Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country

What Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country does

The Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country is a 501(c)(3) public charitable foundation founded in 1982 and headquartered in Kerrville, Texas. It operates as a philanthropic intermediary serving Bandera, Blanco, Edwards, Gillespie, Kendall, Kerr, Kimble, Mason, Real, and Uvalde counties in Central Texas, managing over 250 donor funds and trustees of more than $100 million in assets. The Foundation granted $6.8 million to nonprofits in 2024 across its three primary constituencies: individual donors seeking structured charitable giving vehicles (donor-advised, designated, unrestricted, scholarship, and agency funds), 501(c)(3) nonprofits seeking competitive grants and professional investment management, and students applying for higher-education scholarships through a universal application portal.

Its service platform is built on the FC Suite donor and fund management system and the GrantInterface application platform, which together provide online donor portals, nonprofit grant applications, and student scholarship submissions. The Foundation operates the Sisterhood for Good women's giving circle in Fredericksburg and Kerrville (collectively awarding over $388,000 in local grants since 2017) and, following the July 4, 2025 Texas Hill Country flood, launched the Kerr County Flood Relief Fund, raising $60 million and partnering with Episcopal Relief & Development and the Episcopal Diocese of West Texas on a long-term RV replacement/repair recovery program running through October 2026. The Foundation's investment portfolio targets a diversified 50–65% equity / 25–40% fixed income / 0–20% alternatives / 1–20% cash allocation, achieving a five-year annualized net return of 4.95% through December 31, 2025.

The Foundation's economic model is donation-based: it does not charge beneficiaries for grantmaking or scholarship services, instead earning 1–2% annual fund administration fees on managed assets. Fund minimums are $7,500 for general donor-advised funds, $50,000 for Agency Funds held by nonprofits, and $250,000 for investment-advisor-recommended management. The Foundation is led by CEO Austin Dickson (since 2017), supported by a lean staff of approximately 10 employees and governed by a 13-member Board of Trustees drawn from local community leaders.

Name

Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country

Legal name

Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country

Website

https://communityfoundation.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Public 501(c)(3) community foundation founded in 1982, managing over $100 million across 250+ donor funds and granting $6.8 million to nonprofits in 2024 across 10 Central Texas counties, with active disaster recovery following the July 2025 Kerr County flood.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Foundation Philanthropic Services

NAICS

Grantmaking Foundations (813211), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Other Grantmaking and Giving Services (813219)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Capacity Building & Nonprofit Infrastructure Funders (BPAGAKAO), Community Centers & Neighborhood Support Services (BPAGAEAL), Scholarship & Fellowship Foundations and Trusts (EDADAHAC), Fundraising & Annual Giving (EDALAOAB)

Keywords

• Community foundation services
• Donor-advised fund management
• Charitable grantmaking
• Scholarship administration
• Nonprofit investment management

Headquarters

HQ city

Kerrville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Charitable donations and contributions: The Foundation receives donations and contributions from individual donors, families, and organizations. It manages over 250 charitable funds, including donor-advised, designated, unrestricted, field of interest, and scholarship funds. The Foundation's assets exceed $100 million.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country is a public charitable foundation that enables charitable giving and regional philanthropy through donor-advised, designated, unrestricted, field-of-interest, scholarship, and agency funds; administers competitive grants to nonprofits via the Community Impact Fund; runs scholarship programs for Hill Country students; operates the Sisterhood for Good women's giving circles; and convenes disaster relief efforts such as the Kerr County Flood Relief Fund.

Product overview

The Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country is a public charitable foundation (EIN: 74-2225369) that operates as a platform of philanthropic services rather than a traditional software product. Its core offerings include donor fund management through multiple fund types (donor-advised, unrestricted, designated, scholarship, and agency funds), a competitive Community Impact Fund grantmaking program supporting nonprofits in 10 Texas counties, and the Sisterhood for Good women's giving circle. The Foundation provides online portals for donors (Donor Portal), grant applicants (Grant Interface), and scholarship seekers (Scholarship Interface). Following the July 2025 Kerr County flood, it launched the Kerr County Flood Relief Fund. The organization trustees over $100 million in assets and made $6.8 million in grants to nonprofits in 2024.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Sisterhood for Good: Women's giving circle serving the Gillespie County area (Fredericksburg chapter) and Kerrville area, with funds managed by the Community Foundation. Each annual membership costs $1,000, pooled to create grant awards to local nonprofits.

