What H E Butt Foundation does

The H. E. Butt Foundation is a private 501(c)(3) operating foundation established in 1933 by Howard Butt and Mary Elizabeth Holdsworth Butt, headquartered in Kerrville, Texas and financially distinct from H-E-B Grocery Company. It runs six interconnected programs centered on a 1,900-acre property in the Frio River Canyon near Leakey, Texas: H. E. Butt Foundation Camp (free facilities for qualifying churches, schools, and nonprofits serving 22,000+ visitors annually), Laity Lodge (ecumenical adult retreat center), Laity Lodge Youth Camp (1,900 participants/year), Laity Lodge Family Camp (2,100 family campers/year), H. E. Butt Foundation Outdoor School (free outdoor education for 2,500 public school students/year), and Community Engagement (capacity building, mental health, and storytelling initiatives in San Antonio and Real County). The foundation is led by David Rogers (President and CEO) and Deborah Rogers with a board that includes Butt family members Howard Butt III (H-E-B CEO) and Stephen Butt (H-E-B Central Market President).

The foundation is funded through tax-deductible donations accepted via its website portal and supplemented by the Butt family endowment; most programmatic services (Foundation Camp, Outdoor School, Outdoor School, Community Engagement cohorts) are delivered free of charge, while Laity Lodge retreats operate on a variable fee-for-service model. It employs 101-250 staff across three Texas locations (Kerrville headquarters, San Antonio regional office housing Community Engagement, and the Canyon operations center in Leakey). Communication and donor engagement operate through a quarterly print and digital Echoes Magazine reaching 24,000 subscribers, multiple newsletter streams via Mailchimp, and active social channels (Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Vimeo). Event registration and donations are processed through CircuitTree; HR runs on ADP Workforce Now; analytics use Google Analytics; and SMS opt-ins route through a third-party messaging platform.

Customer and beneficiary segments include partner churches/schools/nonprofits (250+ annually), youth and families seeking faith-based camp experiences, adult retreatants, and San Antonio/Real County nonprofits receiving capacity building and mental health support. The foundation explicitly distinguishes itself from H-E-B despite the shared Butt family name, and under David Rogers's leadership since 2015 it has pivoted from a primarily camping-focused identity toward a community transformation institution.

Name

H E Butt Foundation

Legal name

H. E. Butt Foundation

Website

https://hebfdn.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1933

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The H. E. Butt Foundation is a Texas-based 501(c)(3) operating foundation running six interconnected programs—including camps, retreats, outdoor education, and community engagement—on a 1,900-acre Frio River Canyon property serving churches, schools, families, and nonprofits free of charge.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Foundation Programs and Camp Services

NAICS

RV (Recreational Vehicle) Parks and Recreational Camps (72121), Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (71219)

SIC

Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000)

akta.pro primary industry

Family & Recreation Campgrounds (Amenities/Activities Focus) (THAMAJAJ)

Keywords

• Nonprofit camp programs
• Christian retreat services
• Outdoor education school
• Community capacity building
• Youth family camping

Headquarters

HQ city

Kerrville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: The foundation operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that accepts tax-deductible donations from individuals, foundations, and corporations. Donations support camp and retreat scholarships, program excellence, facility maintenance, and general operations.

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The H. E. Butt Foundation is an operating foundation that runs five core programs at its 1,900-acre Frio River Canyon property (H. E. Butt Foundation Camp, Laity Lodge, Laity Lodge Youth Camp, Laity Lodge Family Camp, and H. E. Butt Foundation Outdoor School) plus a sixth Community Engagement program that builds capacity in nonprofits, supports mental health in congregations, and runs narrative change storytelling. Most camp facilities are provided free of charge to qualifying churches, schools, and nonprofits; Laity Lodge retreats operate at variable cost.

Product overview

The H. E. Butt Foundation is an operating foundation with a portfolio of six interconnected programs centered around the Frio River Canyon in Texas. The core offerings include five camping and retreat programs: H. E. Butt Foundation Camp (free facilities for qualifying groups), Laity Lodge (adult retreat center), Laity Lodge Youth Camp (LLYC, youth camp), Laity Lodge Family Camp, and the H. E. Butt Foundation Outdoor School (free outdoor education for schools). A sixth program, Community Engagement, extends the foundation's work beyond the Canyon into San Antonio, Kerrville, and Real County through capacity building, mental health initiatives (Congregational Collective), and storytelling (Know Your Neighbor). The foundation also publishes Echoes Magazine as a quarterly communication tool. These programs collectively aim to cultivate wholeness in people and institutions for community transformation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• H. E. Butt Foundation Camp: Provides facilities in the Frio River Canyon free of charge to churches, schools, and nonprofits.
• Laity Lodge
• Laity Lodge Youth Camp (LLYC)
• Laity Lodge Family Camp
• Outdoor School
• Community Engagement
• The High Calling

