Grants for Nonprofits in Austin, Texas
A data-backed guide to Austin-area foundation funding, sourced directly from IRS 990-PF filings. Built for Travis County's 10+ 501(c)(3) organizations.
Austin's philanthropic profile is atypical for a Texas city. Relative to Dallas or Houston it has fewer legacy family foundations but a disproportionate share of tech-wealth funders, a function of two decades of venture-backed company formation in the metro. Anchor Austin-area funders include the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation (global child health, K-12 education), the Mitte Foundation, St. David's Foundation (health outcomes across the five-county Central Texas region, one of the largest healthcare conversion foundations in the country at over $1B in assets), the Effie and Wofford Cain Foundation, and Austin Community Foundation.
The city's giving priorities track its industries. Education technology, workforce reskilling, and access-to-tech programs receive outsized funding. Environmental conservation is strong thanks to the Hill Country watershed focus that crosses Travis, Hays, and Williamson counties. Homelessness and affordable housing funding has grown rapidly as the metro's population and cost of living have both accelerated. Austin also has a concentration of health conversion foundation assets, which means 501(c)(3)s working in Central Texas healthcare have access to a category of funding underdeveloped in most other Texas metros.
For a Travis County nonprofit, the opportunity is access to a concentrated, relatively small number of well-capitalized funders who fund deeply within their priority areas. The constraint is competition. Austin's nonprofit sector is dense relative to the foundation base, and many funders run tight invitation-only cycles. GrantDrop matches your 501(c)(3) against every active Austin-area foundation plus statewide Texas funders and national funders with Austin giving history, from current 990-PF data.
Largest Foundations Headquartered in Austin
Ranked by total assets on most recent IRS 990-PF filing. Click a foundation name to see its full profile, officers, giving history, application info, and average grant size.
| Foundation | Total assets | Grants paid (year) |
|---|---|---|
| Musk Foundation | $2,956M | $10M |
| Musk Foundation | $362M | $1M |
| Effie and Wofford Cain Foundation | $156M | $5M |
| Carl C Anderson Sr and Marie Jo Anderson | $86M | $4M |
| Ed Foundation | $82M | $4M |
Top Funders Giving to Austin Nonprofits
Foundations (based anywhere) that have given the most dollars to Austin-area nonprofits since 2014. Internal discovery target, these funders statistically give to Austin, so a well-fit Austin nonprofit has elevated odds.
| Funder | # grants | Total to Austin |
|---|---|---|
| Michael & Susan Dell Foundation (Houston, TX) | 352 | $722M |
| The Moody Foundation (Houston, TX) | 412 | $317M |
| Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund (Boston, MA) | 2,657 | $293M |
| The Big 12 Conference Inc (Irving, TX) | 6 | $238M |
| St David'S Foundation (Austin, TX) | 543 | $219M |
Notable Austin Grant Recipients
Top recipients by cumulative dollars received since 2014. Many are hospitals or universities; use this to gauge scale of giving, not as the benchmark for a small nonprofit's realistic ask.
| Recipient | # grants | Total received |
|---|---|---|
| University of Texas at Austin | 1,094 | $370M |
| University of Texas | 384 | $269M |
| The University of Texas at Austin | 846 | $195M |
| UT - Dept of Intercollegiate Athlet | 3 | $143M |
| University of Texas Austin | 153 | $121M |