$28M St. David's Foundation grants to tackling housing affordability, family health

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The St. David's Foundation has provided more than $28 million in grant funding for 48 Central Texas organizations centered on addressing affordability and housing, increased access to health services and enhanced economic and education resources. A total of 62 grants were awarded between January and August, officials said in a news release Monday.

Regan Gruber Moffitt, vice president of community investments with the St. David's Foundation, told KXAN Tuesday she's excited about the work grantees are doing to address inequities today and to help build healthier and more prosperous communities in the future.

"I think what we're most excited about is that there are current needs of individuals within our community that our facing barriers to living their optimal health. And so many of our grantees are providing direct services that help individuals today," she said.

The St. David's Foundation outlines five central tenants of their mission:

• Resilient children
• Healthy women and girls
• Older adults age in place
• Thriving rural communities
• Clinics as community hubs for health

She said her hope is that the foundation's funding can help address root causes for inequities across geographic regions, racial, ethnic, age and gender groups to best determine a course of action down the road.

"We really do believe that it's so critical to both provide for the needs of today, but also look toward what is going to eliminate some of these barriers long term," she said. "And so having grantees and partners who understand that and are doing the work day to day, really, is what will change our community."

The foundation submits invitations to community organizations they collaborate with to apply for their grants. From there, the main criteria they focus on is the level of impact a particular project can have.

"Obviously, it's really important to us, the number of people that will be served," she said. "But we're also really looking at how much long-term impact can this have? Can this change the conversation about health equity in our community, and ultimately can it change systems within our community."

Walter Moreau, executive director of Austin-based Foundation Communities, said the nearly $5.9 million in funding they've received through the foundation will be invested in health programs and an affordable housing development currently in the works.

Foundation Communities offers everything from food pantries and mental health resource access to community fitness classes. In addition, the organization is constructing the Parker Lane Apartments, an affordable housing development that will factor in a learning center, health clinic, food pantry and other family-centered resources.

"We don't want to just provide a cheap apartment," Moreau said. "We want to provide a great community where people are proud of where they live and have opportunities right at their doorstep."

Texas 2036, a nonprofit centered on data-driven policy work, received a $50,000 grant to analyze and develop an in-depth map studying uninsured Texans statewide. Charles Miller, the nonprofit's senior policy adviser, said approximately five million Texans are classified as uninsured.

The organization's project, "Who are the uninsured?" will evaluate why some eligible residents remain uninsured and possible barriers of access preventing them from becoming insured. Through data analyses and conversations with uninsured Texans, they will then develop potential policies to present for consideration in future legislative sessions.

Austin Community Foundation, a 45-year-old Central Texas organization, is focused on narrowing the opportunity gap across Central Texas via affordable housing and economic security initiatives.

"We know that talent is distributed evenly across the region, but opportunity sure isn't," said Mike Nellis, ACF's CEO. "Our goal is to help support organizations that focus on providing everyone in this community with economic security."

This core focus has become all the more critical, given the affordability crisis plaguing Central Texas communities. Nellis added providing affordable housing isn't just critical at the individual level, but it's a necessary priorities for companies moving into the region and needing a strong, localized workforce to support their business.

ACF received $1.2 million in grant funds, which will be used to accelerate affordable housing efforts. In July, ACF announced it was partnering with Habitat for Humanity on constructing 150 permanently affordable homes, with this funding being used as part of that investment.

"We believe that we need all kinds of housing in all kinds of places in this region," he said. "And what the St. David's Foundation investment does is allow us to work with nonprofit developers all across Central Texas to speed up the production of affordable housing, which we so desperately need."

A look at all funding recipients and their grant focuses is listed below.

• 212 Catalysts
  • Equity and intermediary work
  • $130,000 grant

• American YouthWorks
  • Cedar Park's Historic Hopewell Rosenwald School restroom facilities and meeting space project
  • $231,429 grant

• Any Baby Can of Austin
  • Continuum of Parent Support Services
  • $1,092,000 grant

• Austin Community Foundation
  • Affordable housing development
  • Women's health services
  • Language access for mental health resources
  • $1,220,000 grant

• Austin Pathways
  • A Digital Pulse: Connecting Communities to Better Health project
  • $300,000 grant

• Austin Public Education Foundation
  • Campus Connections project
  • $60,000 grant

• Bastrop County
  • Improving Play Equity in Bastrop County project
  • $200,000 grant

• Boys & Girls Clubs of the Austin Area
  • Youth Development Programs
  • $250,000 grant

• Capacity Catalyst
  • 2022 Capacity Catalyst Growth and Sustainability project
  • $75,000 grant

• Central Texas Allied Health Institute
  • Pathways to Maternal Health Careers project
  • $300,000 grant

