals. Tyler hopes that this scholarship fund will help attract individuals to the field and alleviate a shortage of EMS personnel.

Amount: $500 annually

Hogg Foundation for Mental Health

The Hogg Foundation for Mental Health was established in 1940 at The University of Texas at Austin by the children of Texas Governor James Hogg. For over a quarter of a century, the Hogg Foundation was guided by the passion and insight of the Governor’s daughter, Miss Ima Hogg, who actively promoted the foundation and encouraged its staff to pursue a bold, new vision. Today the Hogg Foundation is based at The University of Texas at Austin Steve Hicks School of Social Work and is funded through an endowment created by gifts from the Hogg family and managed by The University of Texas/Texas A&M Investment Management Company.

The Hogg Foundation is inspired by Ima Hogg’s vision for a Texas that supports and promotes mental health, resilience, and well-being. Miss Ima was ahead of her time in believing that mental health was just as important as physical health. She believed all people should have access to community-based resources to support mental well-being and live fulfilling lives, and she championed supports in everyday environments like schools, workplaces, places of worship, and homes.

Rio Grande Valley Policy Initiative

The Hogg Foundation for Mental Health invites eligible organizations in South Texas, especially those in the Rio Grande Valley (Cameron, Hidalgo, Starr, or Willacy Counties), to submit a proposal to support organizations engaged in local policy work, and to build local organizational capacity to enable sustained, strategic engagement in policy processes that advance mental wellness and address non-medical drivers of health. Each grantee partner will receive a three-year grant, with an award amount of up to $70,000 per year divided equally across the grant term. Each selected organization will have access to additional capacity building support through the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley’s Nonprofit Resource Center.

Initiative Goals

The VPI aims to achieve the following:

• To support forward-looking strategies that empower local leaders
• To expand participation in policymaking
• To advance sustainable, community-driven solutions for the RGV and surrounding South Texas counties