What THE LOWE FOUNDATION does

The Lowe Foundation is a private 501(c)(3) nonprofit foundation incorporated and headquartered in Austin, Texas, established in 1988 by Erma Lowe and her daughter Mary Ralph Lowe. The foundation's stated mission is to support preventive and rehabilitative programs serving the critical needs of at-risk women and children in the Austin, San Antonio, and Dallas/Fort Worth regions of Texas. Since inception, it reports assisting over 400 organizations through its grant program.

Operating as a single-purpose philanthropic grantmaker, the foundation runs an annual application cycle open from July 1 to December 1, with funding decisions communicated to applicants by early May following an April funding meeting. Grant submissions are processed through the yourcause by Blackbaud applicant portal. Recipients must be qualified 501(c)(3) organizations, and the foundation supports single-year grants, multi-year grants with annual progress reporting (due March 31), and capital campaign grants tied to construction milestones. The 2025 grants roster spans roughly 90+ recipient organizations across verticals including food security, youth development, education, healthcare, arts and culture, and domestic violence services.

Governance is carried out by a trustee-led model with regional leadership: Mary Ralph Lowe, Diana Strauss, and Samantha Yost Pace serve as Lead Trustees for the Dallas/Fort Worth region, while Clayton Maebius serves as Lead Trustee for the Austin/San Antonio area. The foundation is independently operated by its founding family and appointed trustees, with no parent company, institutional investor, or external ownership disclosed. Its sole product is the grant-making program itself; there is no proprietary technology, product offering, or revenue-generating commercial stream beyond the disbursement of restricted charitable funds.

Name

THE LOWE FOUNDATION

Legal name

The Lowe Foundation

Website

https://thelowefoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Lowe Foundation is a private 501(c)(3) nonprofit foundation established in 1988 that provides annual grants to qualified 501(c)(3) organizations serving at-risk women and children in Austin, San Antonio, and Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Philanthropic Foundation / Charitable Grantmaking

NAICS

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

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Grantmaking & Philanthropic Funds (Institutional Donors) (BPADAOAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Education Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAK), Arts, Culture & Humanities Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAJ)

Keywords

• Philanthropic grant funding
• Charitable foundation grants
• Nonprofit grantmaking
• Community benefit funding
• Youth welfare programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Austin

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Grant Disbursements: The foundation provides grants to qualified 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations serving at-risk women and children in Texas. Grant disbursements occur upon approval, with new grant recipients receiving an award packet that must be signed and returned before funding is released. Multi-year grants require annual progress reports by March 31st for April review, with payments following approval of progress reports. Capital Campaign grants receive initial funding post-groundbreaking and final payment post-project completion.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

The Lowe Foundation provides grant funding to qualified 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations serving at-risk women and children in the Austin, San Antonio, and Dallas/Fort Worth regions of Texas. Grants support preventive or rehabilitative programs that address critical health and educational needs of vulnerable women and children, and are administered through an annual cycle with applications accepted July 1 through December 1 for funding the following spring. The foundation also issues multi-year and capital campaign grants subject to progress-report and project-completion conditions.

Product overview

The Lowe Foundation is a single-purpose philanthropic organization established in 1988 that operates as a unified grant-making program. It does not offer a technology product or platform. The foundation's sole offering is its grant program, which funds preventive and rehabilitative programs for at-risk women and children in Central Texas. Grant applications are submitted through a third-party platform (yourcause by Blackbaud) during a specific window (July 1 - December 1) for spring funding.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Grant Making Program

Named customers20 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• The Meadows Foundation: Texas-based private family foundation established in 1948 that funds health, education, social services, and arts across the state. Directly comparable as a multi-generational Texas family grantmaker with similar geographic focus and sector breadth.
• The Kemper Foundation: Family foundation supporting health, education, and human services with strong Texas presence. Comparable as a multi-state family foundation with overlapping mission and similar grantee profile.
• Communities Foundation of Texas: Major Texas-based community foundation that administers donor-advised funds and makes grants across North Texas. Comparable as a Texas grantmaking institution supporting nonprofit partners in similar focus areas.
• The Moody Foundation: One of the largest family foundations in Texas, funding education, social services, community development, and the arts primarily in Texas. Comparable as a Texas-focused family foundation with overlapping grantee categories.
• The Simmons Foundation: Texas-based family foundation supporting health, education, and human services in underserved communities. Comparable as a private Texas family grantmaker with similar social services and education focus.
• The Brown Foundation, Inc. Houston-based family foundation funding education, arts, and social services primarily in Texas. Comparable as a major Texas family foundation with similar arts and education grantmaking profile.

Broad incumbents

• Michael & Susan Dell Foundation: Large Austin-based family foundation focused on education, health, and economic mobility for children and families. Comparable as a major Texas family foundation with overlapping beneficiary focus on children and education.

Regional players

• The Ray C. Fish Foundation: Texas-based private foundation supporting education, health, and human services in underserved communities. Comparable as a Texas-focused grantmaker with similar at-risk beneficiary focus.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about THE LOWE FOUNDATION