• Combined Community Action Incorporated
  • Meals on Wheels Rural Capital Area (MOWRCA) project
  • $125,000 grant

• Communities In Schools of Central Texas
  • Central Office and Training Center resources
  • Integrated Student Supports services
  • $3,350,000 grant

• Community Econsult Network
  • Reducing Healthcare Inequality in Central Texas initiative
  • $454,391 grant

• Community Health Centers of South Central Texas*
  • Marketing project for Capacity Building
  • Building Healthy Communities in Bastrop and Caldwell Counties project
  • $515,000 grant

• Creative Action
  • SPARKSPACE: Austin’s Center for Community Arts Education
  • $1,000,000 grant

• E3 Alliance
  • Pathways to Prosperity initiative
  • $250,000 grant

• Episcopal Health Foundation
  • Texas Accountable Communities for Health Initiative (TACHI)
  • $500,000 grant

• Every Texan
  • Expanding Equity, Access, and Enrollment in Medicaid and CHIP in Texas
  • $75,000 grant

• Family Eldercare
  • Capacity Building for Equity in Staff Retention and Training
  • Improving the Accessibility of Family Eldercare's Web-Based Assets
  • $118,261 grant

• Foundation Communities
  • Parker Lane Apartments: Supported Families and Connected Communities project
  • Resilient Children and Families initiatives
  • Senior Services, transportation offerings
  • $5,869,200 grant

• Ghisallo Cycling Initiative
  • Independent Financial Audit
  • $11,000 grant

• Giving Austin Labor Support
  • Supporting GALS Leadership Growth initiative
  • $15,000 grant

• half Helen Foundation
  • Program and Operating Support to Transform Vision Care in Central Texas
  • $150,000 grant

• Healthy Futures of Texas
  • Merging Nonprofits in Texas to Serve Young People, Women, Families, and Communities
  • Texas Is Ready for Science-Based Sexual Health Education
  • $200,000 grant

• Hill Country Community Ministries
  • Strategic Planning & Implementation efforts
  • $50,000 grant

• Hope Medical Clinic
  • -Coordinated Care Program
  • Executive Coaching and Training
  • $76,000 grant

• LifeWorks*
  • General Operating Support to Empower Youth Self-Sufficiency
  • Surge Funding to Respond to the Crisis in Youth Homelessness in Austin
  • $2,430,024 grant

• Meals on Wheels Central Texas
  • Factor Health Study of Medically Tailored Meals
  • $200,000 grant

• Mission Capital
  • Capacity for Central Texas
  • $200,000 grant

• People's Community Clinic
  • Tandem Teen Prenatal & Parenting Program
  • $1,099,508 grant
    
• Sacred Heart Community Clinic
  • Access to Healthcare & Medications
  • Steps to a Stronger Organization
  • $66,000 grant

• Smithville Community Clinic
  • Community Well-Being and Resilience
  • $90,000 grant

• Social Current
  • Texas Change in Mind Learning Collaborative: The Intersection of Brain Science and Race Equity
  • $159,592 grant

• Social Good Fund
  • Austin 2030 initiative
  • $200,000 grant

• Swan Songs
  • Fulfilling Musical Last Wishes
  • $30,000 grant

• Texas 2036
  • In-Depth Study and Map of Uninsured Texans
  • $50,000 grant

• Texas Association of Charitable Clinics
  • Capacity Building Through the Enhancement of TXACC’s Operational Capacity
  • $75,000 grant

• Texas Association of Community Health Centers
  • Incorporating Social Determinants of Health into Center Workflows
  • $100,000 grant

• Texas Department of Agriculture
  • SDF Loan Repayment Program
  • $1,103,107.93 grant

• Texas Health Action
  • Business Model Transformation
  • $90,000 grant

• Texas Health Institute
  • Advancing Primary Care in Texas
  • $112,500 grant

• Texas Institute for Child and Family Wellbeing
  • Neurosequential Model Community Coordinator Pilot Project
  • $123,795 grant

• Texas Pediatric Society
  • Quality Improvement Planning Grant
  • $245,416

• The SAFE Alliance
  • Strengthening the Resiliency & Well-Being of Abuse Survivors
  • $1,340,040 grant

• Travis County
  • Broadband Access Gap Analysis
  • $150,000 grant

• United Way for Greater Austin
  • Model Community Initiative
  • Success by Six
  • $1,399,820 grant

• UpTogether
  • UpTogether Central Texas: Expansion of the Strength-Based Approach
  • $1,380,000 grant

• Vivent Health
  • Austin HIV Medical Home Construction
  • Care Coordination for HIV-Positive and High-Risk HIV-Negative Persons
  • $1,244,800 grant