Products and services

• Donor-Advised Funds Charitable funds allowing donors to stay actively involved in grantmaking by recommending grants to favorite nonprofits over time, with immediate tax benefits (up to 50% AGI for cash gifts) and a $7,500 opening minimum.
• Agency Funds Investment funds established by 501(c)(3) nonprofits that provide professional investment management through the foundation's large pooled investment portfolio, requiring a $50,000 minimum balance.
• Designated Funds Funds that name specific organizations for annual support, providing a reliable income stream with variance power if the named charity ceases to exist.
• Scholarship Funds Donor-established funds supporting students of any age with customizable criteria and involvement levels for academic scholarships, administered through the foundation's universal application.
• Community Impact Fund Competitive grantmaking process for local 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations with annual deadlines, supporting four focus areas: Arts & Culture, Basic Needs, Environment, and Youth Development.
• Sisterhood for Good Women's giving circle operating Fredericksburg and Kerrville chapters, pooling $1,000 annual memberships to award grants to local nonprofits through Dessert Dash, Bingo Nights, and Philanthropy Finale events.
• Kerr County Flood Relief Fund Disaster relief fund established to support flood victims and community rebuilding efforts following the July 4, 2025 Texas Hill Country flood, operating in partnership with Episcopal Relief & Development and the Episcopal Diocese of West Texas.
• Donor Portal Online portal enabling donors to open funds, manage accounts, view statements, make grant recommendations, donate to existing funds such as the Kerr County Flood Relief Fund, and review fund documents.
• Scholarship Application Portal Universal scholarship application portal accepting applications from December through February each year, covering all scholarship funds held at the foundation with a single submission.
• Community Impact Fund Grant Portal Annual competitive grant application process for nonprofits, with online application open May–June each year (2026 cycle: May 26 – June 23, 2026).

Named customers15 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered flagship.

• Episcopal Relief & DevelopmentflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 January 2026Episcopal Relief & Development partnered with the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country and the Episcopal Diocese of West Texas to launch a recovery program replacing and repairing recreational vehicles for households whose primary residences were destroyed by the July 4, 2025 Texas Hill Country flood in Kerr and Kendall Counties. The initiative targets low-income, un- or underinsured residents, providing each family with a disaster case manager, and runs through October 2026.
• Episcopal Diocese of West TexasflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 January 2026The Episcopal Diocese of West Texas joined Episcopal Relief & Development and the Community Foundation in the flood recovery partnership targeting Kerr and Kendall Counties. The program aims to close housing cases within three to four months per household and includes disaster preparedness education for RV residents in flood-prone areas.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Greater Houston Community Foundation: Large Texas community foundation managing donor-advised funds, agency endowments, and competitive grant programs; comparable operating model and similar product set (DAFs, scholarships, agency funds, competitive impact grants).
• Austin Community Foundation: Central Texas community foundation administering donor-advised funds, scholarships, and competitive grant cycles for nonprofits across the Austin metro and surrounding counties — overlapping service geography and donor base.
• Communities Foundation of Texas: One of the largest community foundations in Texas, based in Dallas, with donor-advised funds, scholarships, and a competitive grant cycle; competes for high-net-worth Hill Country donors and advisor referrals.
• Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta: Major southeastern community foundation with a comparable service model (DAFs, scholarships, competitive grants, disaster relief). Notably, CEO Austin Dickson previously worked in Atlanta's nonprofit ecosystem including this organization.
• San Antonio Area Foundation: Regional community foundation serving Greater San Antonio and surrounding counties; offers donor-advised funds, scholarships, and competitive grantmaking to nonprofits in a geographically and demographically adjacent Hill Country-adjacent market.

Regional players

• Coastal Bend Community Foundation: Regional community foundation serving the Texas Coastal Bend with DAFs, scholarships, and disaster-response funds; comparable in scale and structure to the Texas Hill Country foundation but operating in a different geography.
• Paso del Norte Community Foundation: El Paso/Juárez-area community foundation administering donor-advised funds, scholarships, and competitive grantmaking; a comparable small-to-mid-scale Texas community foundation operating on the same platform-style model.
• Texas Methodist Foundation: Texas-based faith-aligned community foundation offering donor-advised funds, planned giving, and competitive grantmaking to Methodist-related and broader community causes; competes for Texas donors with overlapping faith-community ties.

Broad incumbents

• Schwab Charitable: Major national DAF sponsor affiliated with Charles Schwab; targets the same high-net-worth and advisor-served donor base as community foundations across Texas with a low-cost, tech-forward DAF product.
• Fidelity Charitable: The largest national donor-advised fund sponsor; competes directly for the same Hill Country donor contributions with lower minimums, a more sophisticated digital portal, and broader investment menu.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/tcfhillcountry

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles22 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments23 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country