Products and services

• H. E. Butt Foundation Camp Provides free camping and retreat facilities in the 1,900-acre Frio River Canyon to qualifying churches, schools, and nonprofit groups; hosts approximately 22,000 visitors annually through partnerships with over 250 qualifying organizations.
• Laity Lodge Ecumenical Christian retreat center welcoming guests to retreats designed to reawaken a sense of the sacred and the nearness and goodness of God; operates on a fee-for-service retreat model with variable costs.
• Laity Lodge Youth Camp (LLYC) Coed, interdenominational Christian youth camp blending high-energy recreation and relaxation so kids can be themselves and discover God since 1966; hosts 1,900 campers, crew, and college counselors each summer.
• Laity Lodge Family Camp Interdenominational Christian family camp at the headwaters of the Frio River designed to strengthen family relationships through relaxed, fun-filled experiences; hosts 2,100 family campers annually.
• H. E. Butt Foundation Outdoor School Transformative outdoor education program partnering with Texas public schools to provide 3-day, 2-night camping experiences free of charge; hosts 2,500 students annually.
• Community Engagement Strategic foundation-wide initiative including capacity building for nonprofits, Know Your Neighbor storytelling, Congregational Collective mental health work, and special initiatives serving families and children in San Antonio, Kerrville, and Real County.
• Echoes Magazine Free quarterly publication delivered to 24,000 subscribers in print and digital formats featuring stories from foundation programs and essays from the President and CEO.
• Know Your Neighbor Storytelling initiative bridging San Antonio's economic and cultural divides to help the community better understand neighbors and drive narrative change around the plight of vulnerable families and children.
• Congregational Collective Collaborative initiative equipping congregations to become community leaders in mental health and wellness through support systems, training, and ministry tools.
• San Antonio Capacity Building Yearlong peer learning cohort program empowering youth and family-serving nonprofits in San Antonio to maximize impact through leadership development and organizational capacity building.
• The High Calling Archive of radio spots and stories on faith and vocation created between 2001-2011, now hosted on the foundation's website.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Sky Ranch: Faith-based nonprofit operating youth summer camps, family camps, and retreat centers across Texas and Oklahoma; competes for overlapping youth/family audiences and donor pools in the same regional market.
• Hume Lake Christian Camps: California-based Christian retreat and conference center operating youth summer camps and adult retreats; comparable ecumenical model, multi-program retreat campus, and faith formation mission.
• Kanakuk Kamps: Faith-based network of summer camps in Missouri and Texas serving youth and families with resident camp and family camp options; closely mirrors LLYC and Laity Lodge Family Camp in mission, audience, and program structure.
• Gloria Deo Academy & Mount Hermon Christian Camps: Long-standing California Christian conference center running youth summer camps, family camps, and adult retreats with cross-denominational programming; structurally comparable operating foundation for camp and retreat work.
• Young Life: National interdenominational Christian youth ministry that operates summer camps, club programs, and discipleship experiences; directly comparable in faith-based youth development programming and summer camp delivery model.
• Pine Cove: Texas-based Christian residential and day camp operator running multiple camp properties, family camps, and outdoor schools; the most direct Texas peer to H.E. Butt's Canyon-based family of camps.
• Forest Home: Christian conference and retreat center in Southern California combining youth camps, family camps, and adult retreats; analogous integrated retreat-center model with similar faith-based programming mix.
• MO Ranch: Faith-based retreat and camp center in the Texas Hill Country on the Guadalupe River offering summer camps and adult retreat programming; overlaps significantly with the Frio River Canyon mission and Texas footprint.

Broad incumbents

• Young Life Capernaum: Specialized Young Life division serving youth with disabilities; adjacent to the foundation's community engagement and mental health initiatives around vulnerable children and families.
• Boys & Girls Clubs of America: Large national youth-development nonprofit with extensive Texas presence, capacity-building infrastructure, and outdoor programming; comparable scale of donor-funded youth and family services at significantly larger footprint.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubevimeo.com/hebfdn
• Facebookfacebook.com/HEButtFoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/h.e.-butt-foundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/hebuttfoundation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles18 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about H E Butt Foundation